Webster defines sin as an act that goes against the law or teachings of a particular religion. In his classic novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the characters Hester, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, and Pearl to portray the distinction between secret sin, and revealed sin. While two of his characters reveal their sin and are redeemed, the others keep their sin a secret, remaining unredeemed.

Hester Prynne is the book's protagonist. She is also the wearer of the scarlet letter, "A", for adulteress. While married to her husband, Chillingworth, Hester has a secret affair with Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Hester's punishment for her sin entails public humiliation on the scaffold, and the embarrassment of wearing the scarlet letter for the rest of her life. Hawthorne uses literary imagery to help the reader better understand how sin is integrated into Hester Prynne's life. Not only does Prynne sound like "sin", but...