How does the scarlet letter (such as is seen in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter) represent Puritanism?It is a broad question ..please answer it...

In Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, he
draws the reader's attention to the society of the Puritans, which was a combination of
church and state. The Puritans had left England to avoid persecution by those who were
intolerant of their strict beliefs and lifestyle. Ironically, when they arrived in the
colonies, they went about doing exactly the same thing: showing intolerance for
others.

In understanding the power of the scarlet "A," we
must have an "appreciation" for Puritanism in general. Hawthorne is said to have been
greatly influenced by the fact that his grandfather had been a part of the Salem Witch
Trials in Massachusetts. Hawthorne looked very carefully into the heart of
Puritanism.

In a historical
context...

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[The Puritans] sought to establish an ideal
community in America that could act as a model...for what they saw as a corrupt civil
and religious order in England...Directed toward the realization of such an ideal, the
Puritans required a strict moral
regulation...

In light of the
worldview of the Puritans, it is safe to say that there was no room for imperfection
within their ranks. People were punished if they fell asleep during worship, failed to
attend worship, or failed to act in a sober manner in church. One fine for failing to do
so was paid with tobacco, which was "the currency of the colony." The theocracy present
among the Puritans is seen as ministers were required to remind their congregation of
the laws that bound them simply with regard to church
attendance:

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...parishioners were reminded that failure to
attend church twice each day was punishable...first...by the loss of a day's food. A
second [time]...by a whipping and a third by six months of rowing in the colony's
galleys.

Proper behavior was
expected of adults and children. The Puritans were extremely harsh, their laws
particularly rigid and inflexible. A sea captain who returned home on a Sunday, after
being away for three years, kissed his wife in public and was
sentenced to "several hours of public humiliation in the
stocks."

A thief might been branded or hanged, even if
stealing food. Petty crimes dealing with lesser offenses (public drunkenness, etc.)
might well land one in the stocks or pillory. Punishments were generally delivered in
public—humiliation an additional source of suffering for the
"criminal."

The basis of the law was found in the presence
of sin. And Puritans believed that sin was everywhere. So were
those who watched each other for any indication of wrongdoing. (This, of course, was the
mindset in the advent of the witch trials in Salem.)

Sex
was an area of concern. Bestiality resulted in hanging (while the animals were also
"executed"). Adultery was also a criminal offense. One young married woman convicted of
adultery was sentenced to hang, as was one of the men who confessed
having been with her. Hester Prynne was not hanged because she was pregnant, but was
forced to wear her shame publicly each day in the form of a scarlet "A" on the bodice of
her gown.

So the scarlet "A" is not synonymous of
Puritanism per se, but its lack of tolerance and humanity, its penchant for exposing a
person's sin for all to see, and a lack of understanding with regard to the New
Testament's message of forgiveness. The scarlet "A" brings to mind the harsh treatment
by Puritans for those within their own community, and reminds us of a group of people
who found satisfaction in punishing each other. Their religion eventually
disappeared.