... and short-story writer, Salem, Mass., one of the great masters of American fiction. His novels and tales are penetrating explorations of moral and spiritual conflicts. Descended from a prominent Puritan family, Hawthorne was the son of a sea captain who died when Nathaniel was 4 years old. His first novel, Fanshawe (1829), published anonymously, was unsuccessful. His short stories won notice and were ... surrounding provide characters in The Scarlet Letter an escape from the public scrutiny of the market place. This separation from the center of the Puritan settlement provides freedom fr...

• Word Count: 2453
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School