The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Hester Prynne is a married woman who has a relationship that produces a child she names Pearl.  When people find out about the relationship, they force Hester to wear a red "A," for adulterer, on her clothes.  The village scorns Hester and Pearl, but Hester is a very strong woman and does not run away with Pearl.  She wants to live the life she has chosen, even if she has to live it in disgrace.