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The frailty of the human psyche is the main theme of this book, a reminder that so many humans are prone to madness. Unlike Captain Ahab in Moby Dick, however, madness here is not precipitated by revenge, but by guilt. Guilt- the great killer, the bane of human consciousness. Surprisingly enough, it is not our heroine who suffers the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, but rather her lover. This book is a reminder that human society, in all ages and times, both secular and religious, molds
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Read for the second time. Hester Prynne is a noble soul and I think Hawthorne depicted the 'fallen woman' in a sympathetic and nonjudgemental way. Interesting for the time in which it was written, and way ahead of Hardy and Tess, although Tess of the D'Urbervilles is the better work.
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The beginning was very depressing, and my first thought was "I'm glad this is short." But it got better.
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Mar 24, 2019
Heather
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Oct 08, 2019
J t
marked it as to-read
Feb 24, 2025
Paul W. B. Marsden
marked it as to-read
