"One of the greatest allegories in world literature" – D.H. Lawrence. Hester Prynne is a beautiful young woman, but also an outcast. In the eyes of her neighbors, she has committed an unforgivable sin. Everyone knows that her daughter, Pearl, is the fruit of a forbidden affair, but no one knows the identity of Pearl's father. Hester's refusal to reveal his name leads to even greater disapproval. Yet she remains steadfast amid public scorn, even when forced to wear the mark of her shame on her clothes: the scarlet letter "A" for "adulterer."