Sin and Guilt in the Scarlet Letter
A sin is defined as something that is disgraceful, unforgivable, or utterly wrong. When a person commits a sin, he experiences tremendous guilt. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, sins are committed, and the sinners suffer from a guilty conscience. Hester Prynne and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale experience shame after committing a sin. Hester Prynne commits a sin and is forced to acknowledge her sin publicly. ... She is forced to suffer public humiliation by standing on a scaffold and being ridiculed and by wearing a scarlet “A” upon her breast for the remainder of her life.