Nathaniel Hawthorne depicted the Puritan life in a New England town throughout the novel The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne not just presented an observation but also criticism of the Puritan belief system. The novel was set during the 17th century and was historically accurate with the migration of Europeans to what eventually became the town of New England. The puritans came to the United States for religious freedom. They had strict beliefs in regards to society, religion and how the family should be structured. The puritan belief system was very different from the 21st century point of view; The puritans believed that men were the head of household and were entitled to make all major decisions while the women were suppose to take care of the
