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Scarlet Letter, The
About the Story
Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, MA, in 1804. His family is descended from the earliest settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and includes John Hathorne, who was one of the judges at the 1692 Salem Witch Trials. Hawthorne added a “w” to his name when he became an author to distance himself from his great-great grandfather. The Scarlet Letter is considered to be Hawthorne’s greatest work. It depicts early American Puritan society, which was established by a group of religious reformers who arrived in Massachusetts in the 1630s under the leadership of John Winthrop. The death of John Winthrop is referenced in the The Scarlet Letter. In addition, the character of Mistress Hibbins is based on Ann Hibbins, who was executed for witchcraft in Boston in 1656. The character of Governor Bellingham is based on Ann Hibbins’s brother, Richard Bellingham, who served as the governor of Massachusetts and later as deputy governor. In 1850 at the time of publication, the topic of adultery was considered extremely risqué, but The Scarlet Letter became an instant bestseller and was one of the first mass-produced books in the United States at a time when books were hand-made. Some of Hawthorne’s most notable works include The House of the Seven Gables and his short stories “Feathertop” and “Young Goodman Brown.”
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