The story opens with Hester Prynne standing silently on the scaffold in the middle of a town square in 18th century Boston. Hester, holding her small child in her arms, is publicly on trial for adultery. The town people, especially the women, are not happy that Hester has been sentenced only to wear a scarlet letter and to stand on a public platform for a few hours of public humiliation. However, the judge has decided …showed first 75 words of 3039 total…

…showed last 75 words of 3039 total…Scarlet Letter is unique and beautiful in that it basically just serves as an allegory representing Hawthorne's deep insights into humanity, which, by themselves, are what make the novel a grat piece of literature. Without the brilliant character of a writer like Hawthorne reflected in the text, the exact same plot, characters, and dialogue would probably have not come together to form a novel which was able to become one of the best known classics.