Sin And Community In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Puritan era, beginning in 1564 and concluding in 1660, was a time of intense purification of the Church of England on the part of English Reformed Protestants. During this epoch, religious leaders reigned without remorse for whomever they deemed a sinner. These God-fearing people tended to punish as a community, building a social obstruction so said sinner is outcasted and shunned. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter”, this theme of sin and public humiliation within a Puritan community is the main focus. The differing cover art for the novel conveys these themes and more important to the development of the story. Cover option #1 shows Hester’s and Pearl’s mode of dress, the scarlet “A” wrapping around Hester’s arm, and women gossiping