Video SparkNotes: Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter summary 

Shout out to all those Honors English students being force to read this. Thank god for spark notes.

10 hour audio book? or 10 minute summary? Erm... yes.

I like how half of the book was summarized in the last 3 minutes. Tells you how many times Hawthorne repeated the same exact thing

"...then he dies" WELL OKAY

the drawings of chillingworth's demonic faces kill me LOL

It's so much more enjoyable to read great literature outside of the classroom. The content ceases to matter as soon as it's all about the grade on the exam. All you AP kids, I hope you return someday to the rich worlds of these novels, which today you must regrettably cram into your head, only to forget tomorrow.

School has actually ruined reading for me.

Let the fact that this nine-hour book can be summarized in ten minutes show the true extent of redundantly exhaustive descriptions and the long-windedness of every sentence within the original. Thank you, Sparknotes-For every painstaking day of analysis you must've endured to create such a masterpiece.

so you’re telling me that I read seven chapters and understood basically nothing and then I watch this and get WAY MORE IN 3 minutes wow-

couldn't read this longer than 5 minutes without getting a raging headache. why I was placed in advanced English I'll never know. I'm going to fail this test tomorrow

I wonder if she had the affair at the Dimma-Dome.

This book is such a hard read.

I read this book for leisure, and I was surprised by how difficult in fact the read actually was. Strangely, I find Shakespearean literature easier than this. However, if school hasn't yet ruined it for you by making you read it, I do recommend reading it independently! It's dramatic, captivating, and at times, humorous in a strange way. (Probably all the irony!!!) And also, was anyone else dying at the demonic faces of Chillingworth?? 😂

Hester sees him on the pillory, they hang out, a meteor lights up an A shaped cloud, in the light they see Roger, and Roger tells Dimmesdale he's sleep walking... Really believable.

Shout out to the AHS AP English 3 students I see yall

This is like the 1850s version of Maury

This is literally going to save my life in AP English...

I'm not sure if this is how it is in the book but it seems to me that the two main male characters do a sort of a switch. At first i thought of Dimmsdale as a scumbag and Chillingsworth as a forgiving and good husband. But slowly this changes as Dimmsdale is shown to be a complex and overall good person while Chillingsworth is shown to be vindictive and spiteful. Very interesting.

Summer reading- done!

If your teachers say that they check these videos and use more minuet details, listen up! Not the biggest list, but this SHOULD (maybe) help out a bit. The rose bush at the jail? Hope and red, like the letter and Pearl's usual dress. Chillingsworth? He walks with a limp as depicted in the video. Dimmesdale? Dims-dale, which means he DIMS in life and with go to Heaven, a DALE (valley), in death. The armor in the governor's house? It's to show a reflection of Pearl and Hester, to show how they see each other. The brook in the forest? To show the sorrow and agony that Dimmesdale and Hester have been through, also a symbol of washing away the unclean (why Pearl washes her face there after Dimmesdale kisses her). The scarlet letter on Dimmesdale's chest? In the book, it's more stated there was nothing, but people EXPECTED there to be something there.

Everything makes sense now. ENGLISH FINAL EXAM, HERE I COME!!!!!!!!!!!

I've noticed that it seems Hawthorne thinks the readers are idiots. I mean, half of the symbols are flat out explained to the reader, and the other half of the symbols are more obviously symbolic than the parallels in The Lego Movie! Also, the olde english is a pain, and hearing a 7 year old talking so formally drove me bonkers.

Does anyone ever wonder if Hawthorne actually meant any of this symbolism when he wrote it or do English majors just spend their lives pulling random bs out of thin air and making poor kids write essays about it?

He reveals an A on his chest and this kills him. Sure, that's how that might happen.

i love that this entire book can be summed up so fast. why do all teachers have to make such a huge deal about how 'amazing' it is?

