The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, was published in 1953. However, it is set in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, which was part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, was published in 1850. Its plot takes place in the 1600s in the Massachusetts Bay Colony (in Boston).

Notice that both Nathaniel Hawthorne and Arthur Miller place their stories in historic times and places. However, both had messages that continue to impact our modern world today.

Both stories take place within Puritan New England; the Puritans were a group of people with very high ideals. They preached that humans were innately sinful and imperfect, but they set very high moral standards with many rules for religious and social interaction in their society. They considered themselves a city on the hill, as they read in the Bible, and they wanted to radiate truth and goodness into the world.

While their goals were pure and good, their implementation of strict laws and expectations caused some people to be (or feel) ostracized from the Puritan community when their imperfections and mistakes were exposed to the community. Rather than showing grace and mercy, the Puritans were known for their harsh justice and judgment for wrongdoing.

The strict rules and standards led the community to continually watch for the errors of others. Because the Puritans were so focused on purifying and cleansing their society, they saw every bit of the world outside of their colony (including the woods and other settlements) as impure and antagonistic to them. They viewed themselves as a people sent by God, and they believed they had a great enemy, Satan, that was waging war against them.

Several of the main characters in both The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter break the moral standards of their society and are caught in their crimes. For instance, in The Crucible, a married farmer named John Proctor has an affair with a teenaged girl named Abigail Williams, who once worked in his house as a household servant. His wife is the only one, at least at the start of the story, who knows of the affair. The three individuals (Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctor, and Abigail Williams) all initially keep the affair a secret. After all, if the society found out about it, great consequences and judgment could happen. Through this, we see the theme of reputation that occurs throughout the story; John Proctor is greatly ashamed of his affair, but rather than immediately confessing, he internalizes his sin to protect his reputation (as well as his family's reputation and Abigail's reputation).

Similarly, The Scarlet Letter also focuses on an affair. It tells the story of Hester Prynne, a young married woman who is sent to America ahead of her husband. She is left alone in a new land for many months, and she ends up pregnant. Hester cannot hide the signs of her act: her pregnancy shows everyone that she is an adulterer. The father, however, is not immediately known. Hester refuses to give his name. Soon after, readers discover that the well-known and respected town preacher, Reverend Dimmesdale, is the father. Dimmesdale, though suffering from horrendous guilt, keeps his secret so that he can continue to serve his community as their minister. (It is unlikely that he would be allowed to maintain his position if the town knew what he had done.) Once more, we see the theme of reputation; Dimmesdale tries to maintain his reputation, though he feels little respect for himself because of his affair.

Both The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter focus on extramarital affairs. Both John Proctor and Reverend Dimmesdale initially keep their affairs secret. Both characters initially seek to preserve their reputations because they want to protect their own interests and because they believe it is in the best interest of others. Because of this, both characters are left feeling alone and ashamed when compared to others in their communities.