The Scarlet Letter was a dominant literary work in America for 400 years. The book is about a single parent, Hester Prynne, who is publicly shamed for committing adultery while her husband was at sea. Throughout the book, Hester tries to keep the identity of her daughter's father a secret, while living with the shame of wearing a scarlet letter "A" on her chest. The characters', narrator's, and reader's perceptions of Hester Prynne change from bad to good as the book progresses; The Scarlet Letter is an example of “don't judge a book by its cover.” While reading this book, the character of Hester is the driving force behind the transformation. At the beginning of the book, Hester is presented as a sinner, whose actions are serious enough to warrant imprisonment. Hester is put on display for the entire town to see, and none of the spectators believe the shaming is immoral. The woman who witnesses the event says, “'let him cover the mark as he will, the pain will always be in his heart'” (Hawthorne, 36). The book then jumps to a time when Pearl is three years old, and Hester lives in an isolated cabin with only her daughter. The townspeople still see Hester as a sinner they would rather not have to deal with. Hester's shaming was seen as a correct and acceptable way to handle her crime a similar practice to the present day. An example of a modern-day “scarlet letter” is the electronic criminal record: “Most ex-offenders have criminal records tied to their names due to minor crimes.” they were denied to these people because of their past” (Murphy) Most crimes do not deserve a life of shame, and her choices do not distinctly define her. This applies to everyday life too, and we can all take a lesson or ten from Hawthorne's most popular work, even if it happens to be written in an entirely different language than English. It may be a challenge, but The Scarlet Letter teaches a different lesson to each of its readers. Works Cited Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Boston: Ticknor, Reed & Fields, 1850. Print.Murphy, Daniel S., et al. "The Electronic 'Scarlet Letter': Criminal Records and a Perpetually Ruined Identity." Journal of Offender Rehabilitation 50.3 (2011): 101-118. Premier of academic research. Network. November 20, 2013.Taylor, Olivia Gatti. "Cultural Confessions: Penance and Penitence in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and the Marble Faun." Renaissance 58.2 (2005): 134-152. Premier of academic research. Network. November 20. 2013.