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The Salem Witch Trials were a large part of the late 17th century in Massachusetts, involving the accusation of over 200 women being witches, and 20 being executed because of these accusations. They started when two young girls were thought to be possessed in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the two girls accused three women of being the witches that made them get possessed. In this time period, there was a very large amount of paranoia and fear that anyone could be a witch.

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The Massachusetts Bay Colony was created out of the Plymouth colony and Maine. In 17th century Puritan society, there was no allowance for religious freedoms, only Puritan beliefs were allowed. If a person was not Puritan, say Quaker, they were not only scorned, but thrown out of the colony. It was very shameful to not follow the Puritan beliefs of the majority of the colony.

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Pearl is also meant to symbolise the sin of committing adultery to Hester, but as a living, breathing version of that sin. This is shown in the times she reminds her mother of the letter on her chest. She is also meant to symbolise the huge sacrifice Hester made in having her, giving up everything to have a child with an unknown father, and that Pearl is Hester's greatest treasure because of the sacrifice. Although she is a symbol, she is allowed to stop being a symbol upon the discovery and death of her father, Dimmesdale, when she becomes more human.

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The Scarlet Letter that Hester is meant to symbolise her sin of committing adultery , although over time it comes to symbolise her ability to provide for herself and her child because of how well she manages to make a living for herself while those around her scorn her. It changes from a symbol of shame to one of reverence.

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“The Scarlet Letter Main Ideas.” SparkNotes, SparkNotes, www.sparknotes.com/lit/scarlet/themes/.
“The Scarlet Letter Main Ideas.” SparkNotes, SparkNotes, www.sparknotes.com/lit/scarlet/symbols/.
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Massachusetts Bay Colony.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 18 July 2017, www.britannica.com/place/Massachusetts-Bay-Colony.
Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice. “The Life of Nathaniel Hawthorne.” History of Massachusetts, 15 Sept. 2011, historyofmassachusetts.org/nathaniel-hawthorne/.
Shmoop Editorial Team. “The Scarlet Letter in The Scarlet Letter.” Shmoop, Shmoop University, 11 Nov. 2008, www.shmoop.com/scarlet-letter/scarlet-letter-symbol.html.
Shmoop Editorial Team. “Pearl, Hester's Daughter in The Scarlet Letter.” Shmoop, Shmoop University, 11 Nov. 2008, www.shmoop.com/scarlet-letter/pearl-hester-daughter-symbol.html.
Shmoop Editorial Team. “The Scarlet Letter Theme of Revenge.” Shmoop, Shmoop University, 11 Nov. 2008, www.shmoop.com/scarlet-letter/revenge-theme.html.
Shmoop Editorial Team. “The Scarlet Letter Theme of Sin.” Shmoop, Shmoop University, 11 Nov. 2008, www.shmoop.com/scarlet-letter/sin-theme.html.
“A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 23 Oct. 2007, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-the-salem-witch-trials-175162489/.

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Within the Scarlet Letter, the character of Roger Chillingworth repeatedly goes after Dimmesdale for 7 years, after finding out that he was the one that had fathered Pearl, torturing him mentally for what he'd done. It is shown through Roger that revenge is an action that takes over someone's soul and leaves them with very little or no humanity left. The theme can be further expanded to revenge being an overpowering force in the mind of humans, as displayed above.

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The theme of sin is incredibly prevalent in The Scarlet Letter, as the letter A across Hester's chest. It is shown within the way Hester is shunned for her actions, as they are considered a sin in the eyes of the Puritan society around her. She is punished for her sin throughout the novel, although she grows as a result of her sin, as does Dimmesdale, although he is not shunned as she is. The theme of sin is one of growing and learning through a negatively seen experience.

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Life of Nathaniel Hawthorne - Writing Career

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Life of Nathaniel Hawthorne - Writing Career

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Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote novels mostly about brutal persecution by religious leaders. In 1825, he began his writing career, working on his first novel, called Fanshawe. That novel was published in 1828. He wrote many novels, until he took a job as Surveyor in the Salem Custom House. He later lost this job and left the city for Lenox to continue writing. The Scarlet Letter was published soon after, in 1850

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Life of Nathaniel Hawthorne - Early Childhood

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Life of Nathaniel Hawthorne - Early Childhood

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Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, where his family had historically been for generations. He spent much of his time in Salem as a child, as well as in Raymond, Maine. He lived with his grandparents after his father died of yellow fever in 1808. He was also never very close to his mother or to Salem.