# The Scarlet Letter — Character guide

> Key figures in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

- [Hester Prynne](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_scarlet_letter_se/characters/hester_prynne.md): The protagonist, a woman forced to wear a scarlet letter for adultery.
- [Arthur Dimmesdale](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_scarlet_letter_se/characters/arthur_dimmesdale.md): The young, revered minister who conceals his role in Hester's sin.
- [Pearl](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_scarlet_letter_se/characters/pearl.md): Hester's wild, elf-like daughter, a living symbol of the scarlet letter.
- [Roger Chillingworth](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_scarlet_letter_se/characters/roger_chillingworth.md): Hester's vengeful husband who poses as a physician to torment Dimmesdale.
- [Governor Bellingham](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_scarlet_letter_se/characters/governor_bellingham.md): A stern colonial governor who oversees Hester's punishment and Pearl's custody.
- [Mistress Hibbins](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_scarlet_letter_se/characters/mistress_hibbins.md): A widow and reputed witch who associates with the Black Man.
- [John Wilson](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_scarlet_letter_se/characters/john_wilson.md): An elderly, learned minister who questions Hester and later supports Dimmesdale.
- [Governor Winthrop](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_scarlet_letter_se/characters/governor_winthrop.md): A former governor whose death is marked by a meteor in the night sky.
- [Master Brackett](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_scarlet_letter_se/characters/master_brackett.md): The jailer who escorts Hester from prison to the scaffold.
- [Surveyor Pue](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_scarlet_letter_se/characters/surveyor_pue.md): The former surveyor of the Custom House who discovered Hester's documents.
- [Isaac Johnson](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_scarlet_letter_se/characters/isaac_johnson.md): An early settler whose land became the site of the prison and cemetery.
- [Satan](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_scarlet_letter_se/characters/satan.md): The embodiment of evil, often invoked by townspeople and Mistress Hibbins.
- [Sir Thomas Overbury](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_scarlet_letter_se/characters/sir_thomas_overbury.md): A historical figure alluded to in the Custom House sketch.
- [Phillips](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_scarlet_letter_se/characters/phillips.md): A minor character mentioned in the Custom House narrative.
- [Matthew](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_scarlet_letter_se/characters/matthew.md): A name briefly referenced in the Custom House section.

HTML index: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_scarlet_letter_se/characters