The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne Menu Introduction Background Discussion Starters

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The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Scarlet Letter: Introduction What happens when a private sin becomes a public crime?

The Scarlet Letter: Introduction In Puritan New England a young woman named Hester Prynne gives birth to a baby girl.

The Scarlet Letter: Introduction Hester’s elderly husband has been missing for years. Everyone knows he can’t be the father.

The Scarlet Letter: Introduction The town punishes Hester harshly for her adultery. First, they imprison her. Then, they condemn her to wear a scarlet letter A for the rest of her life.

The Scarlet Letter: Introduction The townspeople treat Hester as an outcast.

The Scarlet Letter: Introduction What her neighbors don’t know is the identity of the baby’s father. Hester refuses to tell.

The Scarlet Letter: Introduction Her lover, whoever he is, seems to escape punishment. Or does he?

The Scarlet Letter: Introduction Perhaps hidden suffering is even worse than public shame.

The Scarlet Letter: Background Persecuted in England, the Puritans came to North America to form their own communities.

The Scarlet Letter: Background Life in the Colonies was harsh, but it gave the Puritans the opportunity to form a society based on their religious ideals.

The Scarlet Letter: Background The setting of The Scarlet Letter is Boston in the 1640s. Boston had recently been founded by about one thousand English Puritans, led by John Winthrop.

The Scarlet Letter: Background Puritans sought the freedom to live by their beliefs. However, the Puritan leaders did not tolerate religious beliefs that differed from their own.

The Scarlet Letter: Background As for personal freedom… every member of the community was held to strict standards of behavior.

The Scarlet Letter: Background In a Puritan community such as Hester’s, no aspect of life was truly private. People kept a close watch on their neighbors.

The Scarlet Letter: Background Those considered sinners were publicly—and harshly—punished, as an example to others.

The Scarlet Letter: Background The Puritans believed that all things are controlled beforehand by the will of God. This doctrine is called predestination. No one could know for certain if they were destined to receive salvation. However, a good Puritan still had to live as pure and righteous a life as possible—and to watch for signs of sinfulness in others.

The Scarlet Letter: Discussion Starters Hester goes to jail for an action that, in our society, usually would remain private. What kinds of wrongdoing do you think should be punished publicly? What kinds should remain private for the people involved?

The Scarlet Letter: Discussion Starters Motivated by love and loyalty, Hester keeps a painful secret. What kinds of secrets should you keep? When might it be better to reveal a friend’s secret, even though that person will be angry with you?