The Scarlet Letter

       The Scarlet Letter was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This book takes place during the romantic era. There are many examples that fit with the American Romantic era. The first example could be found in chapter three. "The penalty therefore is death. But in their great mercy and tenderness of heart, they have doomed Mistress Prynne to stand only at a space of three hours on the platform of pillory, and then and therefore, for the remainder of her natural life, to wear a mark of shame upon her blossom"( Hawthorne 57). This is when the author lets Hester know that she is forever shamed. She is branded and has to wear the letter A on her. This is a great example of puritan times during the American Romantic era. Hester is shunned from society forever, and will live a shameful life.
       The second example is when Hawthorne describes the prison door. "Like all that pertained to crime, it seemed never to have known a youthful era"(Hawthorne 43). This is a great example, because it describes how scary, gloomy, and dark. By doing this, Hawthorne opens the path for rest of the story with a great description. These examples show us the Gothic times during the romantic era.