Comparing The Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne

1285 Words6 Pages
Riley Chiles
Mr. Nelson
AP Literature P-7
11/7/14
Comparing Fact and Fiction: The Parallels Within
Democratic society has a curious effect on its people. Some citizens seem to have a very hard time imagining a fanatically corrupt religious sect of elite clergy running the scenes. Intriguingly, within arguably the most democratic country of our time, the United States was dominated by a class of religious elite a few centuries ago. Those who participated in said system were known as Puritans. Nathaniel Hawthorne, a transcendentalist of the 19th century, decided to recreate Puritan society in his book The Scarlet Letter, which takes place two centuries prior. This brings up an important inquiry: does his rendition stack up with historical evidence? After intense scrutiny and cross-referencing, a conclusion can be drawn that suggests he did indeed take many steps to remain faithful to the source material.
To better understand The Scarlet Letter, we first must explore the author and his purpose for writing such a novel. Nathaniel Hawthorne was a philosophical thinker. He grew up in Salem, Massachusetts and was the descendant of William Hathorne, a Puritan magistrate and judge who became infamous for giving out harsh punishments. This was especially true during the Salem witch trials. Hawthorn’s family past seemed to fascinate and haunt him, and is represented in most of his works. This is coupled with his transcendentalist ideals, and clues the audience to the book’s intended
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