The Scarlet Letter - The Inevitable Results of SinThere are many ways to interpret literature. Nathaniel Hawthorne is considered a very influential writer of the American transcendentalist era; his writings deal extensively with the Puritan era, including his famous novel, The Scarlet Letter. The Scarlet Letter deals with the adulterous sin of Hester Prynne and the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, the revenge of Roger Chillingsworth, and the attitude of the townspeople towards Hester and her daughter Pearl. Sin can be categorized in many ways, but the most important thing is to remember that bad things always arise from sin. Hester and the minister's sin led the townspeople to despise Hester and Pearl, while Reverend Dimmesdale hid his crime of passion, making Hester's scarlet letter "A" the central symbol of the novel. As the people of Boston scrutinized Hester and Pearl, their devotion to the word of the Lord quickly turned to hatred. "They should have at least put the hot iron to Hester Prynne's forehead," said an autumnal matron among a crowd of people. Under the name Roger Chillingsworth, Hester's former husband constantly beat her. These actions filled him with vengeance, soon making him a demon. People treating Hester poorly and Roger Chillingsworth's unruly actions make it clear that one sin can lead to many more. Another example of sin turning into more evil is Reverend Dimmesdale's act of cover-up with his duality in adulterous parody. Chillingsworth treated the minister even more barbarously than he treated Hester; this earned him the title of leech. As a doctor, he was well respected, but his acts of evil hatred towards the minister turned him into a dark devil. Seven years after Hester served her persecution on the scaffold with young Pearl, Reverend Dimmesdale served his punishment. Not only did Reverend Dimmesdale's sin cause him to lose all conscience, but when he confessed to his crime, he lost his life for the cause. In trying to avoid his sin, the reverend did