The New England settlements of the 17th century regarded above any other institution of the time their Puritanical doctrines which were based on a strict moral code of five major themes, dealing heavily with sin and redemption. The Puritan perception of sin had an opinion in every aspect of Puritan life. Settlers obeyed this perception manifest in the words of the clergy and the Bible meticulously in hopes that they would be received favorably during the final judgment and be accepted into the gates of Heaven. While Christianity has historically had a sound moral structure, Puritanism took that structure to a degree of Fanaticism that resulted in an emotionally oppressive and destitute lifestyle. This lifestyle lead to the preliminary sinful act of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Adultery, was even considered to be one of the most terrible acts committable, not because of the profound emotional implications on loved ones, but because it was the defilement of a sanctified contract between a man, a woman, and God. …