I have a 300 point test in an hour...thank you UPDATE: Took the test and actually thing I did good. Thanks spark nores

SparkNotes I would die for you

The reason why am not reading it bcz of the first chapter the custom house full of unnecessary details

Who started reading comments and had to restart the video 😂

I see everyone struggling because of school and I just took this book for my own reading lol I'm here just because I'm interested in deeper interpretations. Hang in there people! You can do it

AP Lang quiz tomorrow, here I come!!!!! 😁😁😁😁

These illustrations are incredible. I would love to have this series on DVD

The book is unbearable. Thank god for this

nice to know that everyone else also has a hatred for this book

This book is like abstract art, everyone is like OHhhhhh look at all the symbolism and development of themes. And am like damn this just a bunch of boring squiggly lines wasting space.

I honestly really like this book. It is kind of hard to read, as with many older novels, so I always watch the sparknotes vid afterwards to help me fully grasp what happened.

I'm supposed to read the first four chapters of this book today (not including The Custom-House, which I somehow forced myself to read the other day), but it's impossible. The book is excruciatingly bland and the climax is outright absurd. I understand the underlying themes of the book and, to be fair, it's well-written. Once again to be fair, the chance meeting (i.e. Chillingworth and Dimmesdale working together) is an exciting twist, but it has become a cliche in the modern world and therefore is a cliche in the book assuming the reader hasn't been living under a rock for his or her entire life. Sadly, the story was a bit of a letdown because of its own legacy. So it may have been original at the time, but today it is no more than a typical, cliche romance novel.

the amount of time I spent reading comments here is more than the time I spent reading the novel :'))) I love you sparkNotes

So glad I didn't have to read this at high school. I would've hated it. Listened to an audiobook at university and actually enjoyed it. There's so much symbolism. It's definitely not a book for highschoolers though...

