Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote the Scarlet letter in 1850, novel based on the secret of sin. The story is about the adulterous Puritan Hester Prynne, who loyally refuses to reveal the name of her partner. Regarded as his masterpiece and as one of the classics of American literature, The Scarlet Letter reveals both Hawthorne's superb craftsmanship and the powerful psychological insight with which he probed guilt and anxiety in the human soul. Sin is a part of everyday life. Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter, revolves around the theme of sin and the effects it has on the mind, body, and soul.

With modern psychological insight Hawthorne probed the secret motivations in human behavior and the guilt and anxiety that he believed resulted from all sins against humanity, especially those of pride. A sin was committed by three of the main characters in the novel.
The main character of The Scarlet Letter is Hester Prynne. She is stuck in a trap of forbidden love and lust in which she suffers more than the other, a man, Arthur Dimmesdale. Hester becomes pregnant which gives away her secret affair; however, the people do not know who the father is, Dimmesdale. Since they don’t know this, and because Dimmesdale is to spineless and puny to admit that he’s the father and take the heat along with Hester, Hester is the person that is most punished.

Hester is the mother of Pearl, and is the woman who must wear the scarlet letter. She is the wife of Roger Chillingworth, but Arthur Dimmesdale is Pearl's father. Hester suffers the public humiliation of having to wear the letter "A" on her chest. She lives in Boston until her death.
The sin of adultery was confessed by one of the two-Hester, but Arthur Dimmesdale decided to keep it a secret, which in time tore him apart. Chillingworth, Hester's husband, the third sinner in this novel, decided to seek revenge on whoever the father to Pearl was.

Hawthorne tries to point out that sin, no matter how trivial or how substantial, is still sin. The characterization is based on moral values; it wasn't written for the intention of showing that you should marry someone you love, but it was written to show that hidden lies only grow and fester inside of you.

Hawthorne, throughout the novel, explains how un- confessed sin could eat away at the conscience and destroy the soul. Hester, who had confessed her sin of adultery, wore the scarlet. But in the end, as a result of Hester's confession, the sin does not destroy her, but instead it had made her stronger and braver and she flourished.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s concept of the consequences of sin-as either punishment due to lack of humility and overwhelming pride, or regeneration by love and atonement-he deviated radically from the idea of predestination held by his fore bearers. In a juxtaposition of images, Pearl threw flowers, the symbol of love, at her mother’s scarlet letter, the symbol of shame and unspoken torture to Hester. Hester is dismayed at her daughter’s flighty displays of cruelty and wonders if her child is an elf, a demon, or an evil spirit. Although Hester loves Pearl very much, Pearl is a curse, the living personification of the scarlet letter, and just as much of a torture as the symbol upon her breast. It seems, perversely, that as much as Hester is afraid of Pearl’s imagination and temper, she seems to encourage it and permit it as well. She does not control her child, except to make vain attempts to silence her and allows her to play games of imagination that smack of witchcraft by the town’s standards. In some ways, Hester behaves like a child, without any respect for conventional rules; however, Hester knows the full implications of what she is doing. Although she does set herself apart from society, she does not have the innocence that allows her to do or say anything without a good excuse.
Hester Prynne is the main symbol of sin in the puritan society. The “A”, for adulteress, to represent her wrongdoing to the townspeople, marks her. Before Hester is even able to defend herself to these people, the women of the town are talking about what a bad person she is.

Hester is not totally punished however; she’s blessed with a beautiful girl, or perhaps, Pearl is an even greater symbol of sin: she is the physical reminder of Hester’s sin. Not only is Hester cursed with a devil child, but she’s also the object of scorn and ridicule among the town’s people. She can’t go anywhere without the people shrinking away from her trying not to be so close to the evil Hester. Also, the town magistrates use Hester as an example in their sermons when they talk about sin. Making it impossible for Hester to go to church, so she’s totally alone, no husband, no friends, no lover, and no god In the book, Hester and Dimmesdale believe that Chillingworth has the greater sin for deceiving Hester to marry him and then misleading the town of his background. Prynne rhymes with sin showing her role in the book.

Hester suffers throughout the whole story alone. At the end Dimmesdale finally admits, but then he dies. Even after he dies people still don’t believe that he did it. Some believe that he just felt sorry for Hester, and since he knew that he was going to die, he decided he would try to help her, others felt that he was poisoned, and others felt that perhaps it was true. Never in the story did Hester have anyone there that could help her suffer. She was always single-handed, having to be brave for herself, her child, and her weak, selfish, corrupted lover. Hester’s character bears all the injustices inflicted upon her by the society and she had to go through all of that by herself. The punishments although seemingly inhumane, caused positive outcomes for all three characters Hester Prynne, Pearl Prynne, and Arthur Dimmesdale.

Hester Prynne is accused of adultery in a Massachusetts puritan colony in the 1600’s. Although Hawthorne argues that Hester Prynne was hardened both socially and physically by puritan punishment, the outcome makes her more independent and stronger as a person. She begins to aid the less fortunate, sick, and poor in her community.

So strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman's strength. The community begins to accept her as a humanitarian, and realize that she is actually a very giving and strong willed person. Hester begins to think more independently, questioning the puritan social structure. It is remarkable that persons who speculate the most boldly often conform with the most perfect quietude to the external regulations of society.
From her Sin, Hester became aware of the inequalities within Puritan society, and sought to make change, hoping that women would one day see the equality she was never been able to experience. Without her sin, she would have never contemplated such an independent, positive, and radical idea that offers such a beneficial outcome for women in her imbalanced community.

Her character proved that women are definitely the stronger sex.