and decay.

Though it's several centuries since the events of the story took place, it would appear that Salem is still stuck in the past, unable to adapt itself to the present day. To a large extent, this is because of the Puritan attitude that hangs over the town like a permanent thundercloud, enshrouding everyone and everything in a funereal pall of gloom.

The very visible signs of decay that disfigure the Custom House and its surroundings nearly symbolize the lack of cultural and intellectual progress in this part of the world. The world has moved on, but Salem hasn't. Although young women may no longer be publicly humiliated and paraded before the town for the sin of committing adultery, the spirit of Puritanism still lives on in the beams of the rotting wharf and the half-finished Custom House.

Customs are taxes paid on imported goods, and Salem, in its capacity as a port, deals with traders from all over the world. Yet because the governing Puritan ideology remains firmly stuck in the past, Salem is a port in seemingly terminal decline, a place that's seen better days.

Nathaniel Hawthorne's great-great-grandfather John Hathorne was a judge who condemned people to die during the 1692 witch trials.  Nathaniel Hawthorne was understandably ashamed of his ancestor and critical of Puritanism and its rigidity, dogmatism, and predilection for persecution of non-Puritans.  His criticism is evident in the characterization in The Scarlet Letter.

Hester's involvement in the Puritan religion appears to be forced because of her arranged marriage to Roger Prynne.  Since her parents were not Puritans, it does not seem likely, given her temperament and capacity for independent thought, that she would have chosen it. She did, however, fall in love with a Puritan man named Arthur Dimmesdale.  

Hester is the heroine of the novel, a protofeminist who is as forgiving as those around her are unforgiving.  Hawthorne portrays her as willing to help people who revile her and loyal enough to stay near Dimmesdale, despite his cowardice in not claiming Pearl as his daughter. She also agrees to keep Chillingworth's secret despite its cost to her.  Virtually none of the Puritans in the novel are portrayed sympathetically.  The populace mistreat and marginalize Hester and threaten to take her child away.  Her lover shuns her until the day he dies.  Her husband psychologically tortures her.  All of the mistreatment that she experiences is perpetrated by this sect of Christians, while the heroine, who does not readily choose their religion, does nothing to mistreat others in return.  

Analyzed through this characterization, it is evident that Hawthorne had a negative view of Puritanism.

Hawthorne describes the Puritans as stern and pitiless. They were a people "amongst whom religion and law were almost identical," and this made them intolerant of any transgression. He describes the "dismal severity" of their laws and emphasizes the cruelty with which they treat Hester. Of course, this cruelty is not just legal, it also dominates all of the interactions between Hester and the townspeople. Many Puritan women, "iron-visage[d]" in appearance, are portrayed as gossips and scolds who judge Hester harshly for her actions. Their intolerance is so severe, and the consequences of violating their moral code so serious, that Hester refuses to reveal the identity of Pearl's father, Dimmesdale. The fact that the severity of Puritan moral codes were not simply external is revealed in the immense torment suffered by Dimmesdale himself, who is eventually consumed by his guilt. He feels guilt not just because he subjected Hester to such torment, but also because he has violated the community norms and the religious strictures he is supposed to be helping enforce. The harshness of Puritan moral codes is contrasted with both the decency and goodness of Hester herself and Pearl, a beautiful and vivacious young child. The unwillingness of Puritan society to forgive, if not accept, Hester results in years of torment and, ultimately, tragedy. In the book, we are invited to sympathize with the sinner, whose sin is unforgivable by man, if not by God.

In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne presents the Puritan belief system as oppressive and based in fear. More specifically, Hawthorne is significantly critical of the intolerance inherent in Puritan beliefs and the ways in which Puritans treated those around them unfairly. For example, Hester is ostracized from her community due to Puritan standards of sexual purity, which she violated by having a daughter without being married. Hawthorne also highlights the hypocrisy inherent in such beliefs since Hester is punished for her actions, while Dimmesdale, the father of her child, escapes relatively unscathed except by his own guilt. In this sense, the Puritans in The Scarlet Letter are shown to treat men more favorably than women.

While Hawthorne is critical of Puritanism and the practical impact it had on society, he takes a more nuanced approach to the Puritans themselves. After all, Hester is also a Puritan and she is shown to be kind, generous and longsuffering. As she grows older and matures as a woman and as a mother, she becomes an unlikely source of comfort and guidance to the other villagers. Even though she is ostracized for her past, she lives out the Puritan virtues of patience and kindness, demonstrating that there are good and bad aspects to most things and people. Hawthorne also uses Hester's sin and her community's harsh treatment of her because of it to suggest higher Christian ideals, if only through their absence.

I agree that Hawthorne seems a bit embarrassed or perhaps even a little guilty by association when regarding his Puritan ancestors.  He is directly linked with the judge who condemned the witches in Salem, so his writing of The Scarlet Letter is generally considered a sort of peace offering or way of dealing with these strong emotions.  He wrote several such pieces, including, but not limited to, the short stories "The Minister's Black Veil," "Twice-told Tales," and "Young Goodman Brown" which deal with guilt, religion, and the ramifications of behaving badly in society.

Check out the link below to find how the influence of Puritanism effected his life and his works.

It is generally believed that Hawthorne was somewhat embarrassed by his Puritan ancestors. His ancestor, Judge Hathorne had been a judge in the Salem witchcraft trials. Hawthorne changed the spelling in his name, adding the "w" so the link with Hathorne would not be as clear. In addition, in the first chapter of "The Scarlet Letter" he uses grim imagery to describe the Puritans and their society. He also points out that this so-called utopian society was forced to build a prison in the earliest part of their history. A utopian society would not need a prison, as all people would be law abiding, good citizens. In the second chapter of the novel, he shows the judgmental, and unforgiving attitude the citizens have about sin. They have forced Hester Prynne to wear a scarlet letter "A" for adultery for the rest of her life. Ironically, they cannot see the hypocrisy in their own society and do not even suspect that the minister of the town would be the father of Hester's baby. Other short stories by Hawthorne like "The Minister's Black Veil" and "Young Goodman Brown" also examine this hypocrisy and veil of secret sin that is overlooked in this society supposedly "set on a hill" as an example of virtue and goodness.

As Hawthorne begins The Scarlet Letter, he tells his audience that new civilizations require two things from the onset, a cemetary and a prision.  This suggests to his audience that he believes the Puritan ancestors to be harsh and unforgiving people.  As the opening chapter continues by describing the prision's door, it describes it as an ancient relic in the new world.  If everything in Boston was built at the same time, yet this door appeared old and overused, it must be because the Puritans are quick to judge and even quicker to punish their neighbors transgressors.

As the town gossips discuss the young mother's punishment, the audience sees Hawthorne again describing the judgemental people. The women suggest that she should have the A branded on her forehead, or that she should be put to death.  No sympathy rests in their hearts for Hester.

At the same time, the story investigates that all the Puritans may not be equally pure of heart.  Governor Bellingham house the most expenisve decorations in his shiny house.  What about the Minister Dimmesdale and the sins held close to his heart?  Hawthorne looks at the people who wre willing to judge and questions if they are as innocent on the inside as the present themselves to be.