The novel opens with Hester being led to the scaffold where she is to be publicly shamed for having committed adultery. Hester is forced to wear the letter "A" on her gown at all times. She has stitched a large scarlet "A" onto her dress with gold thread, giving the letter an air of elegance.
Hester carries Pearl, her daughter, with her. On the scaffold she if asked to reveal the name of Pearl's father, but she refuses. In the crowd Hester recognizes her husband from Amsterdam, Roger Chillingworth.
Chillingworth visits Hester after she is returned to the prison. …
