THE SCARLET LETTER Nathaniel Hawthorne uses setting, plot, and the characters to develop the theme of Sin, Isolation, and Reunion in his novel, The Scarlet Letter. In this novel Hawthorne uses the scaffold along with other place to in the setting to develop this theme. He develops the plot by making one character torment or act as the conscience of another to develop the climax and the resolution. The characters help develop this theme by tormenting other the characters and never letting them forget about the sin they committed which then drives them further into isolation. Hawthorne uses a mixture of setting, plot and characters develop this wonderfully