The Scarlet Letter
by Nathaniel Hawthorne
AP English Literature and
Composition
Jackson 2009-2010
Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)
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Hawthorne was born in
Salem, Massachusetts
His great grandfather was
a judge in the 1692 Salem
witch trials, responsible for
the deaths of several
accused witches
Committed his life to
writing
Boston, Mid 1600s
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Puritan beliefs
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Left England believing the
church was influenced too
much by the crown
Rejected the idea that
divine authority was
channeled through a single
person, like a pope
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Each individual could
receive spiritual
enlightenment directly
from the Bible
Boston, Mid-1600s
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Puritans had little personal
freedom
Laws prohibited everything
from swearing to
excessive decoration on
women’s caps to murder
Those considered sinners
were published publicly
and harshly as an
example to others in order
to shame the guilty party
Salem Witch Trials - 1692
Salem Witch Trials - 1692
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Due to several false accusations,
individuals were believed to be witches,
leading to a witch hunt, leaving at least
twenty dead
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19 hanged
1 pressed to death
The Scarlet Letter
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Considered to be a
“romance”
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Concerned with “internal
truths” or “truths of the
human heart”
Use of imagination
rather than realistic
representations
Embellishes relationship
between human and
nature
The Scarlet Letter
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The novel refers to adultery
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adultery - “voluntary sexual intercourse between
a married man and someone other than his wife
or between a married woman and someone other
than her husband” – Merriam Webster’s Online
Dictionary
Punishment – Questions to Consider
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How does our society punish people who
break the law?
What is shame? What role does it play in
the punishment of criminals in our society?
Is adultery a crime?