The Scarlet Letter: Themes of Sin, Alienation, and Love The Puritans, a religious group in New England in the early 1600s, played the Bible from a fundamentalist perspective and strove to achieve a sinless society. Of course, people are human and sins are inevitable, so the Puritans sinned and their perfect society was never achieved. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne develops the themes of sin, alienation, and love to provide valuable insights into the traditional beliefs of the Puritans and provide valuable and timeless moral insights. Hester Prynne goes against Puritan ways and commits the sinful act of adultery. The townspeople often speak of Hester among themselves in the market place: "This woman has brought us shame," for her sin brings them much pain (99). For this irrevocably grave sin the city magistrates condemn Hester to wear the scarlet letter "A" as a constant reminder of her sin, and for all to recognize her as an adulteress. Pearl is the embodiment of her mother's sin. Pearl, her mother's only joy and at the same time a constant reminder of her sin, refers to Hester's shameful badge. Pearl was not conceived because of sin, but rather raised amidst challenging associations. As a direct result of Hester's sinful passions, she conceives a daughter, Pearl. Not an evil child in the true sense of the word, but in all reality Pearl is a reflection of her parents' love and immorality. Furthermore, Dimmesdale does not have the courage to confess his sin because he cares more about his social reputation as a man of God. It becomes evident that “A little of me... in the middle of the paper... is evident in the novel. Still relevant in today's society, Hawthorne explores many ideas in The Scarlet Letter that frequently recur in other literary works. This novel, set in the time of the Puritans, reveals much about their regulations, concepts, and tolerance of immoral and illegal acts. Puritans have strict rules against theater, religious music, sensual poetry, frivolous dress, and many other things in which the characters in this novel partake. The Scarlet Letter, a romance set 200 years before Hawthorne's time, is a historical novel about Puritan Boston. . The Scarlet Letter then becomes a discussion of historical events in which people break the rules of society and the results of these events. Seeing it in this light, the novel describes Hester, a woman who has let her heart rule over her head and suffers the consequences.