The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne | Project Gutenberg https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25344 Skip to main content X Go! Donate About ▼ About Project Gutenberg Contact Us History & Philosophy Kindle & eReaders Help Pages Offline Catalogs Donate Frequently Downloaded Main Categories Reading Lists Search Options Frequently Downloaded Main Categories Project Gutenberg 76,981 free eBooks 110 by Nathaniel Hawthorne The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a classic novel written in the mid-19th century. The book delves into themes of sin, guilt, and redemption, primarily exploring the life of Hester Prynne, a woman shunned by her Puritan community after bearing an illegitimate child. Through her experiences and struggles, the narrative examines the societal and personal ramifications of moral transgressions. At the start of the novel, the author introduces the setting, a ... Read More dilapidated jail in colonial Boston, where a crowd has gathered to witness the punishment of Hester Prynne. The scene conveys a deep sense of Puritanical severity, showing the townspeople's intense scrutiny over Hester, who stands accused of adultery. Hawthorne sets a somber tone as he describes the prison and its surroundings, including a wild rosebush that offers a stark contrast to the grimness of the prison, symbolizing hope and compassion amidst human frailty. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Show Less Read or download for free How to read Url Size Read now! https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25344.html.images 571 kB EPUB3 (E-readers incl. Send-to-Kindle) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25344.epub3.images 4.3 MB EPUB (older E-readers) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25344.epub.images 4.3 MB EPUB (no images, older E-readers) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25344.epub.noimages 465 kB Kindle https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25344.kf8.images 5.2 MB older Kindles https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25344.kindle.images 5.0 MB Plain Text UTF-8 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25344.txt.utf-8 514 kB Download HTML (zip) https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/25344/pg25344-h.zip 4.3 MB There may be more files related to this item. Similar Books Readers also downloaded… In Banned Books from Anne Haight's list In Category: Novels In Category: Classics of Literature In Category: American Literature About this eBook Author Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 1804-1864 Engraver Anthony, A. V. S. (Andrew Varick Stout), 1835-1906 Illustrator Foote, Mary Hallock, 1847-1938 Illustrator Ipsen, Ludvig Sandöe Title The Scarlet Letter Note Wikipedia page about this book: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scarlet_Letter Credits Markus Brenner, Irma Spehar and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team Reading Level Reading ease score: 65.0 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. Language English LoC Class PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature Subject Adultery -- Fiction Subject Historical fiction Subject Revenge -- Fiction Subject Psychological fiction Subject Married women -- Fiction Subject Clergy -- Fiction Subject Triangles (Interpersonal relations) -- Fiction Subject Illegitimate children -- Fiction Subject Women immigrants -- Fiction Subject Puritans -- Fiction Subject Boston (Mass.) -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775 -- Fiction Category Text EBook-No. 25344 Release Date May 5, 2008 Most Recently Updated Aug 9, 2025 Copyright Status Public domain in the USA. Downloads 53308 downloads in the last 30 days. Project Gutenberg eBooks are always free! About Project Gutenberg Privacy policy Permissions Terms of Use Contact Us Help