How the novel reflects the time period

Novel “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne as a Reflection of Time Period“The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne was issued in 1850 and became not just a bestseller but also a cornerstone in American literature, successfully representing the late period of American romanticism. It is known to be the first American novel that triggered off a broad resonance in the world of literature. The author unveils the lifestyle, moral conceptions of his ancestors Puritans with all restricted dogmas and canons of Puritan community. The pivotal issues of the novel are the following: intolerance, sin, repentance, overwhelming righteousness, and God’s blessing. The young woman Hester Prynne was convinced of delivering a child in the absence of her husband and became a victim of social ostracism, boycotts, harassment, and discrimination. The heroine was obliged to wear the “A” letter as an abbreviation and a symbol of adulteress, being “a living sermon against sin, until the ignominious letter be engraved upon her tombstone”. The novelty, as well as the token of Hawthorne’s novel is that being a pioneer in adultery, Hester was not a unique woman bearing such a sin, but the only, who suffered all the anger of society when the rest were silent. It was a crucial point in the era of Puritans, which was falling after that by the wayside. Being a very strong character, she decided to withstand all suppression, maltreatment, and disgust from the side of the citizens. She was the first in that community, who conformed to Puritans’ laws and beliefs. As a result, she was doomed to be on the margins of society, living the whole life in solitude without permission even to attend the church. With her own mind, her own thinking and ideas, she went beyond all established Puritan conceptions, believing that she is “not the worst sinner in the world”, and that people’s revenge is “even blacker than a sin” (235). The badge of sorrow was transferred to her daughter Pearl, who was doomed to be “a born outcast of the infantile world”, “an imp of evil”, and “an emblem and product of sin”, having no right among christened infants (144). Historicity point in the novel. “The Scarlet Letter” was a new wind in the life of a historical novel. The action is referred to the 40s of XVIII century, which is known as the first period of colonization of Massachusetts, 10 years passed by from the foundation of Massachusetts Bay. Boston was an old, awesome village living its own intense economic, social, and spiritual life. It was on the edge of becoming a capital of New England. It lead to the era of revaluation of obsolete principles and entire redevelopment. The novel is not rich in terms of historical characters or details, though it is teemed with psychology, moral conceptions and customs of Puritan American community. The reader may also find the description of peoples’ traditional appearance, their clothing, dwellings, and their street gathering for decisions. Hawthorne’s attitude to Puritan …