"Mother," said little Pearl, "the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom. . .. It will not flee from me, for I wear nothing on my bosom yet!"

"Nor ever will, my child, I hope," said Hester.

"And why not, mother?" asked Pearl, stopping short. . .. "Will it not come of its own accord, when I am a woman grown?"

—From the book

A young woman, Hester Prynne, is driven among the masses from the town prison with her infant daughter, Pearl, in her arms and the scarlet letter 'A' on her breast. Hester is being disciplined for adultery. She is not willing to reveal the identity of her lover. The scarlet letter, and the public shaming, is her punishment. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne takes us on the journey of this woman as she strives to create a new life of repentance and dignity, exposing the stereotypes of society.