The parody “The Scarlett Sweater” under the novel’s synopsis is based on: The Scarlet Letter, novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in 1850. It is considered a masterpiece of American literature and a classic moral study.
Summary: The novel is set in a village in Puritan New England. The main character is Hester Prynne, a young woman who has borne a child out of wedlock. Hester believes herself a widow, but her husband, Roger Chillingworth, arrives in New England very much alive and conceals his identity. He finds his wife forced to wear the scarlet letter A on her dress as punishment for her adultery. After Hester refuses to name her lover . . .
Chillingworth becomes obsessed with finding his identity. When he learns that the man in question is Arthur Dimmesdale, a saintly young minister who is the leader of those exhorting her to name the child’s father, Chillingworth proceeds to torment him. Stricken by guilt, Dimmesdale becomes increasingly ill. Hester herself is revealed to be a self-reliant heroine who is never truly repentant for committing adultery with the minister . . .
In the end, Chillingworth is morally degraded by his monomaniacal pursuit of revenge. Dimmesdale is broken by his own sense of guilt, and he publicly confesses his adultery before dying in Hester’s arms. Only Hester can face the future . . . (https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Scarlet-Letter-novel-by-Hawthorne) McDonald, Ronan. “The Scarlet Letter.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2019. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Scarlet-Letter-novel-by-Hawthorne
The Scarlett Sweater: A Puritan Parody
The smell of rotting fruit hovers over the Massachusetts’ square, further degrading the already plummeting Puritan picture. In the center of town, a rotund woman, hefty Hester Prynne wears a skintight scarlet sweater, speckled with golden “A’s” atop her gargantuan gown. She slouches on a pole in the center of a platform, scowling and snarling at the unruly crowd. In her burly arms, she holds her trollish tot, Squearl as tight as she would cling to the last pie at the local bakery. Around her, the townspeople hurl waves of insults and accusations.
"I don’t give a damn what you say,” screeched the beached whale, glaring at the gathering, “I ain’t tell’n who dun it!”
The masses refuse to be denied, pelting her with abuse and garbage. Egg dripping from her forehead, she spits into the sewer of people.
From an overlooking balcony, in admiration, her lover Arthur “Arty the Party” Dimmesdale tips his wine glass in acknowledgment and bellows, “You tell’m baby!”
Lounging beside Arty, his superiors and the pot-bellied Governor Bellingham smirk at his remark as they finger wads of cash. Each sum had been recently and tactfully donated to “The Dimmesdale’s Disaster Relief Fund,” established to provide for the downtrodden.
Finishing his third glass of holy firewater, Governor Bellingham leans towards Dimmesdale and mutters, “Hey Dimwit, the real punishment is looking at her in that outfit.”
Suddenly silence grips the square as a muscular outdoorsman with bleach blond hair, R. Chillinworth parades up to Hester and Squearl. He is cut like a rock and not much smarter than one. “What you been up to? Ur, cheating again? I been lost in the woods.”
At this crack, Hester’s little viper lounges out and bites the idiotic outdoorsman. Instantaneously, a melee breaks out with Hester tossing her daughter aside and bear hugging the Chillinworth into submission. Almost as if on cue, the crowd begins trashing the square.
Up on the balcony, roaring in hysterics, Arty Dimmesdale slugs down the rest of his wine and staggers off in search of some whiskey.