In this blog post, we’ll explore how ‘The Scarlet Letter’ goes beyond simply addressing the stigma of adultery and feelings of guilt to capture human psychology, societal hypocrisy, freedom, atonement, and the timeless significance of literature. We’ll also consider why this classic remains relevant today.
In the novel, the scarlet letter “A” comes to signify “Able” as time passes and, furthermore, expands to symbolize “Angel.” However, for a long time after its publication, the book’s title was used almost as a synonym for “stigma.” As is often the case with famous works, ‘The Scarlet Letter’ (1850) has been adapted into films numerous times since the early 20th century, and has at times been the subject of controversy due to adaptations that leaned too heavily toward commercialism. In Korea, in particular, it has been consumed—often unrelated to the original work—through films and dramas featuring sensationalistic themes, and even as the title of popular songs.
Ironically, the novel itself contains no sensationalistic scenes whatsoever. The original meaning of the scarlet letter “A” is never directly mentioned, and the event that triggered all these incidents is left for the reader to infer. In his preface, “The Customs House,” Hawthorne referred to this story as a “romance,” and on the cover of the first edition, he included the word “Romance” beneath the title, as if it were a subtitle.
Derived from medieval European popular narratives, a “romance” generally refers to a fictional story dealing with love or heroic exploits. In the preface to ‘The House of the Seven Gables’, which he also published as a “romance” the following year in 1851, Hawthorne clearly distinguishes between the novel and the romance. While the novel aims to “reproduce human experience—not only what is possible but also what is probable and ordinary—with great accuracy and detail,” the romance, he argued, need not be overly bound by plausibility as long as it faithfully addresses “the truth of the human heart.”
It is difficult for anyone to deny that this work faithfully explores the human heart. In that sense, ‘The Scarlet Letter’ is regarded as a work that opened a new horizon for the psychological novel in 19th-century American literature.
Hawthorne’s extraordinary boldness is also evident in the novel’s unusually long preface. He skillfully blends reality and fiction, making full use of the freedom afforded to romance writers. As if to counterbalance the dark and serious atmosphere of ‘The Scarlet Letter’, “The Customs House”—filled with delightful satire—is a joy to read in its own right. At the same time, it serves as a crucial device that allows this 17th-century story, written in the 19th century, to raise a variety of topics for 21st-century readers as well. For this reason, I would like to examine this piece, even if it is somewhat lengthy.
On March 21, 1850, just a few days after the first edition of ‘The Scarlet Letter’ was published, a lengthy review appeared in a local Salem newspaper. The piece praised the author’s genius, his rich imagination that underpinned the remarkable narrative, and his bold thinking. However, the bulk of the article was devoted to criticism of “The Customs House.” The criticism alleged that the story mocked Salem, slandered innocent people, and caricatured them. In response, Hawthorne displayed considerable nerve in the preface to the second edition, writing, “It is surprising, but at the same time (…) most gratifying, that it has so unprecedentedly stirred up the respectable society around us.”
However, his decision to republish the piece “without changing a single letter” was not motivated solely by a desire for amusing retaliation. Although ‘The Customs House’ is presented as a preface to ‘The Scarlet Letter’, as readers follow the vivid characterizations and personal reflections, they soon realize they have stepped into a fictional world. “The Customs House,” to borrow the author’s own words, corresponds to “a middle ground between the real world and the world of imagination, where real beings and imaginary beings meet and become imbued with each other’s characteristics.”
If so, this piece—disguised as a preface—can be considered part of the “mise-en-scène,” the holistic design of character placement, roles, and stage settings found in theater or film. Even Hawthorne’s assertion that “omitting this sketch would not be to the reader’s detriment nor diminish the book’s value” appears to be a carefully calculated device.
As this so-called “preface” reveals, Hawthorne was born and raised in Salem, Massachusetts. His ancestor, who settled there in the 17th century, was a strict Puritan who served as a justice of the peace and actually sentenced a Quaker woman to public flogging. His son was one of the judges who participated in the Salem witch trials at the end of the 17th century. Ashamed of his family’s past, Hawthorne added the letter “w” to the surname “Hathorne” inherited from his ancestors, changing it to “Hawthorne,” when he made his literary debut.
Having lost his father, a ship captain, in an accident at the age of four, he was raised with the help of a wealthy uncle. However, because it was difficult to achieve financial independence as a writer, he worked at the Boston Customs House for about a year starting in 1839. He later joined the Brook Farm community, then married Sophia Peabody and spent three years at the former parsonage in Concord.
Returning to Salem in 1845, Hawthorne was appointed customs inspector by the Democratic administration thanks to his friendship with Franklin Pierce, who would later become President of the United States. However, three years later, when the Whig Party took power, he was swept from office by the so-called “broom of reform.”
