The story begins in seventeenth-century Salem, Massachusetts, then a Puritan settlement. A young woman, Hester Prynne, is led from the town prison with her infant daughter, Pearl, in her arms and the scarlet letter “A” on her breast. The scarlet letter "A" represents the act of adultery that she has committed; it is to be a symbol of her sin for all to see. She will not reveal her lover’s identity, however, and the scarlet letter, along with her public shaming, is her punishment for her sin and her secrecy.

Latest episodes of the podcast The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorn

• 00 Introductory The Custom-House, Part 1 - The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
• 00 Introductory The Custom-House, Part 2 - The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Chapter 1 - The Prison-Door - The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Chapter 2 - The Market-Place - The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Chapter 3 - The Recognition - The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Chapter 4 - The Interview - The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Chapter 5 Hester at her Needle - The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Chapter 6 - Pearl - The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Chapter 7 - The Govenor's Hall - The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Chapter 8 - The Elf-Child and the Minister - The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Chapter 9 - The Leech - The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Chapter 10 - The Leech and his Patient - The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Chapter 11 - The Interior of a Heart - The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Chapter 12 - The Minister's Vigil - The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Chapter 13 - Another VIew of Hester - The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Chapter 14 - Hester and the Physician - The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Chapter 15 - Hester and Pearl - The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Chapter 16 - A Forest Walk - The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Chapter 17 - The Pastor and his Parishioner - The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Chapter 18 - A Flood of Sunshine - The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Chapter 19 - The Child at the Brook-Side - The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Chapter 20 - The Minister in a Maze - The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Chapter 21 - The New England Holiday - The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Chapter 22 - The Procession - The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Chapter 23 - The Revelation of the Scarlet Letter - The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Conclusion - The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne