The Scarlet Letter is considered as Nathaniel Hawthorne's masterwork. The Critic W.C. Brownell called the Scarlet Letter "the Puritan Faust", in which Hawthorne presents us the puritan society and intends to remind puritans what they professed but had been left behind in the new world——the spirit of piety, humanity and the art of gaiety. Hawthorne is indeed a criticism of the puritan morality rather than a mere observer. In the romance, the heroine Hester struggles to live on her free will yet submits to the society. She is a self-reliant and independent woman who trusts her intellect and inner truth to make judgement. Based on the analysis of the plot, characters, and narrations in the novel, this thesis aims to ascertain Hawthorne's thoughts on Puritanism. It elaborates on Hawthorne's view on Puritanism from four aspects based on the romance and Hawthorne's experience.
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