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Consequences Of Sin In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthrone

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The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthrone demonstrates the consequences of sin and the effect it brings upon the individual and in the community in Boston 1840s. Throughout the Scarlet Letter, readers are constantly reminded of hypocrisy through characters such as Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth.
Hester Prynne, the main character, was a strong, independent woman who dealt with her sin of adultery very well. Instead of running away from it, she lives with it and accepts her punishment to be publicly shamed in the town. However, while struggling to accept the will of the court, she did not believe that she truly committed a sin. Hester believed that she did not commit adultery because in her mind she wasn’t truly married to Chillingworth. Hester believed that marriage was only valid when there is love, and there was no love between Hester and Chillingworth after they got married.
Arthur Dimmesdale, Hester’s partner in adultery, was another character who went through self suffering for his hypocrisy. Dimmesdale was a minister, one whom the people looked up to for direction and guidance. The people considered him a godly man, the perfect role model to follow. The townspeople thought of him as “a true …show more content…

He is punished by Hawthorne for his hypocrisy. Hawthorne makes Chillingworth deformed, both physically and mentally. Chillingworth has been gnarled with age, but his mental condition is worse. He has turned into a man bent on revenge, with no regard for anything except sating his thirst for revenge. Chillingworth proceeds to lay blame of his own present deformities on Dimmesdale. According to Chillingworth, it is Dimmesdale’s fault that he, Chillingworth, was a “fiend.” Aside from being hypocritical towards his medicine, Chillingworth is hypocritical regarding Hester as

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