The author of The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a staunch anti-transcendentalist who opposes the naive ideology of the transcendentalists in which they believe that people are always pure. and good. Hypocrisy is a dominant theme throughout the novel Scarlet Letter, as almost all of the main characters commit actions that go against their beliefs and virtues. The result of these hypocritical actions soon proves fatal as many characters were negatively affected. By juxtaposing the hypocritical nature of Hester and Dimmesdale with the purity of Pearl, Hawthorne reveals the true detrimental effects of Puritan society on its individuals and the benefits of unorthodoxy in the dominant community. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayHester only caused further problems for herself and her neighbors through her hypocritical actions which ultimately led to the damnation of Dimmesdale. The purpose of the Scarlet Letter was to show society that Hester had committed a great sin and that she should be openly humiliated in front of everyone. Hester, although intimidated by society's intimidation, wore the scarlet letter without feeling guilty because she believed that wearing it would relieve her of her guilt as she openly confessed all her sins to the community and was a chance to start again. While Hester proudly wears the mark of guilt, she tells her townspeople and even Chillingworth that they “will never know” (52) the true identity of her lover and that she does not want to confess his name. This is an act of hypocrisy because she fails to reveal the essence of her sin. Fearing that Chillingworth will seek revenge, Hester refuses to tell him even though he has been so kind and kind to her. Chillingworth, suddenly enraged by Hester's refusal to divulge her suitor's name, claimed that he would "seek that man...see him tremble...feel me shudder...[and] he must necessarily be mine!" (52). The fear of the unknown and the unpredictability of Chillingworth's innate wild behavior drive Hester to use hypocrisy as a means to ward off the conflict she faces. Hester's insistence on not revealing her lover's name caused Chillingworth to find even more reasons to take revenge on Dimmesdale. This quickly led to Dimmesdale's downfall as Chillingworth stalked and mentally tormented him to the point of death. Hester's hypocritical actions only harmed the people around her. Dimmesdale's moral conflict between his role as a minister and that of a sinner forces him to seek hypocrisy as a means of speaking partial truths to his people. Dimmesdale is a God-fearing man who is caught between an affair with a woman he deeply loves and his reputation as a saint in society. While Dimmesdale agrees to start his life again after meeting Hester and Pearl in the woods, he immediately contradicts his ideology after rejecting Pearl's invitation to "stand...with her mother and her, tomorrow noon" (105) on the scaffold. This shows that although he truly wants to free himself from all the burdens of sin, concern for his reputation prevents him from doing such things that society considers Dimmesdale "[a] pious youth!" » [and a] 'Holy on earth!' »(99). Dimmesdale's hypocritical views are not caused by Dimmesdale's characters, but rather by Puritan society. The Puritans had a strict spiritual policy in which people were forced to conform to oppressive extremist beliefs. They believe that individuals should give up.