As is the tradition in Puritan society, Hester is put on public display in front of all the town of Boston to confess her sin of adultery. She is also forced to wear "on the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with and elaborate embroidery and flourishes of gold thread...the letter 'A';" a literal

symbol for the community to know she is denounced as a sinner, an adulterer. The letter 'A' completely humiliates her in front of everyone she meets. She begins to even hide behind it, trying to conceal her identity. Hawthorne describes Hester as " the unhappy culprit sustained...as best a woman might, under the heavy weigh of a thousand unrelenting eyes, all fastened upon her and concentrated on her bosom." The scarlet letter Hester wears will constantly remind her and the townspeople that she is a sinner; reassuring the fact that she will never regain the respect she had before this incident. This is Hester's first punishment to be seen by the reader.

For Dimmesdale, Hester's ill-fated lover and the father of Pearl, the letter 'A' represents the guilt he feels for committing the sin. After Hester's sin became public, Dimmesdale would always hold one hand upon "his bos

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 591
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)