The Grapes of Wrath and The Scarlet Letter can both be compared on the basis of one or more characteristics of sin. In The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, the character of Uncle John thinks he has committed a sin by not seeking a doctor when his wife became ill and died. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the character of the Reverend Dimmesdale has sinned by fathering a child with a woman to whom he wasn't married . Although their committed sins differ in many ways, there are things that can be compared between the two. The trait of sinfulness in both works can be compared and contrasted on the basis of the sin, reasons for the sin, presence of a listener, ways of dealing with the sin, results of the sin, and whom their sins affect.

The two characters of Dimmesdale and John both feel...