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The Scarlet Letter: themes and context
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Hawthorne wrote in 1850 about his Puritan ancestors' world, two centuries earlier.
Context
The Puritans who settled Massachusetts in the 1600s lived by strict religious rules. Church and law were closely linked, and sin could be punished in public.
Hawthorne was descended from a judge at the Salem witch trials of 1692. He was troubled by this history.
The novel was published in 1850 and is a classic of American Romanticism.
Hawthorne was descended from a judge at the Salem witch trials of 1692. He was troubled by this history.
The novel was published in 1850 and is a classic of American Romanticism.
Key themes
Sin and guilt: Hester's open sin against Dimmesdale's hidden guilt.
Hypocrisy: a community that punishes Hester honours a minister guilty of the same sin.
Identity and individuality: Hester makes her own meaning of the letter.
Revenge: Chillingworth's obsession.
Hypocrisy: a community that punishes Hester honours a minister guilty of the same sin.
Identity and individuality: Hester makes her own meaning of the letter.
Revenge: Chillingworth's obsession.
Symbolism
The scarlet letter changes meaning: shame, then skill and strength.
The scaffold: public judgement and confession.
The forest: freedom from Puritan rules, but also the wild and lawless.
Light and dark: sunlight avoids Hester in the forest but plays around Pearl.
The scaffold: public judgement and confession.
The forest: freedom from Puritan rules, but also the wild and lawless.
Light and dark: sunlight avoids Hester in the forest but plays around Pearl.
How does the meaning of the scarlet letter change?
- At first it marks Hester's shame.
- Her good works lead some to say it means 'Able'.
- By the end she chooses to wear it, making it part of her own identity.
Answer: From a mark of shame to a symbol of strength and identity that Hester chooses for herself.
Context: Puritan Massachusetts, Hawthorne's link to the Salem witch trials (1692), published 1850, Romanticism. Themes: sin and guilt, hypocrisy, identity, revenge. Symbols: the letter, scaffold, forest, light.
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