The Importance Of Sin

What is considered a sin? Sin by definition is “a transgression of divine law, especially a willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle”( dictionary). Everyone sins, and the consequences of sin are different for everyone. The lives of Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingsworth were significantly affected by sin in The Scarlet Letter. Hester suffered from her sin emotionally while both Chillingsworth and Dimmesdale had severe mental and physical changes.

What deems a sin punishable? Is death a decent form of punishment for adultery? What about branding the letter A on the forehead of an adulterer? Seem a bit harsh? It is not surprising that these were suggestions made from the women in Salem (recall the Salem witch trials?).

In contrast to Hester, Roger underwent substantial physical changes as a consequence of his obsession. At first, Roger seemed to handle Hester’s unfaithfulness reasonably and did not want vengeance on either her or Pearl. When Hester refused to name the father of Pearl, Roger changed, and made it his life goal to extract revenge on the man who wronged him. As time went on, Roger’s appearance seemed to reflect his intentions. “ At first, his expression had been calm, meditative, scholar like. Now, there was something ugly and evil in his face, which they had not previously noticed, and which still grew the more obvious to sight, the oftener they looked upon him.” (____) Chillingsworth’s appearance changed so much so that many often referred to him as the black man, including Pearl. Revenge had taken control of Roger’s heart and became his only reason to live. When Roger found out Dimmesdale’s secrete, that Dimmesdale was indeed the man who wronged him, “ had a man seen old Roger Chillingworth, at that moment of his ecstasy, he would have had no need to ask how Satan comports himself, when a precious human soul is lost to heaven, and won into his kingdom”(____).Once Dimmesdale confessed his sin, Roger had no reason to live and his appearance changed once more, he “withered up shriveled away, and almost vanished from mortal sight, like an uprooted weed that lies wilted in the sun” (177). Since Roger’s reason

Dimmesdale was first introduced into The Scarlet Letter as a coward; he did not have the courage to confess his part in the adultery while he watched Hester endure her punishment for it. Dimmesdale suffered greatly from his guilty conscience, which took a large emotional and physical toll on his body. As time went on, DImmesdale became ill and physically weak and soon required the assistance of Dr. Chillingworth. Once Chillingworth discovered Dimmesdale’s secret he purposefully set out to “disorganize and corrupt his spiritual being” (132) as revenge by making emotionally hurtful comments towards Dimmesdale. “It grew to be a widely diffused opinion, that the reverend Dimmesdale was haunted either by Satan himself, or Satan’s emissary, in the guise of old Roger Chillingworth.” (__) In addition to the emotional torture inflicted by Chillingworth, Dimmesdale would also physically injure himself with a scourge (a type of whip) and forcibly complete vigils and fast in order to punish himself. At the end of the novel Dimmesdale finally found peace in confessing on the