We Are Punished By Our Sins In Scarlet Letter

In the novel The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hawthorne shows in detail how sin effects the main characters throughout the novel. As Donnelly stated, “We are punished by our sins.” Hawthorne shows how sin effects the characters and how they are punished individually. Hester, the novel’s protagonist, was punished physically by her sin while Dimmesdale, the hypocritical pastor, suffered from self- loathing and guilt. On the other hand, Chillingworth’s sin was the evil of seeking vengeance. Jennifer Donnelly’s quote puts the novel’s theme into prospective of how the characters were punished for their