The Scarlet Letter
Read The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne in Swedish and English, a parallel text graded reader with audio. Available in CEFR levels A2, B1, B2, and C2.
About this book
On a summer morning in Puritan Boston, a crowd gathers before the weather-stained prison, where a wild rosebush blooms at the threshold. Hester Prynne steps from the prison door of her own will, refusing the guiding hand, her infant in her arms and a scarlet letter "A" gleaming in gold thread against her gown. She is marched to the scaffold to stand in public shame. The townswomen debate her punishment. The clergy press her to name the father of her child. She will not.
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En stor grupp män med skägg stod tillsammans.
A large group of men with beards stood together.
De hade mörka, enkla kläder och höga grå hattar som såg ut som kyrktorn.
They wore dark, plain clothes and tall gray hats shaped like church steeples.
Kvinnor stod också bland dem.
Women stood among them too.
Vissa kvinnor hade huvor, och andra hade ingen huvudbonad alls.
Some women wore hoods, and others had no head covering at all.
De stod alla framför en byggnad av trä.
They all stood in front of a wooden building.
Byggnadens dörr var gjord av tung ek.
The building’s door was made of heavy oak.
Dörren hade järnspikar på sig.
The door had iron spikes on it.
History
- Written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in English
- Adapted by Line by Line Publishing in 2026