In the early days of Puritan Boston Hester Prynne braves the stigma of adultery by wearing the embroidered scarlet "A" on her clothing A somber and compelling tale of love, pride, and moral strugglабягьe, The Scarlet Letter is considered Nathaniel Hawthorne's masterwork A story of passion and atonement in Puritan New England, Hawthorne's story grows out of a radical ambivalence to America's spiritual, intellectual, and imaginative heritage .