In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne creates a division between the truth and a puritanical society tainted with hypocrisy. Such division also existed in Hawthorne's life. Born into a historically Puritan family, Hawthorne developed an obsession with his Salemite ancestors as well as guilt for their role in the witch trials. As Hawthorne matured, he found comfort in the doctrine of the Transcendentalists. However, failure and disillusionment forced Hawthorne to finally accept his true identity, a pervasive theme in The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne and Hester embark on twin journeys together, with Hester's struggles and triumphs echoing Hawthorne's. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayHawthorne feels residual guilt for the judgments of his ancestors and attempts to distance himself from Puritan culture. Although research has shown that the first Hathorne (the original spelling) "arrived in Massachusetts Bay in 1630", the real source of Hawthorne's grief was Judge William Hathorne; the judge “was a member of the Colonial Assembly during the period of persecution” of witches and Quakers in Salem (Stearns). Hawthorne reflects on this family stigma in “The Custom-House.” The narrator of this introduction, who speaks partly if not entirely for Hawthorne himself, remembers his "steeple-crowned ancestor,...a bitter attorney" (Hawthorne 5). Hawthorne clearly feels implicated in his ancestor's crime, as his literary twin laments: "I...take shame upon myself for their sake" (Hawthorne 6). Although "Hester Prynne" did not exist at this point for its creator, its beginnings are remarkably similar to those of Hawthorne; both were called sinners by the Puritans. Tortured by this stigma, Hawthorne strives to distance himself from his Puritan past. Hawthorne's insertion of a "w" into his last name, "Hathorne", could indicate his attempts to redefine himself. Hawthorne continued on this path toward self-discovery while deepening his exploration of the world of transcendentalism. The Scarlet Letter indicates Hawthorne's intellectual growth as it advocates his new transcendental ideals. Sophia Peabody, Hawthorne's wife, first exposed him to the transcendental movement, and subsequent interactions with Ralph Waldo Emerson crystallized Hawthorne's new ideology (www.uwm.edu). Transcendentalists believed in “individual responsibility,” a motif that saturates The Scarlet Letter (www.uwm.edu). Hester embodies this value by not only taking responsibility for her sin, but maturing as a result. In contrast to Dimmesdale's hypocrisy, Hester bears her sin with "a certain state and dignity" (37) that Hawthorne rewards. While Dimmesdale does not consider his responsibility as an individual, “Hester Prynne [has] no selfish end,” and thus “the scarlet letter ceases to be a stigma” (179). Hawthorne views Hester's passion and individualism as a positive trait, and he demonstrates through his prose how these characteristics will prevail over hypocritical morality. However, as Hester struggled to maintain her identity, difficult circumstances caused Hawthorne to waver on his own path to enlightenment. Hawthorne unreservedly subscribed to the transcendental doctrine. Hungry for manifestations of the transcendental ideal rather than theory, Hawthorne joined the utopian community of Brook Farm (Stearns). Brook Farm claimed to be an escape "from the deception of