Nathaniel Hawthorne was greatly influenced by situations that were happening around him at the time he was writing the scarlet letter and many social issues of the time are evident in the novel.
The novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne tells the story of a woman by the name of Hester Prynne in 17th century Puritan Boston Massachusetts. Hester violated Puritanical law by committing adultery. To forever wear a scarlet A on her dress in public and private is her sentence. remaining unnamed her fellow adulterer Minister Dimmesdale becomes overwhelmed with guilt, on top of this Hester's husband Roger Chillingworth returns after two years to learn of her unfaithfulness and is set on vengeance upon her unknown lover.
Women's rights…show more content… Transcendentalism was a philosophical and social movement, it was influenced by romanticism. Transcendentalist rebels against the ideals of rationalism which was a major influencer of the time. Transcendentalist Ideas believed that people were not evil and sinners at birth and that everyone was born with goodness in them.
Rejecting neoclassicism was a major part of the Romanticism movement, Romanticists believed that Neoclassicism or Rationalism was taking away emotions and passion in writing and art. While Neoclassicism focuses on logic over emotions and being rational, Romanticism is based on passion and emotions and the mystery of life. Romanticism was also strongly focused on symbols and glorifying nature and its power, often connecting nature with the supernatural and emotions.
How the book tells us what was going on
Nathaniel Hawthorne's feminist view are very clear. The Scarlet Letter's main character is a single mother who overcomes a huge stigma and alienation from society and manages to raise a child at the same time. "The scarlet letter had not done its office." (Hawthorne .166) Despite the trying to break Hester's spirits by publicly shaming her, she did not let the Scarlet Letter she wore take away her self worth, even though she was ostracized by society she held her head high and remained a strong single
