How Did The Scarlet Letter Change

Nathaniel Hawthorne faced several hardships as a child. When Hawthorne was four years old, his dad had passed away at sea that took a large toll on his family. Mrs. Hawthorne and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s siblings were dependent on their family to help take care of them. (“Nathaniel Hawthorne”) Hawthorne then started to believe that the misfortunes that were happening to his family were payback because of his ancestors. Some of Hawthorne's ancestors were judges in the Salem witch trials. Originally, Hawthorne's last name was spelled Hathorne but later in life, Hawthorne added the ‘w' to his name so he wouldn't be associated with his ancestors. (“Nathaniel Hawthorne”, Discovering Authors.) When Hawthorne was a young boy, he suffered a leg injury which caused him to be immobilized for a prolonged period of time. During that time, Hawthorne suddenly discovered a great love of reading and writing. (“Nathaniel Hawthorne”, …show more content…
There are several themes that are prominent throughout the work but two themes that are very important are the theme of transition and change because you can see how much Hester, Pearl, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth have changed throughout the novel. A symbol that has a tremendous amount of importance in the novel is the letter A. At first, the letter was a sign and a reminder of what Hester had done and she did not like wearing the letter around her at all times. At the end of the story, both Hester and Pearl become fond with the letter because it resembles change and the new people they have become. (“The Scarlet Letter”, Gale Research.) Critics had a lot to say about this novel. Most of the critics express great fondness for the book because of how it has changed writing. Hawthorne's novel shaped writing for future writers after