The Scarlet Letter and Other Writings

*The Scarlet Letter* , by **Nathaniel Hawthorne** , is part of the *Barnes some include illustrations of historical interest. *Barnes the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, a respected public figure who is inwardly tormented by long-hidden guilt; and the malevolent Roger Chillingworth, Hester’s husband—a man who seethes with an Ahab-like lust for vengeance.The landscape of this classic novel is uniquely American, but the themes it explores are universal—the nature of sin, guilt, and penitence, the clash between our private and public selves, and the spiritual and psychological cost of living outside society. Constructed with the elegance of a Greek tragedy, *The Scarlet Letter* brilliantly illuminates the truth that lies deep within the human heart.

**Nancy Stade** is trained as a lawyer and has worked in the federal government and the private sector. She currently lives in Mexico, where she is working on a novel.