“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy,” (King James Bible Proverbs 28:13). The proverb conveys a message that confession will allow you to obtain salvation. Despite this, millions still refuse to reveal their hidden atrocities to the public. But one does not need public ridicule for a sin to consume them, in fact, confessing offers the better solution. This is the ideology of Nathaniel Hawthorne author of The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne's novel details an elaborate story showing the consequences of concealing a sin in contrast to revealing it. Sin comes with the moral consequence of it weighing down on one's conscience and confession can act as a remedy. Hester and Dimmesdale represent the contrasting ideologies in coping with their sin of adultery and the effects of each method. …show more content…
The town's scrutiny and ridicule directed themselves towards Hester. However, after several years of performing admirable deeds for the community the scarlet letter, and by extension Hester, was met with less hostility. Her positive influence leads to some citizens believing that the scarlet letter “...[now] meant [a]ble…” (Hawthorne 148). Detailing a change in the community's perception of Hester and her scarlet letter and gradually forgiving Hester for her crime. Some people even felt that the scarlet letter should “‘...be taken off [her] bosom,”'(Hawthorne 155) showing that some were willing to leave Hester's previous crime behind and look past it. The townspeople's willingness to eventually forgive Hester displays the message that if one confesses their sins that the people will forgive you