Literature, as a whole, would be much more appealing if authors let their readers make their own decisions about the events or characters in the story. The ambiguousness of The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne leaves many of the actions, events, and issues involving the characters up to the reader's own assumption. One of the issues posed by Hawthorne during the story is that of responsibility. ... Hawthorne's story begins in seventeenth-century Boston, then a Puritan settlement. ... Hawthorne creates the last scene in the town during the gathering for Election Day. ...

• Word Count: 1146
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate