Let's talk about The Scarlet Letter

Today I'm discussing The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne: should it be required reading for high schoolers? And does a book about morality in a Puritanical society have anything to do with us in the modern world? Let's talk!

💄 My Makeup 💄

What I use to record my videos:

(All above product links may be affiliate links. Should you choose to purchase, I will receive a very small commission that goes toward the operating expenses for this channel.)

Outro music by ProleteR under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (aka Music Sharing) 3.0 International License.

Find me on:
TikTok: @NonfictionNovember

[ohsail]

So one thing I think you left out is that the (very small) society also suffered from Hestor’s decision to keep her affair a secret. How could wives not question their husbands’ faithfulness? No one is considering the minister… so the baby’s father must be a faithless husband. Those wives have a reason to be pissed at her!

[AdyGrafovna]

I ordered from North Ave a couple of months ago because of your videos and have been ordering the candle of the month ever since. I love the scents and the charms. This is my favorite candle of the month too.

I will note that I read The Scarlet Letter as a teenager and I liked this book, but I had a terrific teacher. To me, this book was the catalyst for my first critical thinking experience regarding feminism and toxicity in relationships. I think that the discussions I had with my classmates and the questions that my teacher posed influenced how much I appreciated this book. I have always been a bookworm, but I tended to dislike "required reading" in school. A good teacher can make all the difference though.

[cherrizg]

thank you for this video! I'm an English major and I have had a pretty hard time with romantic era classic books because of trhe language but the way you put it and connected the main plot points and symbolism to modern society really gave me some insight.

[LuminousLibro]

I didn’t read this until college and I enjoyed it. I love your insightful thoughts!

[ellie]

The thing that stands out about that book for me was how many times the word ignominious and ignominy was used!

[heathersummers]

I loved House of the Seven Gables as well. I read it right before visiting Salem, MA — I’ll have to check out Scarlet Letter!

[gretchenmctavish]

To extend your appreciation of this book I recommend John Updike;s treatment of the main characters in three novels: S, A Month of Sundays, and Roger's Version. As an about to retire high school English teacher who has taught American Literature Honors classes, which included reading The Scarlet Letter, I appreciate your commentary on the book. The question of whether or not to "force" students to read such classics will continue to be asked. After about 25 years of teaching this each fall along with The Crucible and other shorter works by and about the Puritans, I can attest to the book's value. Students have enjoyed discussing its characters, the concept of sin, and how we treat those who do so in small communities. I've always been touched by Chillingworth's recognition of how the desire for vengeance had distorted and twisted his very soul. There are some great conversations within the text. Love the book. Always have, even in high school; each rereading has brought new thoughts.

[kayfountain]

So true about forced or bad literature teaching. I've always been a reader but hated (and still dislike) all the books I had to read in Eng Lit. I enjoyed The Scarlet Letter when I first read it but I was in my late twenties and was better able to deal with the themes and issues.

[meghrajkumawat]

I haven't read so many books yet, but your reviews help me a lot in having an idea about a new book everytime. Great job!! Keep on doing reviews...
You are very humble...

[colbyo]

Great review - and that particular cover is gorgeous! I haven’t read it but your thoughts make me curious to check it out.

[launchedathousand]

That candle sounds like every scent that I love. I haven't read The Scarlet Letter yet but am looking forward to get to it! I'm so glad that in my high school we were allowed to pick our novels to study and none were really forced on us.

[laurawolf]

Beautiful review of this book, I just read it after seeing it referenced in Brenna Aubrey's romance "For the Win". Absolutely LOVED the Scarlet Letter, and I kind of want to write a more modern version of it where Hester actually gets the ending she'd hoped for. I also kind of like to imagine that Pearl ends up as a wild pirate queen or something rather than just married and rich somewhere across the ocean.

[scrapbookingmuchmore]

You have peaked my interest in now reading the scarlet letter! I cannot remember if I read it in high school or in college! It sounds like a book I would enjoy reading someday in the near future!!! Thank you again for sharing your beautiful thoughts on the 📚

[cherylstevens]

This was great.I read this awhile ago but you’ve convinced me to read it again.

[lindaharrison]

Great job as usual. I’ve had the version of this with the Reuben Toledo cover collecting dust on my shelves for several years now. I’m glad you reviewed it on different levels. Btw congratulations on scoring the Harvard (Yale?) writing gig! That’s huge! Go ahead and thank the academy for recognizing your work 😄

[tawallah]

I read it a few years ago and was initially thought the Puritanical writing would be a turnoff. Instead I had the same thoughts as you. And I’m so glad I never had to read this in school. I meant to read more of this author’s works but alas.

[Downhomeherbwife]

This is my favourite book. Great review.

[hailvincent]

I read this book before high school, then again in high school, then again as a high school teacher. I loved it every time, but I understand how the language can be a barrier. I’d love to see a video comparing the book and the Demi Moore version of the movie (it’s ... inaccurate).
Thanks for sharing!

[arp]

I read this in junior year of high school as assigned reading, so that was....oof, well, it'll be 25 years ago this fall. Yikes. But I remember finding it quite intriguing and powerful, and I'm pretty sure I was the only kid in my English class who liked it and truly appreciated it for what it was conveying. And I think it's a good one for kids to be assigned even now, because not that much better when it comes to treatment of women who society thinks have behaved inappropriately (whatever "inappropriate" means on a given day, since it seems to change so often). We may not literally slap giant letter As on them, but figuratively, they're still marked out as being somehow bad or wrong or insufficient.

[HannahsBooks]

I am so glad you enjoyed it! I love it as well. And I love how you describe the utility of teaching unsubtle symbolism to young readers. I fully agree that it is both an obvious choice for syllabi and a poor choice. Personally, I like to link it with Madame Bovary, Anna Karenina, and Adam Bede. (Very recently in some tag or another, I mentioned that many people my age had been assigned the book in school and hated it—and some of the young people who commented suggested it is not as commonly assigned now. Interesting.)