SCARLET LETTER

The Least You Need to Know

Characteristics of his work:

Used symbolism
to great effect
(seriouslyits
everywhere)
Sin, pain, & evil
exist

Inspiration for
The Scarlet Letter

The author tells about his

life working at the
Custom House in Salem
Massachusetts.
During his time there, he
discovers some records
in the attic and begins to
piece together the story of
Hester Prynne, an adulterous
woman in Puritan Salem.
The Scarlet Letter is his
fictional account of the
story gathered from the
documents he found.

How did his life affect the writing of the novel?

2) Salem- childhood, later work at the

Custom House, as Surveyor of the Port
The Custom House introduction creates a

FRAME STORY

This introduction gives an account of his

experience as surveyor; he attacks the officials
who connived in his dismissal Like his heroine
Hester, Hawthorne emerges from confrontation
with a self-righteous society as an individual of
integrity,passion, and moral superiority.

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
escape persecution
and form a society
based on their own
religious ideals.

The Scarlet Letter: Background

Puritans sought the

freedom to live by
their own 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 Hesters,
no aspect of life was truly private.

People kept a close watch

on their neighbors.

The Scarlet Letter: Background

Those
considered
sinners were
publiclyand
often harshly
punished, as
an example to
others.

As we begin reading the story,

pay attention to how the culture
and beliefs of the Puritan society
influence the story differently
than perhaps if the tale had
taken place in a more modern
American society. Also, consider
how we might share similar
aspects with the Puritan culture
and treatment of the situation.