"Upon its publication in 1850, The Scarlet Letter shocked the nation by boldly confronting 'forbidden' topics including the sexual misconduct of society's leaders, the plight of single mothers, and the separation of church and state. Ironically, the novel's moral and social themes, which at the time inspired such scandal, are now the source of its continued vitality since those very issues occupy America's conscience today. Now, no study of American history is complete without thorough examination of Nathaniel Hawthorne's timeless masterpiece. This multidisciplinary study of the novel contains: Original 17th-century documents that illuminate Puritan attitudes and bring the Salem witchcraft trials to life; 19th-century magazine and newspaper articles, private journals, historical reports, and sketches of Hawthorne's time; An examination of the novel's introductory essay, 'The Custom House, ' in which Hawthorne grapples with the role his ancestors played in persequting the Quakers and the Salem witeches, as well as his own internal conflict over his vocation as a fiction writer; Reviews of "The Scarlet Letter" at the time of publication which reflect the controversy ignited by the novel; Current news articles which display the novel's relevance to today's controversial issues. Most of the documents are available in no other printed form. Each section of this casebook contains study questions, topics for research papers and class discussions, and lists of further reading for examining the issues raised by the novel."