Historical Context

Published in 1850, the story of the scarlet letter was one that spanned two hundred years. The story is told to the reader from the perspecive of an anonymous customs surveyor in the 19th century. This customs surveyor came across the story by finding a manuscript that a previous customs surveryor, Jonathon Pue, had written. The reader is told that the actual events, however, had occurred in the 1600’s, a century earlier than Pue had written the manuscript.
Although the early Puritan settlers, which the book is focused on, came to America to escape religious persecution, they were somewhat discriminatory in nature themselves. They believed religion should play a large part in their government, as seen by Hester’s imprisonment because of her adultry. Puritans valued education, prayer, and reading the Bible. These people were called Puritans because they wished to purify the Church of England.