The Scarlett Letter was written in 1850 and is a work of historical fiction. The setting of the novel is 17th century Puritan times in Massachusetts Bay Colony. The author wrote the story setting to be 1642 to 1649. The author used themes of guilt, legalism, and sin. The major theme is shaming and social stigmatizing. The liaison is never mentioned in the novel; however, there is no doubt what has happened because the baby is proof.
The main character is Hester Prynne. The story starts off where she is being punished in front of the townspeople for being an adulteress. She has to wear the letter “A” on her dress so that the townspeople can shame her. The author of this work is Nathaniel Hawthorne who was an American author. THE SCARLET LETTER is considered his masterwork.