Isolation In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is set in 17th century Boston, during the Puritan era. The novel illustrates the Puritan’s grave religious rules; however, it is rather a criticism of their belief. The Puritans in the novel believe that men are in a higher position than women; they are the leaders of the households, so they have a right to make all important decisions, while women just exist to take responsibility of housework and children. This biased family setting establishes the way women are treated and how earthly sins are grimly punished in Puritan society. In The Scarlet Letter, the letter “A” has various meanings depending upon different contexts; it not only projects the obvious meaning of adultery, but also changes into a sign of isolation, and finally becomes a symbol of ability.

The Boston Puritan authorities punish her due to her sin against her husband, Roger Chillingworth, who was thought lost at sea. She is forced to stand in shame and endure penetrating gazes, whispers, and scorn from the crowd of Puritan citizens. In addition, she is compelled to wear the symbol of iniquity, letter “A” upon her chest for the rest of her life to show that she is an adulteress: “…For the remainder for her natural life to wear a mark of shame upon her bosom” [1]. It is obvious that the scarlet letter “A” is a mark of shame, sin, and adultery. This is only the first layer of symbolism for the letter “A” in the