The Scarlet Letter, Chapters 1 and 2

Hawthorne chose to start Chapter I at a prison door because he wanted to start the story in the middle of action instead of  setting the scene and introducing the first of many symbols like all the other stories. Hester’s punishment and the crowd’s reaction tell me that Puritan values are extremely strict and very harsh with adultery. Hawthorne’s depiction of Hester conflict with these values and the setting because Hester herself commits adultery which brings about a dark mood and setting.