The Influence of The Salem Witch Trials on Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter"

Nathaniel Hawthorne was a writer from Massachusetts. He was born and raised in Salem and is best known for his novels “The Scarlet Letters” and the “The House of Seven Gables.” Hawthorne was the great-great grandchild of the judge of the Salem Witch Trials John Hathorne. His life in Salem and the involvement of his family in the Salem Witch Trials had significant influence on his writing. It is apparent that his ancestor’s involvement in the trial haunted him and as such he added the ‘w’ in his name to escape the Hathorne name. It is also prudent to note that Hawthorne was related to several of the witches in the trial – Mary and Philip English as well as John Proctor and Sarah Wilson. Besides, he was also related to the accuser Sarah Phelps. The involvement that the author had with the trial of the witches and his life in Salem inform his style of writing in “The Scarlet Letter.”

            The Salem Witch Trials tends to have brought about a major aspect of guilt in the life of John Hawthorne (Hill 40). The theme of guilt and stigma surrounds the plot of “The Scarlet Letter.” The Salem Witch Trials that marked the historical guilt and shame that the author bore replicated in the guilt and shame that Dimmesdale carried in “The Scarlet Letter.” Dimmesdale is guilty of impregnating Hester and it is that guilt that affects his health to a point of death. Hester, on the other hand, tends to bear the stigma that comes with adultery and this explains the scarlet letter ‘A’ that signifies her adulterous nature. It is this stigma that is experienced by the witches of Salem – stigma that leads them to isolation in a jail and finally death by execution.

            Deborah Madsen (515) asserts that Nathaniel Hawthorne’s ancestry underlined his obsession with sin. With an ancestry that was deeply involved in the persecution of the witches in the 17th century, it is quite apparent that this obsession led to his belief that the town of Salem had a rather grim and gloomy past. In the Salem Witch Trials, it is quite obvious that the main sin of witchcraft, witch hunt, and evil are major backdrops. In “The Scarlet Later” the town is painted as one with a grim system of governance and as society that is as unforgiving as it was during the witch hunt. It is also ostensible that the town of Salem presented an abominable picture to the author with an unforgiving population that was bound to treat sinners with utmost cruelty upon the slightest imagination of wrong-doing. This is the mishap that Hester found herself after getting a child of questionable paternity. The town is painted as one where the inhabitants are full of vengeance. With the persecution of the witches in the backdrop, it is rather apparent that the vengeful perception of the Salem people is also replicated in “The Scarlet Letter” in the character of Chillingworth.

            The influence of the Salem Witch Trial on Hawthorne’s works is definite in his style of writing as well as the main themes in his stories. In particular, the influence of the event on “The Scarlet Letter” is seen at the beginning of the novel where Hawthorne describes the impact of the Salem Witch Trials and the fact that he believes that it placed a curse on his family. This assumption is informed by the fact that despite the wealth that Hawthorne’s ancestors had, the family riches dwindled and Hawthorne asks for the curse to be lifted. In “The Scarlet Letter” the aspect of loyalty to the Puritan officials is still rife and is seen as the source of the grim and the gloom in Salem. This is also an allusion to the grim events of the Salem Witch Trials in which his family was implicated. In conclusion, the author’s obsession with the Salem Witch Trials is informed by his family’s involvement in the event. The implication of the trials and persecutions has a great impact on his writing in “The Scarlet Letter.”

            “The Scarlet Letter” provides a look at Hawthorne’s feelings and guilt towards the injustices he feels was meted towards the witches in the Salem trials. He provides a clear connection and even pens a note seeking forgiveness for the actions of his forefathers.    

Works Cited

Hawthorne, Nathaniel, and Cindy Weinstein. The scarlet letter. Oxford University Press, 2008.

Hill, Frances. A delusion of Satan: The full story of the Salem witch trials. Tantor eBooks, 2014.

Madsen, Deborah L. "Hawthorne's Puritans: From Fact to Fiction."Journal of American        Studies 33.3 (2000): 509-517.