Scarlet Letter Honors Essay

“The Scarlet Letter Honors Essay” “The Scarlet Letter” is a novel that takes place in the latter history of New England. The historical fiction is set in the start of the Massachusetts Bay Colony back at the start of what would become a major world power, America. The pilgrims and puritans had just made the dreadful and lengthy voyage across the Atlantic from Europe to America. “The Scarlet Letter” was written by an American author by the name of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne was born on the 28th anniversary of America’s independence. He was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. His recent ancestors were judges during the Salem Witch Trials. He was the only child born to his parents. His parents were Nathaniel and Elizabeth Clark

The location of where certain acts and things happen is important to the story and all of the characters and how they will act and see each other for the rest of the historical fiction. Within the first few pages of Chapter 1, the setting of the story was used as punishment for Hester Prynne and her daughter Pearl. Her punishment is three hours standing in front of the crowd on the scaffold. A sin like this was “...to be corrected at the whipping-post (Nathaniel Hawthorne, page 75).” Obviously in the sinful world we live in now, there would be no punishment for an act like this. People would actually just congratulate you in this day and age. A very important conversation happens in the forest alone that would probably not have been had in the city and in daylight. It changes the way the readers feel about the characters in the story. Hester and Dimmesdale have a conversation in the forest by themselves without having to worry about Chillingworth and the public. They talk about all their problems. Dimmesdale says, “More misery, Hester!-Only the more misery! (Hawthorne, page

It can also be discussed as the time period and the type of people that made up this Massachusetts Bay Colony. On page 75 it gives some examples of people that may be there: “Antinomians, Quakers, other heterodox religionists, or idle or vagrant Indians.” The setting of the historical fiction is also the start of a Puritan colony that strongly believed in the Bible and all that is within. Puritans and other religious groups of people would not tolerate issues like this. If the beliefs of the people were different, there would be no problem to the story besides the fact that God said adultery is a