Sin

Sin is a strong theme in The Scarlet Letter. For some reason, the notion of sin has always been a fascination of mine. Maybe because it is sometimes subjective. What one person may view as being sinful, another person may not. This is something that I have seen come up throughout my life. When judgment is being placed on someone for doing something "wrong" is it fair judgement?? Usually not.

I admire Hester and her ability to stand strong in what would be a difficult situation. When looking at all of the other characters and townspeople, I believe Hester is the least sinful. She may appear to be the most sinful because of the fact that she is damned to wear the letter A. Her "sin" is viewable. A stranger can meet Hester and know right away what she has done.

The same cannot be said for Dimmesdale and other characters. His sin is not pinned on his shirt. Dimmesdale can hide what he has done. For that reason alone, I put him in the "more sinful" category. Why? Well, Hester didn't try and hide what happened. In fact, she embraced it as well as anyone could have. Dimmesdale did the opposite. In my opinion, this makes him worse off.

The Scarlet Letter says a lot about the nature of sin. What I have taken away from it may or may not be the same as what other's have taken away. For me, hidden sin is much more dangerous than a visible sin. Hester and Dimmesdale are perfect examples of this. While Hester receives ridicule from those around her, Dimmesdale must suffer on the inside. If he would have demonstrated honesty, he could have changed what happened to Hester. Hester should be a role model to all people. She embraced the A and worked to change what it meant in regards to her sin.

I think we can all learn a little something from Hester Prynne.....