Thanks to a careful analysis of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthrone and The Crucible by Arthur Miller; we will discover similar themes. These themes include sin, punishment for sin, the devil, and love/lust. Through careful analysis and discussion, one can see the obvious relationship between these two works. The most obvious theme contained in both works is sin. In The Scarlet Letter, the sin committed is adultery and giving birth to an illegitimate child. Hester Prynne and the outspoken and lauded minister of the Puritan community Arthur Dimmsdale were the adulterers who committed the sin and gave birth to the child Pearl. Throughout the story, Hester is dehumanized because of her sin, while Dimmsdale is always seen as the "all-powerful" minister. Like the Crucible, sin is put to the test. The Crucible directly addresses the themes and ideas of Salem Witch Trials. The young girls and their “leader” Abigail are at the heart of the sin and evil among the girls and in the community. Throughout history, accusations are “thrown” at other members of the community that are considered righteous. Ultimately, in this story, sin “comes” directly from the black man or the devil. It is believed that the girls have made a pact with the devil and are now trying to attract others to accompany them. Overall, the recurring theme of both works is sin and how it affects the lives of people and their communities. The scaffolding of The Scarlet Letter is extremely important. The most striking scenes of the book take place there. The scaffold is a place of public humiliation. The offender must stand before all his peers and they are fully aware of his crime. Standing on the scaffold as a guilty sinner would also mean that they would be shunned, like Hester, for the rest of their lives. This seems like a terrible punishment by today's standards; but the scaffold was not simply a cruel device of humiliation and contempt. The scaffold was society's way of righting a wrong and preventing it from happening again. The entire town was ashamed to see Hester, one of their own, standing before them for a horrible crime. This strengthened their resolve to continue doing what they believed was right. The scaffold was not just a place of punishment. It was also a place of atonement.