Scarlet Letter Connection #3

     In AP United State History we have been learning about how a few year after the American Revolution, when American gained their independence from England, people were trying to create an American identity for themselves, by how they lived, what they did, and how they were perceived. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Pyrnne is trying to find her identity also, both for herself and for the society she lives in.
     When Hester was embarrassed and punished by having to wear the horrid, red letter A on her dress, people in society saw her as disguising, sinful, and an embarrassment to God, and they wanted everyone to know how bad she had been. Although Hester could have left her society she was living in and be free from the label "A", she did not want to do so, by doing this she would show weakness, the society would have one against her, and she would be running from her past. Hester, knowing she did wrong, saw the beauty in her past, with her daughter, Pearl, she received from her actions and she did not want her community to make her feel guilty for this. Instead of running away, at first, Hester stayed in Boston and lived with her past.

Scarlet Letter Connection #2

   In the first article of my American Literature research The Scarlet letter was placed as a prime example of notable literature written in the 1850's. The Scarlet Letter fit in with the literature of this time period because it referenced many Puritan beliefs, people, and values and in all told the story of a sinned Puritan woman's life. Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays Hester Prynne, the one whom was believed to have committed adultery against her husband, was a victim of the embarrassment and cruelty a women faced during this time if they were convicted of adultery or other sinful acts, in the eyes of the Puritans.
     The Scarlet Letter also displays to readers a taste of American life. Although this exact story may not be true, this same story happened to many women in the early times, many whom were accused of being witches. Women in Puritan society were very restricted on what they could do and if suspected as a witch they would often be punished or sometimes even killed. The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a key piece of literature to contribute to the evolution of American Literature and it tells the stories of our past.