《红字》讲述了发生在北美殖民时期的恋爱悲剧。女主人公海丝特?白兰嫁给了医生奇灵渥斯，他们之间却没有爱情。在孤独中白兰与牧师丁梅斯代尔相恋并生下女儿珠儿。白兰被当众惩罚，戴上标志“通奸”的红色A字示众。然而白兰坚贞不屈，拒不说出孩子的父亲，勇敢接受惩罚，直面一切耻辱。小说惯用象征手法，人物、情节和语言都颇具主观想象色彩，在描写中又常把人的心理活动和直觉放在首位。因此，它不仅是美国浪漫主义小说的代表作，同时也被称作是美国心理分析小说的开创篇。

前辅文
The Custom-House: Introductory
Chapter01 The Prison-Door
Chapter02 The Market-Place?
Chapter03 The Recognition?
Chapter04 The Interview?
Chapter05 Hester at Her Needle?
Chapter06 Pearl?
Chapter07 The Governor's Hall?
Chapter08 The Elf-child and the Minister?
Chapter09 The Leech?
Chapter10 The Leech and His Patient?
Chapter11 The Interior of a Heart?
Chapter12 The Minister's Vigil?
Chapter13 Another View of Hester?
Chapter14 Hester and the Physician?
Chapter15 Hester and Pearl?
Chapter16 A Forest Walk?
Chapter17 The Pastor and His Parishioner
Chapter18 A Flood of Sunshine?
Chapter19 The Child at the Brook-Side?
Chapter20 The Minister in a Maze?
Chapter21 The New England Holiday?
Chapter22 The Procession?
Chapter23 The Revelation of the Scarlet Letter?
Chapter24 Conclusion