In the book The Scarlet Letter we read about the sins the major adult characters commit, as well as the consequences of their vices. Hester Prynne commits adultery and is therefore doomed to wear the scarlet letter upon her breast for eternity. Being Hesters partner in sin Arthur Dimmesdale must cloak his guilt. Lastly, we have Roger Chillingworth who is the embodiment of evil and tries to reveal the Reverends sin out of vengeance. Hester Prynne, the first major character that we are introduced to, starts off on the town scaffold with an infant of three months in her arms.
Already we are shown one of the consequences of Hesters sin, her child. Hester is also forced to stand upon the scaffold for three hours for the town to see her blazon with the scarlet letter. She also must wear the letter for the rest of her life according to the judgment handed down to her from the town magistrates. Not only is Hester forced to live with the scarlet letter, she must also die with it. On her tombstone a bright red “A” is superimposed in the background.
Next in the saga, we have the amiable Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. A good clergyman that believes in the word of god strongly but he still commits lechery with Hester. He is commiserative of his sin but cannot reveal it for fear of losing his standing in the church and the high standing among the townspeople. The concealment of the sin eats away at him inside and he punishes himself with bloody scourges; sleepless nights; long periods of starving; and, according to some people, an engraved letter A over his heart.
Finally we have the devilish Roger Chillingworth. To say that revenge was like a hobby for Chillingworth is quite the understatement, he made a career out of it. He lived to reveal Hesters partner in sin at all costs. As soon as he realizes that it is Dimmesdale, he makes it a priority to play constant mind games with Arthur in hopes to cause a mental breakdown. But he didnt really accomplish what he was trying to do.
He wanted to keep playing games with Arthur until he got tired of it and then reveal Arthurs sin to the townspeople almost like a cat plays with a mouse it is about to consume. Arthur reveals his secret to the town on the scaffold and dies. Dimmesdale loses his purpose in life and dies within a year of Arthur. Chillingworth also lies about his identity to carry out his plan to reveal who the other sinner is. Each character committed different sins, and the consequences each character received were varying in