The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

AP English Literature and Composition

Jackson 2009-2010

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) 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 Puritan beliefs

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

Each individual could receive spiritual enlightenment directly from the Bible

Boston, Mid-1600s 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 Due to several false accusations,

individuals were believed to be witches, leading to a witch hunt, leaving at least twenty dead 19 hanged 1 pressed to death

The Scarlet Letter Considered to be a

“romance” 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 The novel refers to adultery

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

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?