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The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is an exceptional novel revealing sin, forgiveness, and deception. Throughout the book, many types of sin are shown through three main characters: Hester Prynne, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingsworth. Hawthorn gives each one very different consequences and a remedy for each ones action. Hester is publicly punished right away, Dimmesdale has to dwell on his sin for years, and Chillingsworth is punished abruptly when his sin comes to an end. Each punishment is different and holds it’s own lesson.
Against her will, Hester wed a man she did not love, and after a lengthy separation, she became attracted to another man. Falling into a deep passion, Hester then became pregnant with Reverend Dimmesdale’s baby, obviously revealing her sin. She is sent to the scaffold to be mocked by all and is forced to reveal the father of her child. Refusing, a scarlet letter, “A” was sewn upon her chest. The Scarlet Letter on her bosom does the exact opposite of that which it was meant for. It should be a symbol of shame in Puritan New England, but it becomes redemptive for Hester. Eventually, Hester upsets all the odds against here due to her courage, pride and effort. Hester goes beyond the letter of the law and does everything asked of her in order to prove that she is worthy. Hester, though more appreciated by the Puritans, still was not respected and her life was never the same. This eventually caused so much mental and physical anguish that she eventually questioned why she should live if it weren't for her daughter, Pearl. Pearl was a bundle of light amongst the darkness, sent from God to remind her of her wrong doing each and every moment and as a walking sermon to preach against sin for others. The symbolic Pearl helped Hester overcome her guilt. Hester becomes a highly respected person in a Puritan society by overcoming one of the harshest punishments, the scarlet letter. Hester endures her...