The Puritan era during which the action of HawthorneÆs (1961) The Scarlet Letter takes place embodied a society in which the individual and his or her actions were often pitted against a social order determined to stamp out behaviors it considered immoral. Hester Prynne is pilloried by the town fathers for having committed adultery. She is led forth from prison, with an embroidered scarlet ôAö on her bosom and her love child in her arms, to a pillory where she is forced to endure three hours of humiliation. While waiting in Boston for the arrival of her husband, Roger Prynne, Hester has committed adultery with an unknown male (Arthur Dimmesdale). While being pilloried, Hester spies her much older husband in the crowd. Now Roger ôChillingworthö, her husband convinces Hester to refrain from identifying him.
Hester will endure seven long years of ignominy and shame, wearing her scarlet ôAö and surviving by doing needlework and helping the poor and needy. Roger Chillingworth passes himself off as a physician and vows vengeance upon the man that is her daughter PearlÆs father. Even when told she can remove her scarlet letter, Hester refuses as she is not repentant and has only the identity of her love to conceal. Her lover, Arthur Dimmesdale, is a minister who cannot confess his culpability. Chillingworth comes to suspect Dimmesdale is HesterÆs lover, moving in with him in the guise of a physician to poison and torture Dimmsdale. To protect Dimmsdale, Hester eventually reveals his identity to Chillingworth. Hester and Dimmesdale plan to escape from the tyranny of Puritan society, but their plans are foiled by Chillingworth who books passage on the same ship. To escape the clutches of Chillingworth, Dimmesdale mounts the pillory with Hester and Pearl and acknowledges his daughter and, thereby, finding salvation. He dies as Pearl grants him a kiss. Chillingworth, robbed of the target of his revenge, dies a year lat...