Literary Analysis Paper #1 By Kristian Ryden “A throng of bearded men, in sad-coloured garments and grey steeple-crowned hats, intermixed with women, some wearing hoods, and others bareheaded, was assembled in front of a wooden edifice, the door of which was heavily timbered with oak, and studded with iron spikes.” This passage is the introductory paragraph in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s much respected novel, The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne’s narrative detailing the frailty of human nature and the dangers of an overly pious society has stood the test of time, remaining in countless book lists, and becoming a mainstay of collegiate-level literature courses. In literary circles, professors and students alike rave about the elaborate sentences and evocative imagery. But the real strength of The Scarlet Letter lies in Hawthorne’s use of symbolism. In crafting an argument for this proposition, three examples of Hawthorne’s use of symbolism, and their contribution to the depth of the narrative, will be given. These are symbolic colors, The scarlet letter on Hester Prynne’s breast, and the character of Pearl. Though these three aren’t the only examples of symbolism in the story, they are the main symbols. Above was quoted the first paragraph in The Scarlet Letter. Right away, the reader is introduced to one of Hawthorne’s favorite uses of symbolism, which is color. The townspeople are described as dressed in “sad-coloured garments”. Although Hawthorne doesn’t concretely describe the specific color, he is giving the reader a look into the Puritans’ inner attitude, and therefore, the general tone of the story; that is, morose. After a lengthy exposition on Puritan society, Hawthorne writes of the town prison by saying it is “the black flower of civilized society”. Here, we are introduced to one of Hawthorne’s favorite symbolic colors: black. Throughout the story, Hawthorne uses to the color black as intimating evil forces are at work. The main protagonist, Hester Prynne, is led out by the town beadle (who Hawthorne compares to a “black shadow”, perhaps offering a critique on Puritanic culture) through the crowd to the scaffold. Hawthorne is purposeful in drawing the reader’s attention to the letter, stitched of red cloth, on Hester’s bosom. In this instance, we are introduced to Hawthorne’s other favorite symbolic color. In The Scarlet Letter, red symbolizes the passionate desires and lusts of human nature, the shame of one’s sin, and pride. Following Hester’s public punishment, she is visited by her husband, Roger Chillingworth, who pokes and prods her scarlet letter, leaving it flaming red. This particular use of red symbolizes the shame that Hester feels over her act of adultery. In a later chapter, this shameful feeling is referred to as “red infamy”. In chapter seven’s description of Pearl, Hawthorne dedicates a significant number of words to painting a picture of her black aura. Her physical being is quite black. Her eyes are “wild, bright, deeply black.” Her hair, as an older child, “akin to black”. In perhaps the most intriguing scene, Pearl accompanies Hester to the Governor’s mansion, and is dressed in a velvet tunic, making her a unifier between the main symbolic colors; another example of Hawthorne playing with colors in adding depth and dimension to an otherwise straightforward scene. In the same chapter, as Hester is leaving with Pearl, Governor Bellingham’s sister calls out “‘will thou go with us to-night? There will be a merry company in the forest; and I well-nigh promised the Black Man that comely Hester Prynne should make one.’” This revelation solidifies the color black as a symbol for evil, as the Black Man is a sort of Satan figure. The last major occurrence of color as a symbol appears in chapter 12, again having to do with the color red, and its connection to the act of adultery. Dimmesdale, suffering from his inability to confess his sin, takes a midnight excursion to the scaffold, where he meets Hester and Pearl. The three individuals stand hand in hand on the scaffold, where Dimmesdale deciphers a letter A marked out in the sky in the dull red light of the meteor shower. In all other instances, the intensity and scorching complexion of red is stressed, whereas in this moment, the letter A is dull, perhaps symbolizing Dimmesdale and Hester’s inner attitude of peace toward their sin; their guilt is stifled as they lean on each other. Obviously, the use of color as a mode of symbolism is consistently present in The Scarlet Letter. The brilliant thing about using color as a symbol is that color is incredibly versatile in literary tradition. Color is an important aspect of a person’s experience. We associate certain colors with feelings, memories, and all sorts of abstract phenomena. In descriptive pieces of literature, color is mandatory in painting a picture and immersing the reader in the story. That’s why using color as a symbol works so well. It feels so natural and flows so easily into a story, while being able to accomplish much in terms of narrative depth. Hawthorne knew what he was doing in his use of color as symbolism. The second main usage of symbolism is the book’s namesake: the scarlet letter A on Hester’s breast. The letter encapsulates Hester’s existence; a mention of her name triggers vivid pictures of that imposing emblem on her heart. At first glance, the purpose or meaning of the scarlet letter seems to be evident; it is a mark which draws attention to Hester having fallen into the act of adultery. And while it does symbolize the act of adultery, it embodies much more. In the second chapter, Hawthorne presents Hester, along with the scarlet letter. True to his style, he goes into ornate detail on how the letter is embroidered with gold thread and writes on the townspeople’s reaction to it: But the point which drew all eyes, and, as it were, transfigured the wearer-so that both men and women who had been familiarly acquainted with Hester Prynne were now impressed as if they beheld her for the first time-was that SCARLET LETTER, so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom. It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and enclosing her in a sphere by herself. This may very well be the most significant passage on the scarlet letter in the whole book. There are many like passages that need not be mentioned, as they are duplications of this same segment. In the passage, the reader sees that the scarlet letter is more than just a symbol for the act of adultery. Many different interpretations of meaning could be given, but that is where the strength of the symbol lies. For now, it is satisfactory to conclude that the scarlet letter is flexible in meaning. As Hester grows accustomed to wearing the letter, she believes that it gives her the power to sense immorality in others. She begins to wonder if the scarlet letter would be present on many a person’s bosom if the truth prevailed. In this case, Hawthorne seems to intend the scarlet letter to symbolize sin as a whole. The letter A is not significant relative to any other letter. Later in the story, the scarlet letter changes meaning for the townspeople, “Such helpfulness was found in her-so much power to do, and power to sympathise-that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said that it meant Able…” The scarlet letter continues to be the focal point of throughout the story. As stated above, what makes it so engaging as a symbol is its adaptability. It doesn’t just stand for sin but provides an opportunity for the reader to observe society’s view of sin, and the infinitely complex web of connections between humanity and sin. One could read the book a thousand times and come away with a different interpretation on the scarlet letter. The most confusing of all the symbols in the books is the character of Pearl. This may be partly due to her being a human, not an inanimate object. She’s complex, even for a human, and in a constant state of flux. In chapter 6, Hawthorne provides and in-depth description of her intricate character. She is beautiful, passionate, and lively, an “airy sprite”, but she contains a dark side to her. Many of the townspeople think of her as demon offspring. She is, in essence, the physical manifestation of the scarlet letter, thus symbolizing the sin of adultery. If not that, Hawthorne, at the very least, intended for her to be tied in some way to the scarlet letter. On several occasions, Pearl acts as a tormenter to Hester, subjecting her to hard questions which prick Hester’s conscience deeply. She shows an unnerving fascination with the scarlet letter, even incorporating it into her play. With these points in mind, it seems likely that Hawthorne meant for Pearl to be a symbol of Hester’s passions and struggles with the letter, perhaps a figment of her imagination, a coping strategy. Like the scarlet letter though, she is adaptable, and may symbolize something different during each reading. As the reader can see, The Scarlet Letter is saturated with symbolism. Although reading a literary work such as The Scarlet Letter is maddening at times because of this style choice, Hawthorne’s usage of this literary tool is what keeps people coming back for more. For the strength of The Scarlet Letter doesn’t lie in flowery language and excessive narration, but in symbolism. It is confusing yet stimulates the mind into exerting every intellectual faculty in order to fully appreciate what is on the pages, adding depth beyond that which an author can orate. The symbolism also allows the novel to remain a classic no matter the time period, because of its bendability toward the reader’s imagination.

