Who Is the Worst Sinnner?

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Which Character is the Worst Sinner? In most biblical context, sin is defined as any act that violates divine law, which is any law that comes directly from the will of God. Sins of careless living, or venial sin, is any lesser sin that does not result in a complete divorce from God. Most religions believe that venial sins do not result in damnation but only hurt your relationship with God. Although venial sin is a only a small fracture in His eyes, it is very destructive and can lead to someone committing one of the Seven Deadly Sins. The Seven Deadly Sins are categorized into mortal sins which condemn the sinner to Hell after death if unforgiven. Simply, the seven sins are wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. In the novel, The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, five out of the seven sins are present. Although, one could argue that all are present our main characters focus on wrath, pride, lust, sloth, and envy. In retrospect, all of the main characters are atrocious sinners, but one of them continues to let their sin consume them. “But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out” (The Bible, Numbers 32:23 KJV). Adultery is a sin that considered to be immoral by most religions. Puritans believed in the sanctity of marriage, to them adultery was an act punishable by death and some were executed for this sin. In Hesters case, she was forced to live through public humiliation for the rest of her existence. Hester had two embodiments of her sin that did not make it easy to feel guilt free. One of them is Pearl, her child with Dimmesdale. Like any mother, Hester loves Pearl unconditionally, but she is also her greatest sadness. Her child r... ... middle of paper ... ... 179). This shows Dimmesdale’s true colors, he continuously complains about how bad his life is, whilst Hester has been an outcast with their daughter for the past 7 years. Hester has to show her sin to the world while Dimmesdale can hide away and condemn himself to misery. Dimmesdale, Chillingworth and Hester all committed miserable sins, but there is one who stands out from the rest. Dimmesdale is the worst sinner. Unlike Hester, he does not grow from his sin. He does not learn his lesson and use the faults of his past to become a better person. And contrary to Chillingworth, he does not come forth with his sins. He continues to lie and become a grief stricken pastor with a fear of repentance. Dimmesdale is similar to people in modern day society, they are in fear of being resented so they keep their faults a secret. In the end, this only hurts the sinner more.

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