How do you summarize such an intense novel such as the Scarlet Letter? Its plot is quite long and in a summary, you should avoid putting in too much detail. How do you do a summary without spilling out all of the contents? You can start by identifying the setting of the book. If you check the online resources for the scarlett letter today, you’ll notice that the setting helps you define the setup and the context. Then you should introduce the major characters that are involved in the biggest conflicts and then discuss the issues that are key to the plot. You can then list down how the issues affected the major characters and then head to the resolution. You can also save the resolution towards the end of the essay so that you are not giving away the ending easily. This way, your essay will still be a good read to your readers, even if it is not the novel itself.