Nathaniel Hawthorne exploits the life of Puritanism in his guilty pleasure The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne gives the reader insight into life and human nature. The Scarlet Letter reveals the ordeal and misdeeds of Hester Prynne, a woman living in colonial Boston who was convicted of adultery. Hester's punishment then was to wear a visible sign of her sin, the scarlet letter "A". As the novel progresses, the reader learns about Arthur Dimmesdale, the minister with whom Hester had an affair; and Roger Chillingworth, Hester's ex-husband who wants revenge. The Scarlet Letter examines the relationships of the main characters and the consequences of those characters for Hester's sin. Hester's sin of adultery interacts with themes of alienation from society, revenge, creativity, and the consequences of violating the moral code. The underlying sin that Hawthorn explores throughout The Scarlet Letter is hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is easily defined as lying between a person's stated beliefs and feelings and their actual beliefs and feelings, or as applying criticism to others that one does not apply to oneself- even. Hester, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, and Puritan society were deep in their sin of hypocrisy. Hawthorne reveals through the pages of The Scarlet Letter that hypocrisy is indeed a sin by punishing violators. Hester Prynne is a strong, independent, and stubborn person who indulges in hypocrisy throughout The Scarlet Letter. Hester Prynne accepts the consequences of her action and wears her scarlet letter with pride and envy from the members of her society. However, there is a psychological block in Hester's mind that she has indeed not committed a sin. In the prison, defending his actions against the commission...... middle of paper ... several bodies in The Scarlet Letter. Although Hester, Chillingworth, Dimmesdale, and the Puritan Society are filled with hypocrisy, it not only impacts the lives of these people, but also innocent people. Pearl, the daughter of Hester and Dimmesdale, was affected by her parents' hypocrisy. She was considered an outcast, like her mother. Pearl's interpretations of her mother's sin taught how different individuals deal with their sin and guilt. Pearl became Hawthorne's voice for always being true to yourself and valuing appearances. Works Cited « Hypocrisy | Define hypocrisy at Dictionary.com.” Dictionary.com | Free online dictionary for English definitions. Internet. March 31, 2011. .http://content.loudlit.org/audio/ScarletLetter/pages/17_04_ScarletLetter.htmhttp://www.online-literature.com/hawthorne/scarletletter/3/