The Scarlet Letter: Physical and Psychological Effects and Consequences of Adultry Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is about a young beautiful woman, Hester Prynne, who comes to Boston from England. While living by herself, waiting for her husband to move to the New World, she becomes entangled in a love affair with the town’s pastor, Author Dimmesdale. After committing adultery, Hester bears a child. She names her Pearl because she was, as it were, purchased at a great price. As punishment for her sin, she is forced to wear a scarlet A on the bodice of her dres