Hester Prynne exhibits the essence of truth and pride when she bravely faces the humiliation of the scaffold. In chapter 17, when Hester apologizes to Dimmesdale about concealing Chillingworth's identity, she says, "In all things else, I have striven to be true! Truth was the one virtue which I might have held, and did hold fast, through all extremity...A lie is never good, even though death threaten on the other side (pg. 202)!" It is Hester's pride, which sustains her from the beginning of the novel to the end, when she dies, still sporting the scarlet A on her bosom. Hester's sin is the sin which gives the book its title and around which the a

ction of the book resolves. Adultery, which was prohibited by the Seventh Amendment, was usually punished by death. A woman in the crowd stated, "At the very least, they should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynne's forhead...She may cover it (the scarlet letter) with a brooch, or such like heathenish adornment, and so walk the streets as brave as ever (pg. 53)!"

Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale shows truth by his occupation. People living in Boston, Massachusetts looked up to and respected Dimmesdale because he was a minister. One of his sins was his inability to publicly acknowledge that he committed adultery with Hester and that he is the father of Pearl, Hester's daughter. However, adultery was not his biggest sin. His biggest sin is hypocrisy. In chapter ten, he speaks of the concealment of his sins, he says, "It may be that they are kept

Some common words found in the essay are:
Hester Prynne, Roger Chillingworth, Pearl Hester's, Dimmesdale Dost, Boston Massachusetts, Hester Prynne's, Seventh Amendment, Nathaniel Hawthorne, , Arthur Dimmesdale, scarlet letter, committed adultery, truth evil, biggest sin,
Approximate Word count = 583
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)