Should "The Scarlet Letter" be considered a classic?

There is currently much debate on whether the novel “Scarlet Letter”, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, should be considered a classic or not. To determine whether this book should be categorized as a classic, we must first determine the criteria that define what a classic entails. The handout “What are Classics? What Do They Mean?”, by Esther Lombardi, lists three main components that a classic should have. Firstly, a classic usually expresses some artistic quality, such as life, truth, or beauty. Secondly, the book must stand the test of time. Classics usually give great insight into how life was like back in the time period it was written, even though the book may be still highly popular years down the road. Lastly, a classic should have universal appeal. Classics should speak to every human being because of the emotional themes it incorporates, such as love, hate, death, life, and faith.

By examining the story line and conflicts of the character, I believe “Scarlet Letter” expresses some artistic quality. The expressions of life versus death, truth versus deception, and sin versus public standards all have a way of appealing to the reader. The author has used these themes to enrich the human mind and incorporate irony into grim situations. This book may be considered artistic because the author expressed his own thought, observation, and invention while using his unique style to create an interesting and controversial piece of literature.

Even though “Scarlet Letter” is at times hard to read, I believe it can be understood by readers from any generation. The book was written back in 1850 and was set in a 17th century Puritan society. Even though the book is well over 150 years old, it is still being read and recognized by many people today. This piece of work also gives great representation to how society was back in colonial times. By seeing this evidence, it is obvious that “Scarlet Letter” has truly stood the test of time and deserves its label as a timeless story.

The novel “Scarlet Letter” also has a great universal appeal and is read and understood by people of all walks of life. The themes it portrays makes it easy for human beings to understand and relate to the text. The book plays off of our emotions as it depicts themes of love, hate, death, sin, judgment, and faith. This story truly makes a statement about human experience and examines the morals of society at the time it was written. The themes in “Scarlet Letter” are universal and, because of this, it is a story to which we can all relate.

By looking at Lombardi’s criteria for a literature classic, I think “Scarlet Letter” has met and exceeded the bar. It entails artistic quality, stands the test of time, and has universal appeal. Even though reading the book may be bland at times, I believe the classic components are noticeable in the text and themes of the story. Many years down the road, I still believe people will be reading “Scarlet Letter” and consider it a classic.

In a little side note, I decided to make it much easier to determine whether “Scarlet Letter” should be determined a classic or not by using a quote by Mark Twain. “A classic is something that everyone wants to have read and nobody wants to read”. I couldn’t agree more! According to this quote, I believe “Scarlet Letter” might be the biggest classic ever known to mankind.