The plot in six lines
Hester Prynne stands before the people of Boston with her baby and scarlet letter, refusing to name the child's father.
Her husband returns, takes the name Roger Chillingworth, and makes Hester promise to conceal his identity while he seeks the father.
Hester supports herself and Pearl through sewing, endures the town's scorn, and keeps her daughter after Arthur Dimmesdale speaks in her defense.
Chillingworth discovers Dimmesdale's hidden guilt and torments him, while the minister joins Hester and Pearl on the scaffold at midnight but refuses public acknowledgment.
Hester reveals Chillingworth's identity to Dimmesdale in the forest, briefly removes her letter, and plans with the minister to flee.
Dimmesdale confesses publicly and dies in Hester's arms, Chillingworth dies within a year, and Hester leaves with Pearl before returning alone years later, choosing the letter again and eventually being buried near Dimmesdale.
Themes
Guilt and concealment: Hester's visible punishment contrasts with Dimmesdale's hidden suffering, showing how secrecy can damage both body and mind.
Judgment and mercy: The town's harsh treatment of Hester exposes the distance between its religious ideals and its willingness to forgive.
Revenge: Chillingworth turns his grievance into a purpose that consumes his life and destroys his humanity.
Nature and law: The forest allows honesty and affection beyond Boston's rules, but Hawthorne does not present escape from society as a complete answer.
Changing meanings: The scarlet letter gains different meanings as Hester's actions challenge the identity her community imposes on her.
Characters
- Hester PrynneA young woman who bears the scarlet letter with dignity, raises her daughter alone and refuses to name the father of her child.
- PearlHester's daughter, a bright, wild and sharp-minded child who seems to sense secrets and who is both her mother's joy and her burden.
- Arthur DimmesdaleThe young minister of Boston, loved for his sermons and tormented by a private guilt he cannot bring himself to confess.
- Roger ChillingworthHester's long-lost husband, a learned physician who takes a new name and devotes himself to finding and punishing the man who wronged him.
- Governor BellinghamThe stern leader of the Boston colony, who stands for law and order and who questions whether Hester can raise her child.
- Reverend John WilsonThe elderly minister of Boston, a kindly but rigid man who urges Hester to confess and tests young Pearl on her catechism.
For the AP English Literature exam, May 2027
- The AP English Literature and Composition exam is on Wednesday 5 May 2027, in the first session of the day.
- The College Board sets no reading list for AP English Literature and Composition. The Scarlet Letter is one of the works it prints with its sample Question 3, the literary argument, where you choose the work yourself.
- Section 1 is 55 multiple-choice questions in 1 hour, 45 percent of the score. Section 2 is three free-response questions in 2 hours, 55 percent.
A two-week plan
- Day oneRead the 15-minute summary of The Scarlet Letter from start to finish, then tell the story back to yourself in five sentences.
- Day twoA found cloth begins the tale: Notice how the found cloth and the narrator's family shame connect storytelling with judgments about the past. Hester stands before the town: Watch how Hester's dignity contrasts with the crowd's cruelty and Dimmesdale's visible distress.
- Day threeA stranger and a secret oath: Follow how Hester's promise of silence gives Chillingworth power over what others can know. Life on the edge of town: Notice how the town depends on Hester's sewing while continuing to reject her.
- Day fourPearl, the living letter: Watch how Pearl's questions and the enlarged reflection make the letter impossible to ignore. The doctor who feeds on a secret: Mark how Chillingworth's care becomes cruelty as his search for knowledge turns into deliberate torment.
- Day fiveMidnight on the scaffold: Compare Dimmesdale's willingness to stand together at midnight with his refusal to do so at noon.
- Day sixHester decides to speak, and the forest: Notice how the forest permits openness, while Pearl insists that Hester put the letter back on.
- Day sevenWhat the story is really about: Compare the effects of public punishment, hidden guilt and revenge on the central characters.
- Day eightHow Hawthorne tells it: Trace the repeated scaffold scenes and notice how the narrator leaves symbolic events open to different readings.
- Day nineThe cast: Hester Prynne, Pearl, Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth and Governor Bellingham. Write one line on what each of them wants.
- Day tenThemes: Guilt and concealment; Judgment and mercy; Revenge; Nature and law; Changing meanings. Pick one moment in the story for each.
- Day elevenForm: study how the story is told: the narrator, the order of events and the settings.
- Day twelvePractice: plan and write an open-question essay on this work, with a clear claim and evidence from the story.
- Day thirteenPractice: try the same work with a second prompt about a character, a setting or a conflict.
- Day fourteenRecap: reread your notes and the summary, say the plot out loud once, then rest.
From the College Board's AP Central exam page and its course and exam description (effective fall 2024), read on 23 October 2026.
Questions
What is The Scarlet Letter about?
The Scarlet Letter is about Hester Prynne's public punishment in Puritan Boston and the secrets connecting her to a minister and a physician. Their lives reveal the different effects of shame, concealed guilt and revenge.
Who are the main characters in The Scarlet Letter?
The main characters are Hester Prynne, her daughter Pearl, the minister Arthur Dimmesdale and her husband Roger Chillingworth. Hester bears public shame, Pearl questions what adults conceal, Dimmesdale struggles with guilt, and Chillingworth pursues revenge.
What are the main themes of The Scarlet Letter?
The main themes are public shame, hidden guilt, revenge, judgment and the changing meaning of identity. Hawthorne also contrasts nature with social law and questions whether appearing good matters more than being honest.
Is The Scarlet Letter on the AP English Literature reading list?
The College Board sets no reading list. The Scarlet Letter is one of the works it prints with its sample Question 3, the literary argument, in its course and exam description (effective fall 2024). On the exam you choose the work yourself.
When is the AP English Literature exam in 2027?
The AP English Literature and Composition exam is on Wednesday 5 May 2027, in the first session of the day.
