Effects Of Sin In The Scarlet Letter

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The scarlet Letter Essay September 24 Reactions of Sin What is sin? Sin is the transgression of divine law. The theme, effects of sin, is ways that people, symbols, and events are affected for the sin they did. It can be negative and positive, and can be disastrous but also may come out beneficial. The effects of sin in The Scarlet Letter are the sins that are represented through characters, events, and symbolism. Hester represents the effects of sin throughout the novel by showing the ways it can affect characters. When Hester is at the forest, she takes off the scarlet letter, and she “felt the freedom.” She has to wear the scarlet letter her whole life because of the crime she committed. This causes her to become depressed and sad, but if she did not wear the scarlet letter she would feel free. Also, when Pearl and Hester were at the governor’s hall, the governor thought Hester was not “of authority and influence” and had “stumbled and fallen amid the pitfalls of this world.” The…show more content…
The scaffold is mentioned three times, the beginning, middle, and end. In the beginning, Hester stands on the scaffold for her punishment. She is sinned in a good way because the townspeople think “she ought to die,” but she has to stand on the scaffold for three hours and has to wear the scarlet letter for the rest f her life. The scaffold has a positive effect in the beginning. It is mentioned again when “the three formed an electric chain” on the platform. This time, Hester, Pearl, and Mr. Dimmesdale are all standing together, as one. Even though Hester is punished and no one knows Dimmesdale is the father of Pearl, they still are standing on the scaffold as a family. At the end, the scaffold is where Dimmedsdale dies. He said, “For, Hester, I am a dying man.” He had only a little bit of life left in him for the truth to get out and the effects of it made him die. This also means, that the scaffold is a sinned
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