The seventh commandment of the Ten Commandments states “Thou shall not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14). Adultery, according to the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, is "voluntary sexual intercourse between a married man and someone other than his wife or between a married woman and someone other than her husband." Some people may think that adultery is only a 21st century phenomenon, but it also occurred frequently in the 1600s. For example, in The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a novel set in the 17th century tells the story of Hester Prynne who was convicted of adultery with a man named Reverend Dimmesdale. Although adultery seems to be the most important theme of the novel, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses other literary themes and subjects to make his novel The Scarlet Letter, "his most popular work" (Winship). Nathaniel Hawthorne depicts many literary elements throughout the novel to fully develop and detail his thoughts to help the reader better understand the novel. Although adultery is one of the main themes, many other themes such as guilt and blame, identities and suggestive names also appear in the novel. The Scarlet Letter is an example of an allegorical tale in which a lot of symbolism is used. Symbolism and theme are not the only literary elements that recur in the novel. Point of view is also a crucial element. Point of view helps the reader better understand and relate to the story. The tone in which the story is told also helps the reader understand what is happening in the story. Nathaniel Hawthorne explains the characters in great detail, but then instigates an event that contrasts in some way with that particular character. As he does...... middle of paper ......ks Cited • Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary. 11th ed. Springfield, Mass. : Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003. Print. • The New English Bible; New Testament. New York: Oxford University Press, 1961. Print. • Winship, Michael. "Hawthorne and the 'Scribbling Women': Publication of The Scarlet Letter in the 19th Century United States." Studies in American Fiction 29.1 (2001): 3+. OneFile academic. Internet. May 13, 2011.• Hawthorne, Nathaniel and Kathryn Harrison. "Introduction." The scarlet letter. 2000 Modern library pbk. ed. New York: Modern Library, 2000. xi-xvi. Print.• Hawthorne, Nathaniel and WD Howells. "Comment." The scarlet letter. 2000 Modern library pbk. ed. New York: Modern Library, 2000. 261-268. Print.• Bloom, Harold. “Biographical sketch.” Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1996. 11-14. Print.