The Scarlet Letter is a compelling story of betrayal, revenge, sin, and forgiveness that still resonates with students today. Many students find themselves appalled with the community’s treatment of Hester Prynne, and intrigued by the boundaries she and her little Pearl push in a puritanical society.
Literary Conflict in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Storyboard Text
MAN vs MAN
MAN vs SELF
MAN vs SOCIETY
The town leaders are becoming concerned that Hester is an unfit parent for Pearl because of her wild behavior, and they want to take Pearl away from her.
Dimmesdale experiences such intense guilt at making Hester carry the burden of their sin alone that he begins to look sickly and unwell.
Hester’s sin of adultery flies in the face of the Puritan ideals and laws of Boston at the time, resulting in her life-long punishment of wearing a scarlet “A” on her chest.