Judging a Book By It's Cover!

At the beginning of the summer I saw a book called The Scarlet Letters at the Library. The cover showed the midsection of a person in a trench coat and official looking leather gloves holding a briefcase.  The inside flap described it as a story of scandal set in the 1950's where the truth would come out layer by layer.  The author put his modern twist on Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. I figured I couldn't very well read a book based on a book I'd never read so I set out to read The Scarlet Letter. More out of obligation than desire.  

The language Hawthorne used created great mental images, especially of Hester's child, Pearl. The story explains the harsh legalism that the Puritans lived under, I enjoyed the history of it.  He also created suspense about who shared the blame with Hester. The character of Roger Chillingworth brought misery and revenge to the story, he was a chilling villain.

The story made me think about how often we keep our "scarlet letter" hidden and it ruins us inside. Some become bitter, some angry, some apathetic, some addicted...it's different for everyone. The similarity is that all of us make bad decisions and have a choice to seek reconciliation or to stay hidden.  My heart went out for Hester Prynne, that in the day she lived in one small mistake set her path forever. Although Hester was condemned her entire life, she wore the scarlet letter with remorse and dignity.  She took what was given to her and did the very best with it. The book turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

Once I finished The Scarlet Letter, I was so excited to begin The Scarlet Letters. However, my excitement did not last long. Not at one point did I feel on the edge of my seat or that some great secret was about to be unraveled before my eyes.  I read the whole story hoping that something extraordinary would eventually happen just to find myself grateful that at least it inspired me to read a great American classic.

If you've read either one let me know your thoughts!