The Irreverent Classics Study Guide: The Scarlet Letter

The complete, unabridged Scarlet Letter — including "The Custom-House" — paired with 96 original discussion questions for students, homeschoolers, and book clubs.

In Puritan Boston, Hester Prynne stands on the scaffold with her infant daughter and a scarlet "A" burned into her clothing and her life. Nathaniel Hawthorne's masterpiece of guilt, hypocrisy, and defiance remains one of the most-taught novels in American literature — and one of the most rewarding to discuss.

This annotated study edition gives you Hawthorne's full text, opening with the complete "The Custom-House" introduction, then adds four discussion questions after each of the 24 chapters — 96 in all.

This annotated study edition includes:

• The complete, unabridged text, including "The Custom-House"
• 96 original discussion questions — four after every chapter
• Questions written for grades 9–12, homeschool curriculum, AP English prep, and literature circles
• A clean, readable layout with full table of contents

The questions go straight at the novel's hard center: sin and public shame, private conscience versus community judgment, the cost of secrecy, and whether Hester's "A" ever stops meaning what the town intended. Ideal for a high school American literature unit, a homeschool reading, or a book club that wants more than a plot summary.

Part of The Irreverent Classics Study Guide series — complete classic texts paired with original discussion questions. Questions by Hoyt Fischbeck.