Scarlet Letter

A detailed Summary of Scarlet Letter


Nathaniel Hawthorne's background influenced him to write the bold

novel The Scarlet Letter. One important influence on the story is

money. Hawthorne had never made much money as an author and the birth

of his first daughter added to the financial burden ("Biographical

Note" VII). He received a job at the Salem Custom House only to lose

it three years later and be forced to write again to support his

family (IX). Consequently, The Scarlet Letter was published a year

later (IX). It was only intended to be a long short story, but the

extra money a novel would bring in was needed ("Introduction" XVI).

Hawthorne then wrote an introduction section titled "The Custom House"

to extend the length of the book and The Scarlet Letter became a full

novel (XVI). In addition to financial worries, another influence on

the story is Hawthorne's rejection of his ancestors. His forefathers

were strict Puritans, and John Hathorne, his great-great-grandfather,

was a judge presiding during the S! alem witch trials ("Biographical

Note" VII). Hawthorne did not condone their acts and actually spent a

great deal of his life renouncing the Puritans in general (VII).

Similarly, The Scarlet Letter was a literal "soapbox" for H


many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by it s original

conclusion, Hawthorne's use of characterization gives the book a

the most substantial situations in the story because they unify The

normal, and he barely stops himself from swearing to a fellow deacon

carrying by the way he perceives the light from a meteor as the letter

feeble appearance distresses her, and for the first time, she can not

feelings indirectly through acts. The novel revolves around two major



Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 3229
Approximate Pages = 13 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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