Book Review: Manga Classics: The Scarlet Letter

Title: Manga Classics: The Scarlet Letter

Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne

Art: SunNeko Lee

Adapted By: Crystal S. Chan      English Translation: Stacy King

Publish Date: March 10, 2015

Rating: ☕ ☕ ☕ ☕ (4)

Manga Classics is at it again, and this time they are releasing a manga version of The Scarlet Letter. I almost passed on this because The Scarlet Letter and I have a long and tortuous history dating back to high school. I spent many hours buried in this book, picking apart sentences, analyzing everything, and basically learning the entire book by heart (Thanks Mrs. Bookwalter…). For a book that I didn't even like the first time I read it, I was relieved when I could place my well-worn copy on my bookshelf with all the other classics that I had no intention of reading ever again. As the years have passed, I slowly began to forgive Hawthorne and acknowledged that, while The Scarlet Letter will never be one of my favorite classics, I have a great respect for it and its place in history and literature.

My standard procedure before I read something from Manga Classics is to go back and read the original material. It’s been many years since I've read The Scarlet Letter, but since I am already biased toward the original material I wanted to try and minimize that bias when I read the manga version.  This is why I decided not to reread the original text before reading the manga. I wanted to go into this with a fresh perspective.

I have to give credit to Crystal Chan, she did a remarkable job with the adaptation. There is so much symbolism in the original text that it would be difficult for anyone to decide what stays and what goes, but she struck the right balance. The amazing thing about manga and graphic novels is that the symbolism becomes visual. The casual reader may not catch all of the symbolic references and how they play a role in the story, or how they enhance the theme of the story. But with manga, the artist can put it right in front of your face, you still might miss the meaning behind it, but it’s still there to discover later.

This is where the talents of artist SunNeko Lee come into play. The backgrounds are detailed, although Boston is not quite historically accurate (but that’s just me nitpicking), but on the whole it looks beautiful and doesn't detract from the main characters. I love the way the artist chose to draw the four main characters. They have a distinct style that separates them from everyone else, drawing the focus on them. It also makes a visual statement about each individual’s personality and motivation. One example is the design for Reverend Dimmesdale; he looks timid and weak from the beginning. As the story continues, he becomes more and more haggard as the weight of his conscience presses down on him.

Roger Chillingworth is another example, when he openly displays his feelings of hatred and revenge, the artist includes a cobra in the panel with him. Using animals as part of the character is a common technique used in manga to emphasize emotion, and while it might not have been necessary, it worked well.

Of course we can’t talk about a manga adaptation of The Scarlet Letter and not talk about the aforementioned letter. The most important symbol in the story is the scarlet “A” embroidered on Hester’s chest. The “A” is almost a character in its own right and SunNeko Lee and Crystal Chan make sure the “A” is seen every time you see Hester. How did they accomplish this? Well the beautifully embroidered “A” is the only part in the entire manga that is in color, and it is a bright scarlet red throughout the entire book. You can’t miss it, you can’t forget it’s there, it becomes one with Hester.

The thought both SunNeko and Crystal put into this is astounding. They even included the prologue chapter where Hawthorne gives a fictionalized account of how the narrator (Hawthorne) discovers Hester’s story while working in a customs house. There are also little items here and there that were included in the background because the original scene was cut. These and other symbols and metaphors are mentioned in the adapter's notes at the end.

I thought this adaptation was nicely done. I felt like the goal of the piece was to give the reader a taste of the story and encourage them to seek out the original text, and I think that was accomplished. For me it was nice to have the opportunity to enjoy the book and erase some of the negative emotions this story stirs in me. For the serious classics reader, this may be a disappointing read because there was quite a bit left out or left unexplored. But for a reader who doesn't usually seek out the classics, it may be a starting point.

**NetGalley provided me with an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**