Key Vocabulary for The Scarlet Letter: Themes and Concepts

Essential Vocabulary for The Scarlet Letter

This list defines key terms and concepts central to understanding the themes, social dynamics, and moral conflicts in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter.

• Adultery: Having a sexual relationship with someone who is not your husband or wife.
• Punishment: Something unpleasant given to someone for doing something wrong.
• Shame: A painful feeling of being embarrassed because of something wrong.
• Guilt: The feeling that you have done something wrong.
• Sin: An action considered morally or religiously wrong.
• Sinner: A person who has done something morally or religiously wrong.
• Forgive: To stop being angry with someone for something they did.
• Redemption: The act of becoming free from guilt or blame.
• Judgment: An opinion about whether someone has done something right or wrong.
• Condemn: To strongly criticize someone for doing something wrong.
• Scarlet: Bright red in color.
• Symbol: Something that represents an idea or quality.
• Community: A group of people living in the same place or sharing beliefs.
• Puritan: A member of a strict Protestant religious group.
• Strict: Demanding that rules be followed carefully.
• Moral: Related to ideas about right and wrong.
• Sinful: Considered morally or religiously wrong.
• Virtue: A good quality or moral behavior.
• Secret: Something that is kept hidden from other people.
• Confess: To admit that you have done something wrong.
• Confession: An admission that you have done something wrong.
• Reveal: To make something known that was previously secret.
• Conceal: To hide something.
• Appearance: The way someone or something looks.
• Reputation: The opinion that people generally have about someone.
• Innocent: Not guilty of a crime or wrongdoing.
• Despair: A feeling that there is no hope.
• Sorrow: A feeling of great sadness.
• Suffering: Physical or emotional pain.
• Isolation: The state of being separated from other people.
• Outcast: A person who is not accepted by a group.
• Compassion: Kindness and understanding toward someone who is suffering.
• Harsh: Very severe or unkind.
• Stern: Serious and strict.
• Solemn: Serious and formal.
• Weary: Very tired.
• Dignity: A calm and respectful sense of your own worth.
• Resist: To refuse to accept or obey something.
• Affection: A feeling of love or caring.
• Destiny: What is believed to happen to someone in the future.