Hester Prynne
The book's protagonist and the wearer of the scarlet letter that gives the book its title. As a young woman, this character married an elderly scholar, Chillingworth, who sent her ahead to America to live but never followed her.
Pearl
The protagonist's daughter. She is a young girl with a moody, mischievous spirit and an ability to perceive things that others do not. She is wise far beyond her years, frequently engaging in ironic play having to do with her mother's scarlet letter.
Roger Chillingworth
The protagonist's husband. He is self-absorbed and both physically and psychologically monstrous. His single-minded pursuit of retribution reveals him to be the most malevolent character in the novel.
Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale
A young man who achieved fame in England as a theologian and then emigrated to America. In a moment of weakness, he and the protagonist became lovers. Although he will not confess it publicly, he is the father of her child. He deals with his guilt by torm
Governor Bellingham
A wealthy, elderly gentleman who spends much of his time consulting with the other town fathers. Despite his role as governor of a fledgling American society, he very much resembles a traditional English aristocrat.
Mistress Hibbins
A widow who lives with her brother in a luxurious mansion. She is commonly known to be a witch who ventures into the forest at night to ride with the "Black Man." Her appearances at public occasions remind the reader of the hypocrisy and hidden evil in Pu
Reverend Mr. John Wilson
Boston's elder clergyman, he is scholarly yet grandfatherly. He is a stereotypical Puritan father, a literary version of the stiff, starkly painted portraits of American patriarchs.
Narrator
Works as the surveyor of the Salem Custom-House some two hundred years after the novel's events take place. Is a rather high-strung man, whose Puritan ancestry makes him feel guilty about his writing career. He writes because he is interested in American