6. Scarlet Letters

The titular object in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, a scarlet letter was used to visually identify – and humiliate – individuals who violated Puritan norms and laws. Bold, punitive, and a permanent identifier, the red “A” worn by Hester Prynne labels the woman an adulteress for life.

Scarlet letters were used by Puritans in colonial New England during the 17th century, and adultery wasn’t the only offense addressed by Puritans. Drunkards had to wear a “D,” while thieves, paupers, and blasphemers were labeled with their respective initials, as well.

According to records of the New Plymouth colony, punishments for adulterers included whipping and wearing cloth letters “[sewn] on their uppermost garments on their arm or back.” Failure to wear those letters resulted in additional whippings.

It should be noted that there was no distinct provision for these letters to be red in the law, but courts were known to make that distinction.