One of the central questions Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864)
endeavors to address in his major novels is how social reform can be informed by
historical consciousness. In view of this consistent subject in Hawthorne’s works,
this essay attempts to explore the inextricable relationship between Hawthorne’s
reformist impulse and his strong awareness of the past in his major novel The
Scarlet Letter By focusing on both the necessity of reform and the exigency of the
historical sense in Hawthorne’s works this essay argues that the significance of his
contribution to American literature is better understood if special emphasis is placed
on how his political and historical concerns interact in his major novel. In The
Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne’s return signifies a transformation from social rebel to
conformist which is designed to illustrate a revised and democratic relationship
between self and community although it fails to lead to full reconciliation between
the two I argue that the dialectical connection between Hawthorne’s reformist
impulses and historical consciousness resolves the acute conflicts between self and
society in this novel.

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