The second wave of English Puritans established the Massachusetts Bay Colony left England in the 1630s.  The idea of a “city upon a hill” made clear the religious orientation of the New England settlement. 

The Puritans believed in the supernatural, especially witches. Puritans believed that the witches allied themselves with the devil and they were responsible for any catastrophes.  Hundreds were accused of witchcraft and most witchcraft cases were in Salem Village in 1692. 

The villages consisted of four city blocks and normally relatives lived together. The puritan family was the basic unit of society that consisted mainly of farming. While both men and women worked on the farm, a majority of the men were ministers and additionally the women wove cloth and made candles and soap. God was a very big part of their everyday lives. Puritan families meditated and prayed everyday and they saw their mission as fulfilling God’s plan. 

“The Wife and Children of Nathaniel Hawthorne: Introduction.” Text of The Deposition of Ann Putnam, Jr. Against Giles Corey, September 9, 1692, www.hawthorneinsalem.org/Life&Times/Family/Immediate/Introduction.html.

Shmoop Editorial Team. “The Scarlet Letter Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory.” Shmoop, Shmoop University, 11 Nov. 2008, www.shmoop.com/scarlet-letter/symbolism-imagery.html.

“The Scarlet Letter Main Ideas.” SparkNotes, SparkNotes, www.sparknotes.com/lit/scarlet/symbols/.

“The Scarlet Letter Themes.” SparkNotes, SparkNotes, www.sparknotes.com/lit/scarlet/themes/.

“The Scarlet Letter Themes.” SparkNotes, SparkNotes, www.sparknotes.com/lit/scarlet/themes/.

“Puritan New England: Massachusetts Bay.” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/colonial-america/colonial-north-america/a/puritan-new-england-massachusetts-bay.

“17th Century Massachusetts.” History of Massachusetts, 11 Aug. 2018, historyofmassachusetts.org/17th-century-massachusetts/. 

Shomica, and Nadia. “Puritan Laws and Customs.” History of American Women, 2 Apr. 2017, www.womenhistoryblog.com/2007/10/puritan-laws-and-customs.html.

Puritans believed that there was only one true religion and believed that everyone should follow their same values. Nonconformists could expect no mercy and dissenters would be punished or executed. Puritans believed that only a selected few would be saved while all others would be damned.

The Puritan society were restrained by strict laws that governed every area of life, even family relations. Men couldn’t even kiss their wives in public. The general court was formed of the officers and all the freemen in the community. The court of assistants was similar to a board of directors. The court of assistants consisted of the governor, the deputy governor, and their aids.

Laws governed the way the Puritans dressed, especially the women. Women could not wear lace and the length and width of a lady’s sleeve was decided by law. The women wore a undershirt called a shift and over that wore a corset and long petticoats. The outer clothing of a women was either a gown, or a waistcoat and skirt. However, the skirt had to be long enough to drag against the floor. Showing any ankle was forbidden. 

Pearl basically is the living personification of her mother’s scarlet letter. She is the living personification because she is the physical consequence of sexual sin and breaking laws. She is also a constant reminded to her mother of her sins, but Pearls existence also gives her mother a reason to live. 

In chapter 12 of the Scarlet Letter, a meteor traces a faint red “A” in the night sky. Dimmesdale and the community both had different interpretations on the meaning of the “A”. Dimmesdale believed it meant that he should be wearing a mark of shame like Hesters, while the community believed the “A” meant “Angel”  and that it marked Governor Winthrop’s entry into heaven. The community’s belief goes along with the Puritan traits of using symbols to confirm divine statements. 

The forest represents freedom and emotional escape, this shows when Hester is cast out of the town. She is forced to live in a wilderness of what is right and wrong. 

The scarlet letter is the symbolic heart of the novel. The letter's symbolic meaning is many different things such as adultery, atonement, and apostle.  However, later in the novel the letter comes to mean “able”. The letter also functions as a physical reminder her sin. However, compared to Pearl, the letter seems insignificant and helps point out the meaningless of the community’s system of judgement and punishment. 

The prison with the rosebush that we see in the beginning of the book represents the harsh justice of the Puritan community and it’s iron door represents everything that’s strict and unrelenting in Puritan society. However, the rosebush represents kindness and forgiveness. Also, since the prison also represents sin and darkness, the rose bush also symbolizes God’s grace. 

The “Black Man” is a euphemism for Satan and evil. Such as, Hester considers the Scarlet letter to be the Black Man’s mark and Pearl wonders if the Black Man let his brand on Dimmesdale’s heart. In Puritan society, they like to use the Black Man as a symbol of all evil. 

Hester and Dimmesdale’s relationship is similar to the story of Adam and Eve because in both situations, their sins resulted in expulsion and suffering. However, with Hester and Dimmesdale, it also resulted in knowledge of what it means to be human. While Hester and Dimmesdale try to make up for their sins with their lived experiences, the Puritan elders view sin as a threat to the community that should be punished and suppressed. Hester and Dimmesdale’s experience shows that doing sins can lead to personal growth, sympathy, and understanding others. 

“The Black Man” throughout the novel is associated with Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, Mistress Hibbins, and Pearl. Trying to see the causes of evil reveals the problems with the Puritan view of sin. 

Even after Hester is publically humiliated and forced to wear a badge of humiliation, she refuses to leave town and even becomes upset when she is told the town fathers might let her take the letter off. This behavior could be due to her wanting to discover her own identity. To her, the removal of the letter or running away would be basically concede that it’s a mark of shame. Instead, she lets it become a part of her and her identity.