While recounting these ups and downs in detail in ‘The Customs House’, Hawthorne skillfully weaves in a fictional incident that “convinced him it was literarily justified to make this sketch public.” He wryly recounts the process of struggling to develop the story even after discovering the subject matter, and states that anyone who wishes may make use of Inspector Pugh’s records. He even boldly declares that he keeps the original ‘Scarlet Letter’ and related documents in his possession and will show them to any reader who wishes to see them at any time.
Because “The Customs House” was so meticulously designed to serve as a gateway into the novel’s world, it was often omitted from early Korean translations. However, since this text introduces the reader to the narrator and editor—who recounts the story behind a symbolically significant object discovered by chance—it must be viewed as an inseparable part of ‘The Scarlet Letter’.
Although this narrator claims to have constructed the story “based on a true story” yet “created the narrative almost entirely from scratch,” he consistently speaks from the boundary between reality and imagination. He depicts the characters’ psyches with vivid, almost tangible detail, yet never directly reveals the substance of the events. While it appears as though he is presenting only recorded facts while withholding value judgments as much as possible, he is in fact meticulously guiding the reader’s interpretation. Rather than narrowing the superficial distance between the story and the reader, this narrator’s crucial role is to deepen the interpretation.
However, readers who accept this invitation will discover gem-like sentences, metaphors, and multilayered meanings within this story from some 400 years ago, which is filled with allegory and symbolism. The secret depravity of those who appear respectable and virtuous contrasts with the good deeds of those branded as sinners, and the bold, open-minded thinking of the outcast wandering through a moral wasteland further highlights the rigid thinking of those within the established system.
The scarlet letter—a symbol of shame—is beautifully embroidered in gold thread, and the child born as a consequence of sin illuminates not only the gloomy streets but also the dark forest. The Puritan society, built on strict discipline, straddles the boundary between civilization and the wilderness—a boundary that is far more porous than one might think. Outlaws move freely in and out of civilized society, and civilized people, too, venture into the wilderness to enjoy a momentary sense of liberation.
Allegory, also known as “symbolism,” is a rhetorical device that conceals a deeper meaning behind the surface meaning, as seen in ‘Aesop’s Fables’. The relatively simple plot of ‘The Scarlet Letter’ serves to imply, much like the thicket in front of Hester Prynne’s cottage, that “there is something here that one wishes to hide or must hide.”
However, this work is far too rich and complex to be viewed as a mere moral tale. This is likely because Hawthorne incorporated not only “truths about the human heart” but also the realities and zeitgeist of his time into this romance. The work features numerous real-life figures and actual events. While some facts—such as the duration of Governor Bellingham’s tenure or the date of Governor Winthrop’s death—were adjusted for narrative convenience, the novel remains generally faithful to historical facts and meticulously recreates mid-17th-century Boston.
The fiction built upon this realistic backdrop is not entirely a product of imagination either. Although this occurred about half a century after the novel’s time period, a law was indeed enacted in Salem in 1694 requiring women found guilty of adultery to wear a capital “A” on their clothing. Even earlier, in Maine, a woman who had committed adultery with a minister and given birth to a child was sentenced to have the letter “A” branded onto her skin with a hot iron.
With its blend of precise historical facts, themes inspired by real events, keen psychological portrayals, and rich symbolism and rhetoric, ‘The Scarlet Letter’ far transcends the category of a simple allegory. It is a work that critiques moral perfectionism and Puritan hypocrisy, while also incorporating elements of the Gothic novel—featuring graves, ghosts, corpses, and demons—and can be read as a historical novel. Some scholars regard it as a pioneering work of feminist literature, while others interpret it as a semiotic text through its numerous symbols and signs—including the scarlet letter “A”—and even through the existence of Pearl, who is referred to as a “living hieroglyph.”
At the same time, this work is a story of atonement and remorse, and above all, a study of human psychology that dissects the human mind with both sophistication and lyricism. Today’s readers may discover echoes of our own society amidst the many contradictions inherent in this austere, early society.
In this way, ‘The Scarlet Letter’ embodies multiple layers of meaning, much like Hester Prynne’s scarlet letter itself, and is interpreted with new significance as the times change. Hester, having been away from Boston for a long time, returns to wear the scarlet letter and assume a role different from before. Even after she passes away, the letter remains, emitting a faint glow against the black background.
I believe the novel ‘The Scarlet Letter’ has not yet fulfilled its calling. As with many classics, this work—regardless of the author’s original intent—awaits readers, shedding new light in every era. It does so to fulfill yet another role in these changing times.
While reflecting on this book, I realized once again Literature—especially literature that has survived the test of time—never fades. For all of us who enjoy literature by reading, writing, and translating, isn’t this realization a source of immense joy and comfort?
