<P> In June 1642 , in a Puritan Boston , Massachusetts , a crowd gathers to witness the punishment of Hester Prynne , a young woman who has given birth to a baby of unknown parentage . She is required to wear a scarlet `` A '' on her dress when she is in front of the townspeople to shame her . The letter `` A '' stands for adulteress , although this is never said explicitly in the novel . Her `` punishment '' ( because adultery was illegal at the time ) is to stand on the scaffold for three hours , exposed to public humiliation , and to wear the scarlet `` A '' for the rest of her life . As Hester approaches the scaffold , many of the women in the crowd are angered by her beauty and quiet dignity . When demanded and cajoled to name the father of her child , Hester refuses . </P>
<P> In June 1642 , in a Puritan Boston , Massachusetts , a crowd gathers to witness the punishment of Hester Prynne , a young woman who has given birth to a baby of unknown parentage . She is required to wear a scarlet `` A '' on her dress when she is in front of the townspeople to shame her . The letter `` A '' stands for adulteress , although this is never said explicitly in the novel . Her `` punishment '' ( because adultery was illegal at the time ) is to stand on the scaffold for three hours , exposed to public humiliation , and to wear the scarlet `` A '' for the rest of her life . As Hester approaches the scaffold , many of the women in the crowd are angered by her beauty and quiet dignity . When demanded and cajoled to name the father of her child , Hester refuses . </P>
description of the a in the scarlet letter
description of the a in the scarlet letter
scarlet
scarlet