Final answer:
False, according to 'The Scarlet Letter,' Hester Prynne is not innocent of adultery in the eyes of the Puritan society despite believing her husband was dead, as she had a child out of wedlock and her husband was not confirmed dead.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that Hester is totally innocent of the crime of adultery because she was certain that her husband was dead is false according to Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter. In the context of the novel, Hester Prynne is depicted as guilty of adultery by the Puritan society because she has a child out of wedlock while her husband is presumed lost at sea but is not confirmed dead. Her lover, Arthur Dimmesdale, is the town minister, adding to the gravity of her sin in the eyes of her community. Although Hester believed her husband to be dead, the Puritanical law does not excuse her actions as she was not free to remarry or engage in relationships outside of her marriage.