Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,3, University of Siegen, course: More Than a Renaissance: Romantic Writers in America, language: English, abstract: The Scarlet Letter is Nathaniel Hawthorne s first novel and was published in 1850. Its subtitle A Romance consciously places the novel apart from everyday life. Set in 17th century Boston it tells a story about sin, guilt and love. As the moral values back then still were in force among Hawthorne s contemporaries, he uses the imaginative and symbolic form of the romance to alleviate the impression of the unusual themes in his novel.
This essay discusses the ambiguity of the letter A that the protagonist Hester Prynne has to wear as a punishment for adultery. The letter assumes a different and ever-changing meaning for the characters of the novel, from accusation and sin to a new beginning and freedom.