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Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem Massachusetts. He was the son of Nathaniel Hathorne, who was a ship captain who died of yellow fever. Throughout his childhood Hawthorne lived in poverty with his mother and his sisters. Growing up they lived with Puritan ideals. Nathaniel Hawthorne was the great-great grandson of John Hathorne who was the Salem Witch Trials judge. It is said that Nathaniel Hawthorne changed his last name to hide his family's dark past.Hawthorne attended Worcestor's School, where he was injured playing baseball that left him unable to move for fourteen months. From 1821 to 1825 Hawthorne attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.

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Later in life, Nathaniel Hawthorne became engaged to Sophia Peabody and later married her in 1842. He got married to Sophia when he was working at the Boston Custom House. In 1850, Hawthorne published the Scarlet letter, which is said to be "the most valuable contribution to New England history that has been made." He then went on to write "The Blithedale Romance" and "A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys". While Hawthorne was on a tour in The White Mountains, he passed in his sleep on May 19, 1864, in New Hampshire.

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Life in the Puritan 17th century Massachusetts Bay Colony 1

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Life in the Puritan 17th century Massachusetts Bay Colony 1

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Thousands of Native-Americans lived in Massachusetts before the colonization of the area. The colony was primarily made of European traders and fisherman. Massachusetts was one of the two colonies that were established in Massachusetts at this time. The early colonist in this area faced many hardships, such as disease, famine, and hot and humid summers. Disease caused many deaths and this lowered the population greatly. Soon came the Great Puritan Migration. This was a period between 1620 and 1642 when English Puritans migrated to the New England, th Chesapeake and the West Indies. The Puritans came mainly for religious freedom, economic opportunities and new business opportunities. Puritans wanted to reform the Church of England, but because of this they were subjected to harsh laws and persecution in England on account of their religion.

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Life in the Puritan 17th century Massachusetts Bay Colony 2

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Life in the Puritan 17th century Massachusetts Bay Colony 2

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When the Puritans were settled, they began to thrive and form a lifestyle. Massachusetts Bay colonists created a government that was efficient and reflected personal and religious ideals. Religion and government were heavily intertwined. Their government was largely based on Puritans beliefs that required them to attend church daily. If you didn't go to church everyday you would be fined. They took God's laws seriously and lived their life solely on these beliefs. With the strict religious rules in place, anyone who didn't follow the same Puritan lifestyle and ideals were persecuted, especially Quakers.
Puritans disliked all other religions and came to the New World to create their own communities based on their beliefs.

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Throughout the Scarlet Letter, the biggest theme is sin. Hester Prynne broke the moral law by committing the crime of adultery. Society punishes her by having her stand for three house on a scaffold, with the life long sentence of wearing the scarlet letter on her bosom. Puritan society believes that people are born through the sins of their family. Because of this Hester Prynne's sin follows her daughter Pearl, creating an outcast. Throughout the story, Hester Prynne and her daughter are put through public disgrace and social boycott.

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The second theme portrayed in the Scarlet Letter is the theme of guilt. This is shown mainly through Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale sees how harshly Hester and Pearl are treated, based on her sin. He is extremely guilty because he knows that he got away with his sin without any punishment. Although Dimmesdale did not have any punishment, he creates his own punishments through the feeling of guilt.

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The biggest symbol in the Scarlet Letter is Pearl herself. She is a living symbol of Hester and Dimmesdale's sin. Pearl is the living scarlet letter that is a constant reminder to Hester and Dimmesdale that they are sinners. The Puritans see her as a demon child even though she is one of the most pure characters in the novel. They treat her as an outcast because society cannot accept her sinful orgins.

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“Nathaniel Hawthorne's Early Life: Introduction.” Text of The Deposition of Ann Putnam, Jr. Against Giles Corey, September 9, 1692,
http://www.hawthorneinsalem.org/Life&Times/BiographicalInfo/Earlylife/Introduction.html
"The Life of Nathaniel Hawthorne"
History of Massachusetts,

http://historyofmassachusetts.org/nathaniel-hawthorne/
“Hawthorne, Nathaniel (1804-1864), Author | American National Biography.” (1830-1885), Writer and Reformer | American National Biography,
http://www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-1600732
“Hawthorne, Nathaniel (1804-1864), Author | American National Biography.” (1830-1885), Writer and Reformer | American National Biography,
https://www.bachelorandmaster.com/britishandamericanfiction/themes-in-the-scarlet-letter.html#.W578K9JKjrc
LitCharts "Pearl Symbol Analysis"
LitCharts,
https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-scarlet-letter/symbols/pearl
“17th Century Massachusetts.” History of Massachusetts, 11 Aug. 2018,
http://historyofmassachusetts.org/17th-century-massachusetts/
"History of the Puritans in North America "Wikipedia Foundation, 28 July 2018,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Puritans_in_North_America
“History of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.” History of Massachusetts, 13 Aug. 2018,
http://historyofmassachusetts.org/history-of-the-massachusetts-bay-colony/

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The novel also includes another very import symbol, which is the scarlet letter. The scarlet letter represents adultery and the sin Hester Prynne committed. The purpose of the scarlet letter is to symbolise Hester's shame and guilt. The scarlet letter brings a great amount of shame to Hester, but it also brings shame to the other women in the society that have commited the same sin but have not been caught. As the story evolves, the scarlet letter symbolism the word "able"