“But a lie is never good, even though death threatens on the other side” (The Scarlet Letter). Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, is a story that illustrates intricate pieces of the Puritan lifestyle. Lying of course was considered a tremendous sin in the eyes of the Puritans. Centered first on a sin committed by Hester Prynne and her secret lover before the story ever begins the novel details how sin affects the lives of the people involved. For Hester, the sin forces her into isolation from society and even from herself. Of the three main characters affected, Hester has the easiest time because her sin is out in the open. Arthur Dimmesdale has the hardest time dealing with it because his sin is hidden to the outside world. Roger Chillingworth is the most affected by the sin, though he was not around when the sin took place. These characters, Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth have all committed a sin, but the way it affects their lives is very different. Hester was left alone by her husband, Chillingworth, for more then two years. She unwisely committed adultery with Dimmesdale and gave birth to a baby girl named Pearl. She confesses her sin in front of everyone and wears the scarlet letter as her punishment. Pearl and the scarlet letter are both daily reminders of her sin, and keep her from falling in to the devil’s hands again. She uses her sin to grow stronger and become a better person. She tells the magistrates, “This badge has taught me- it daily teaches me…”(Hawthorne 102). With her sin being out in the open, it changes her for the better because she acknowledges her mistake, she learns from it, and she can move on. Many people from her town go to her for advice, and to talk of their problems with her. “Such helpfulness was found in her- so much power to do and power to sympathize- that many people refused to interpret the scarlet ‘A’ by it...