This book was assigned me for English class. Since I got less than 15 days to read and write a 2000 word long essay about it, I decided to read in my native language but it turns out that I do not even know even my mother tongue.

Am I the only one that actually enjoyed this book? I did read it outside of the classroom... I don't know what it is but reading in the classroom is horrible compared to outside!!

When i was in High School there was no RU-vid and we had to read this book.

I'm sick of my AP class..😂 I love the small size of the class, our teacher, and the atmosphere. The thing I despise is the books we have to read and all the essays. We're like 10 weeks into school and have already done 5 essays! 😭 The AP exam is going to kill me because of the 3 timed essays and multiple choice questions.

Shoutout to all those students watching this to finish their book reports. xD

1) When Roger Chillingworth reveals the 'A' on Dimmesdale, its not because Dimmesdale was asleep its because Roger made a potion to knock him out. 2) Hester & Dimmesdale don't just talk in the forest, they well ... The A is not the only thing that comes off. 3)DIMMESDALE IS NOT BURIED BESIDE HESTER? ROGER CHILLING WORTH IS BURIED BESIDE HESTER! -Even though the book does not directley state that either persons lay beside her eternal resting place it can be inferred that Chillingworth can was buried beside her because of the descripition of Hester as an Angel and Chillingworth as the Devil in the chapters before. -The true identity of Chillingworth is not a secret, and in the middle of the book it even states that some of the townsfolk actually know Mr.Prynne's true identity, but thought that Roger had been sent by God as the Devil to test and punish Dimmesdale, therefore it can be assumed that the tradition puritans they were, would have buried Hester beside a "devil" unworthy dirt bag such as Chillingworth, not the Godly saint who's eternal purity will never be forgotten.

thank jesus. my english exam is tomorrow and we can't bring our books. what a life saver.

Please make more of these videos describing the literature including books. I have fun watching these videos because it helps me learn more about the book, characters, and the plot whenI struggle with autism.

Thank you SparkNotes. I owe you my life.

Dude thank you. This book is totally ridiculous. I read it through and I didn't understand half of what Hawthorne was saying, so I'm super glad this got to what the actual points were...jeez.

I'm currently in AP literature and don't read any of the books (oops) but last year in English honors I actually read this. It was really cool and good. I liked it. I'm shocked to see so many people who didn't like it or found it tedious.

I was always curious about this book, so I'm glad these videos exist. I never would have read the book myself.

300 pages in 10minutes. Bravo sparknotes :D I'll give you a jar of cookies :D

Thank you ! My English teacher forces me to understand this book and this helps alot !

I'm being forced to read this in my honors American lit class. it's harder than Shakespeare for sure.

THIS SUMMARY IS PERFECT THANK YOU SO MUCH!! 💕💕

THANK YOU all mighty sparknotes. Saving my grade once again

On behalf of my fellow honors students, we thank you for your service!

Since 2006 I haven't checked out Sparknotes. I rememberd about it now, after 12 years!! while seriously preparing for a teacher's exam for the first time in years (since then). This is the best site so far where you can get an idea about some books that you don't really want to read (such as Ulyses by Joyce). some others I have read, but it is always good to look for additional info. And what I like about the site especially is the fact that it's got the context in which the works were written.

