This classic novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in 1850, examines themes of guilt and redemption in Puritan New England through the story of Hester Prynne, a woman branded with the scarlet letter "A" for committing adultery and having an illegitimate child. Hawthorne masterfully blends historical fiction and psychological realism as he examines the consequences of breaking the rigid social norms of his time.