Day 10: The Scarlet Letter

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Day 10: A Favorite Classic Book

Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter seems to be a good choice if not the perfect one for me - I would've picked a Jane Austen novel, but for want of having a wider selection of books on this list, I concur to the letter 'A'.

This is one of the few classic American novels I've read and I've liked it since. A lot of the psychological depth was lost on me when I first read it as a twelve year old, though I did understand the social impact of such writing. The theme of 'sin' is something everyone can identify with. People and their reactions, not so much. I held Chillingworth with contempt and anger, Hester with pity and a just amount of admiration, Pearl and Dimmesdale with silent liking. One of the main attractions of this novel is the non-conformism of Hester. Who gives society's rules and regulations a thought when you have your own life to live? This is me being the silent feminist.
It remains one of my favorite classics, if not the favorite.

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