My question is how did the town know she cheated but they didn't know who she cheated with ?

I know a lot of students have to be assigned this book to actually read it but I started and finished the book because I kept hearing about it and I just wanted to know about it and this summarization is really good.

Thank you for making this. I read the full book and had no idea what was going on.

Thanks alot appreciate it i told my Grandpa i read the whole book and he asked me about it and i knew nothing about it and he was expecting me to till him about it the following day thank god this exists this is a actual good summary i should read the book ong

The book is sooooo boring and hard for me to read, sparknotes are a blessing

When you have an AP us history essay due next week and you can’t comprehend a thing from the book

Just finished the book. Ahead of class. YAY! Story was amazing

I don't understand why schools choose the most utterly boring and hard to interpret books for core novels. It makes no sense whatsoever. In the entirety of my highschool career there has only been three things I actually enjoyed reading- the rest leaving me to SparkNotes everything. 1.) Animal Farm 2.) (Adapted) Greek Mythology 3.) Catcher in the Rye We want something with a plot that's actually interesting and at the same time is something that we can actually interpret the first time we read it. Not some shakespearean-styled literature with the most boring opening there is. Who wants to read about the details of a prison door while having a dictionary by your side to decipher every 2-3 sentences you read? Honestly.

Not gonna lie i love the language this book uses. It really puts you into the story and time period. I love this book and the themes but school ruined it for me when we had to go word by word and decipher it’s meaning. The book’s story sends a message, the message you take away from it is the readers job. And sometimes the reader doesn’t need to gain profound knowledge from reading a book. I think school should make us write essays on books like this, but I will complain about it Because complaining is fun. It’s a good book if you love this older style of writing.

The art is so amazing!

Thank you very much for your summary. I am German and my Old English reading skills are very basic. I can understand small passages, but i had problems getting the whole idea of the plot. Great work and thank you again!

This video was so helpful! I’ve read the book twice, but I’m taking a test on it tomorrow & this was a nice review.

This book was fantastic! It was a great read and a page-turner.

This is a beautiful story indeed. This story was a controversy way back then. The characterization of the story is so great. That's what we all love this story,,I guess. 😍💗✌️

Watching this before and after reading the book is really helpful, as a preview and review.

I love this book! it's one of my favorites I've read for school

Remember when the book spent an entire page talking about a freaking rose bush outside the prison like ffs just get on with the story this is why i never finished reading you

A great summary, really worth watching.

Thank you so much_as an English student_ it is soo helpful to understand in 10 mins💕

I read this book the summer of 8th grade at trying to seem quirky paid off now for our project I pretty much just needed this summary

I had a scarlette letter Test last yesterday in Honors American Lit, didn't read a single chaper of the book. I read all the sparknotes chapter summaries and did a few quizzes the night before and got an 85.

You're awesome man. Thank you so much !!

Thanks for this! Really useful summary!

This book truly was worthy of being CHILLING

God bless you for this video! it helped me so much!

Hawthorne never really "found" the Scarlet letter in the custom house. He was just playing with the reader. Also, Dimmesdale didn't have a scarlet letter on his chest... it said that there was a letter exactly the same as Hester's which can't be since hers is embroidered, fancy and red. Hawthorne loves trickery

i’m reading this book (im in H English) and i was only able to get to chapter 12. i gave up and decided to read the spark notes. thank god for this video too. (btw, i have a test for this tmrw 😩)

This was very helpful. Thank you !!

THIS WAS SO HELPFUL THANK YOU

THANK YOU THIS HELPED A LOT

I needed this! thanks so much spark notes

So helpful💛 thank you!

THIS HELPED SOOOOO MUCH

thank you! the video is beautiful and clear!

actually a pretty good book, read it all, but just watching it to make sure I absorbed everything

why this channel is not active !!! u guys r doing great job...keep posting new book summary

Have an essay due today on this. Thanks for the help my dude ;)

Thanks for the summary

I read this, but this helps work out some kinks in my understanding of it. Thanks!

thank you for interpreting the book into english.

got a test on this tomorrow, thx for the vid