106 pages • 3 hours read
Nathaniel HawthorneThe Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel HawthorneFiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1850A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
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Introduction Summary: “The Custom-House”
Hawthorne discusses the merits of sharing autobiographical information with his readers and then describes the circumstances he says inspired The Scarlet Letter.
Hawthorne explains that he has always felt drawn to Salem—his birthplace, and the town where his ancestors lived for centuries. When he decided to take a break from writing in 1846, he therefore took a job overseeing the Salem Custom House. He found the work deadening and his colleagues unimaginative and incompetent. He draws particular attention to the “Inspector” and the “Collector”: the former is an elderly but vigorous and cheerful man Hawthorne describes as having “no soul, no heart, no mind; nothing […] but instincts” (20), while the latter is a retired military officer who spends most of his time staring into space. Hawthorne’s account of these and other coworkers is generally good-humored, but he notes that their complacency and amorality might have worn off on him if he had remained at the Custom House.
Hawthorne then explains that while going through old papers one afternoon, he found a “certain affair of fine red cloth, much worn and faded” (31) in the shape of a letter A. The papers associated with the letter identified it as belonging to a woman named Plus, gain access to 8,650+ more expert-written Study Guides. Including features:
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