The Scarlet Letter is historical novel, a classic tale of sin, punishment, and revenge.

It was written in
1850 by the famous American author Nathaniel Hawthorne. It documents the lives of three tragic
characters, each of whom suffer greatly because of his or her sins. The novel raises numerous moral
dilemmas and ethical issues.

This book was created to display how life was during Puritanism period in seventeenth century. This
novel has representations of the Puritan culture because it shows how the characters are expected
to live by the word of God, specifically, and if anyone deterred, then they would be punished
severely by unforgiving society. In the Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne used the main principles, hypocrisy
in the Puritan culture, punishment, and predestination to display the Puritan beliefs in the novel.

Romanticism was a movement that was increasingly popular during Hawthorne’s time. The romantic
style, when applied to literature, implies a focus on beauty, emotion, and imagination. Nathaniel
Hawthorne was an anti-transcendentalist and believed in the dark side of man, hence his dark
romantic novel The Scarlet Letter. This allegorical novel depends heavily on symbol and character.
The novel is chock full of symbolic dimension of images, characters, and descriptions. The Scarlet
Letter defines the American Romanticist movement while using symbolic characters and places that
give the book seemingly two different stories. The first story denotes the story going on in the book,
including the characters. The other story has symbols that speak on morals, religious doctrine, and
public mindset.

In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses extreme foreshadowing throughout the entire book. As you're
reading you begin to think about what the future holds inside the book. Foreshadowing allows the
audience to foresee the intensity of an event before it actually occurs. But, foreshadowing is
minimal, because the symbols tend to coincide temporally with events, enriching their meaning
rather than anticipating their occurrence.

Setting
Hawthorne utilizes two types of settings, physical and historical setting. Throughout the novel,
Hawthorne uses the settings to expose the rigidness of the Puritan society of the time period and
how its obstinate and judgmental nature impacted people within the society.
The historical setting is highly significant in the novel since it is intertwined with the public’s belief
and values, which shape overall themes of the novel and the main characters’ traits.
The physical setting in "The Scarlet Letter" often reflects the mood and tone of the scene. Symbolism
is shown between the setting and what takes place in the story. Situations are effected by were and
when they are because location as well as time of day changes the circumstances in which they are
handled. The surroundings effect the situation as shown when the characters enter the forest.
Thee village represents the strictness of Puritan society, while the forest symbolizes the wildness of
the human heart. The forest is a place of secrets were the rules of society mean nothing. It's an
escape from limitations and restrictions.

Feminist
Although the Scarlet Letter was written in 1850, long before the disclosure of what we now refer to
as feminism, the novel amounts to a vivacious, pre-feminist defence of women and women’s rights.
In the eyes of some, The Scarlet Letter may seem like a protofeminist novel. If Hester had been a
man, her punishment would not have been nearly as embarrassing and deceitful. Hester did nothing
but the right thing based on her trying to protect other women from gender-based prosecution,
though it meant completely disagreeing Puritan laws in her society.
Some people say that she deserved all of the harassment and harsh, negative attention that she
received form townspeople, because what she did. Although adultery is a serious crime in times like
based in this book, a man doubtfully would have as harsh of a punishment as Hester Prynne.
Title
In the novel The Scarlet Letter, the scarlet letter “A” has several meanings throughout the novel. For
each character the scarlet letter stands for something different. Each of the main characters
interprets the letter in different forms. The townspeople observe the letter as a form of shame and
embarrassment. For Hester the letter takes on several different forms. Over time, though, the "A"
becomes more than a symbol of adultery. It burns, glows, gets discarded, and taken back up again—
almost as though it has a life of its own. And it's made so beautifully that the townspeople notice its
artistry and craftsmanship before they remember what it means. Eventually, Hester is able to change
the meaning of the letter and to earn the respect of those around her. The book's title puts the focus
where it belongs: not on the individual (Hester) but on the letter that represents the community's
response to her—and her response back.