Nathaniel Hawthorne - The Scarlet Letter

"It was extremely difficult to read because of all the big words in it"


"I'd like to know why anyone would consider this a 'classic' or why it's ever taught in schools. It's technically American Lit, I suppose, but it's so close to being of the British style that it barely counts as an American creation. When would it be fairly and appropriately studied? My vote: Never."


"There were just way too many Christians per square inch for my taste."


"Okay, I know that this is a classic and required reading for many high schools across the country BUT, do you really want your kids reading about a married woman who has an illicit affair with a man of the cloth and bears his bastard child? If you are okay with this, why not give your kid The Thorn Birds. After all, it has the same exact premise, doesn't try to pass itself off as 'classic literature' and will send the same message to your kids. Anything goes.

I see my age giving me certain freedoms that I have not allowed myself before, one of them being speaking my mind openly. My opinion is this . . . classic or not, I do not want my teenage daughter or granddaughter reading this book in school or otherwise.

I cannot imagine what Nathaniel Hawthorne was thinking when he wrote this book but I can guaranty you that he probably did not have children, particularly female children, when he did. And by the way, the man can't write for shinola! I couldn't care less who he is, he simply cannot write.

I do not think this is appropriate reading material for anyone under the age of 18 and sue me, but if this book were written in contemporary times with contemporary characters, it would never make it to the juvenile category let alone be blessed with the word 'classic'. It would be labeled 'smut fiction'."


"According to the quiz: I've read this (knew Hector's name)"


"So me get this straight. The moral of this book is that one must follow the bible in an old world, amish sort of a way, and if you don't, you deserve to forever sulk in your shame and have absolutely no right to be happy?"


"It's A by the way. The letter they're talking about is 'A'"


"This is probably one of the WORST books I have ever read. It is written similar to Elisabthan English, which everything is symbolic of something."


"She was forced to wear an 'A' for 'A whore.'"


"It also made me made because i am not a fan of the puritan times at all so i was not a fan of this book."


"So many people reccomended this to me since I like 'old-timey' bookes. I really couldn't get past the 'thous' 'yester eve' etc.

I ended up skipping ahead, reading the end, renting the movie which I didn't enjoy either!"


"This book is why god made book burnings."


"This book is pretty much everything wrong with our education system today. It is out of date, it's read pretty much consistently across the board whether it's applicable or not, and its lessons aren't entirely fundamental to today's society and what little value is to be learnt in this book, is better learned by other means.

The fact is that people are getting smarter. All the time ... And we're really too smart for a book whose object lessons are so comically out of date in today's society."


"After reading it for a while, I got to thinking that the author, Hawthorne, was very similar to the creatures in the Lord of the Rings that were called the Ents. The Ents would take several hours to say hello to one another, so it would take forever to say anything important. This seemed to be the case in The Scarlet Letter."


"What should be a pretty juicy tale - Salem witchery, sexy priests and children possessed - is canceled by numerous, multi-claused, tedious asides about the physiognomies of village elders and the precise hue of forest leaves or whatnot. This would never pass muster in a Black Lace novel."


"Just because it was one of the first novels written in America doesn't make this a great book. People have an over-infatuation of 'first' things."


"Hawthorne uses so many fancy-fuck words that it really distracts from the story. Some people like that shit and will probably try to call me out on it and say that I am not smart enough to appreciate Hawthorne, but to those people I say, 'Fuck you. You are not smart enough not to.'"


"I'm sure I was missing something, but it seemed to me at the time the author in some way was trying to condone adultery, which I do not."


"I prefer things that are a little bit deeper."


"Considered a 'classic,' but is it dated? Pick up an Us Weekly and try to convince yourself that TSL wasn't written 500 years ago."


"VERY MUCH A DRAMA. It is historical in its content, but it was not written for today's fast paced, energetic books."


"The song goes along to the rap 'Jennie from the block.' Here you go:

I'm still, I'm still Hestor on the block,
I got caught so now I'm on the spot
something, something,
I'm still, I'm still Hester on the block.

You're welcome"