Puritanism and the portrayal of women in The Scarlet Letter

Abstract

This paper focuses on the changing roles of women in the US society, especially in the Puritan colonies of the 16th century New England, where The Scarlet Letter is set. The theoretical part deals with Puritanism and their beliefs, the roles of women in the Puritanical society that are contrasted with women in Southern and mid-Atlantic colonies; it also briefly mentions the history of the author, Nathaniel Hawthorne and his ancestors, that certainly had an impact on the novel. The second part of the paper analyzes major women characters in The Scarlet Letter and describes them on the background of Puritanical society.