Theme Of Puritanism In The Scarlet Letter

Intolerance and double-standards: these are two words that we hear quite often.

Although we may think that those are problems of our time, they were as big if not bigger in the time of The Scarlet Letter. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story, The Scarlet Letter, many themes are presented throughout the book, but one of the most important ones that shape the story itself are the ideas and themes of Puritans and puritanism. In the story, the protagonist Hester Prynne is pinned with a scarlet letter, because she committed adultery. As the story jumps in time from having a young daughter to one that is grown up, there are countless instances when the irony and strangeness of Puritan society comes into play. In essence, Puritanism was a movement of protestants who sought to reform the Church of England to get rid of any left over Roman Catholic ideas and practices. When

When combined, all the aspects of Puritans and their lives come together to help shape the idea that Hawthorne portrays throughout the book. Hawthorne’s story The Scarlet Letter makes readers recognize the archaic ideas of Puritans through the story of Hester Prynne and her experiences in a Puritan society. The setting of The Scarlet Letter plays a major role on how readers see puritanism, especially that of an early colony in the Americas. Boston, the town where The Scarlet Letter takes place in the 17th century, was a fairly new settlement in the colonies, and dominated by the Puritans. They lived a fairly isolated life on the Atlantic Ocean, practicing there values that brought them to America while being weary of the Native Americans always nearby. Puritan society was not easily forgiving. Sinners were stuck with bad reputations for