Physical and Historical Settings in The Scarlet Letter In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, the story is set in New England during the colonial period, primarily in the mid-seventeenth century. As the plot of the novel progresses, the importance of the setting increases further when the protagonist, Hester Prynne, is isolated in a strict Puritan society. To further clarify Hester's situation, Hawthorne uses two types of settings, the physical and the historical. Throughout the novel, Hawthorne uses settings to expose the rigidity of the Puritan society of the time period and how its stubborn and judgmental nature impacted the people within the society. The historical setting is very significant in the novel as it is intertwined with the audience's beliefs. and values, which shape the general themes of the novel and the traits of the main characters. The main setting of the novel takes place in New England during the mid-seventeenth century, and the setting is the essential factor that develops the fundamental conflicts between Hester, Dimmesdale, and Puritan society; in fact, the historical setting itself and the society within it is what Hawthorne intends to reveal to the reader. In the 17th century, New England was organized predominantly around religious authorities, and, indeed, much of the population had immigrated to the New England colony for religious purposes. Therefore, the severe and religiously focused historical setting is well demonstrated by Hester's citizens when Hester commits adultery. The ecclesiastical authority and citizens demand that Hester wear the large embroidered scarlet letter "A", which symbolizes adultery. This act is in line with the historical...... middle of paper ...... the village represents the severity of the Puritan society, while the forest symbolizes the wild nature of the human heart. The wild nature of the human heart is revealed once removed from the rigid Puritan society. Overall, the edge of the forest is the border between civilization and the repression of truth and human emotions. The setting of the story is the impetus in The Scarlet Letter because New England during the mid-17th century had unique customs and values ​​that stimulated conflict and transformation in the characters. . Throughout the novel, Hawthorne accentuates certain New England settings to portray the harshness and hardship of the city, while contrasting the forest and isolated cottage settings. Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter portrays a strict and rigid Puritan town using both the physical and historical settings of the time period.