Scarlet Letter - Could the book be seen as embodying some of the aspects it attributes to the nation in which it was written? How does Hawthorne portray the general feeling of the people of that time?

The Scarlet Letter speaks to the values, religion, and customs of the Puritan world in which Hawthorne was raised. The Scarlet Letter is set in the 1600s and not yet a nation. The Massachusetts Bay Colony was largely comprised of Puritan immigrants, thus, the majority of the people were very religious. There was also a great deal of superstition and fear of the unknown. As a result, I would say this particular novel reflects the attributes and beliefs of the Puritans.... not a nation.