Although Nathanial Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter in the middle of the nineteenth century, he wrote it using a style and subject matter that accurately reflected the ideals and way of life of early colonists in Puritan-influenced New England. While some of the concepts included in the story may be difficult to understand when looking at them from a modern point of view, when these things are placed in their historical context, they become much easier to understand. For example, the idea that Hester could not just run off with Reverend Dimmesdale seems somewhat crazy to the modern world because she hadn’t seen her husband since she left England and didn’t want to marry him to begin with. Today’s world would not have a problem with a woman who left her husband under less onerous circumstances. However, the Puritan society in which Hester was supposed to have lived would have considered this a damnable offense and would necessarily ostracize Hester from all polite society for the rest of her life, regardless of what else she did. To understand this context, then, it is necessary to look at the religious, social, and environmental factors that restricted Hester in the 1600s. Puritanism dictated just about everything involved in colonial life in 1600s New England, even including how people talked with each other, how they dressed, and what kind of relationships they had. “In addition to believing in the absolute sovereignty of God, the total depravity of man, and the complete dependence of human beings on divine grace for salvation, they stressed the importance of personal religious experience” (Bowden, 2004). Because of this connection to personal religious experience, Hester knew she would not be able to run away from her marriage vows to marry another even if she did stretch them in her relationship to Reverend Dimmesdale. As a Puritan herself, she had to remain in the village as a married woman as was agreed upon in her marriage to Dr. Prynne, aka Roger Chillingworth, until she had confirmation that he was deceased. Anything less would have violated her own road to salvation even though she had not married him voluntarily. While it is often easy to attribute Hester’s difficulties to her society alone, it must be remembered that Hester herself was a believer in the Puritan religion. Once Hester’s secret was out, it was obvious to the entire village that Hester was not provided with the same degree of faith as the rest of the villagers and was therefore a greater sinner. To win her place in heaven, it was necessary for her to suffer the lowest status on earth to do penance for her past deeds. Although Hester hates her scarlet letter, she wears it both because she is convinced she has committed the worst sin, but also because the society in which she lives will never allow her to forget that she is the worst sinner of them all. This is the reason Hester returns to her old home in the end, taking up her stigma and the scarlet letter until her death. The Puritans held a strict social order that took into account each other’s perceived righteousness. Therefore, those who were considered closer to God had a higher social rank in society from those who were consi