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One of the main themes in The Scarlet Letter is sin and the result of it. Three of the main characters in The Scarlet Letter: Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimesdale, and Roger Chillingworth, have sinned in the book their sins, also, affected them each differently.

First, Hester's sin was adultery. She was the only person who was punished for her sins, she went to prison, and had to stand on the scaffolds for a few hours for public humiliation. She wore the A on her chest, which was a symbol of her sin. The A was a social stigma, where ever Hester went, everyone would stare at her A, and wouldn't talk to her or say anything, but just stare. Over the years, it began to wear her out and she got tired and uglier. Due to the fact that she was open with everyone about her sin, she was not corrupted, and was still a nice person to everyone.

Next, Dimesdale's sin was fathering Pearl. Due to his weakness, of not being able to tell everyone that he fathered Pearl, he begins to get consumed by guilt of his sin, and his inability to stand by Hester. He would whip himself, and fast, which he did to punish himself. He eventually became so weak and sickly due to his guilt that he could barely move, and he would get chest pains. At the end of the book, when he finally reveals himself as a sinner to the city, he ends up dying, due to his guilt.

Finally, Chillingworth's sin was how he wanted vengeance on Hester and Dimesdale, mostly Dimesdale. Chillingworth changed his name, so he could go on and torture the man who fathered Pearl. He tortures Dimesdale, under the guise of a friendship. While Hester and Dimesdale had a sin based on unanticipated passion, while Chillingworth's sin is deliberate, he wants to torture Dimesdale for vengeance. Chillingworth is the worst sinner, because his sin is deliberate, and malicious.