Nathaniel Hawthorne exploits the life of Puritanism in his guilty pleasure The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne offers the reader insight into life and human nature. The Scarlet Letter reveals the ordeal and woes of Hester Prynne, a woman living in colonial Boston who was found guilty of adultery. Hester's punishment was to wear a visible sign of her sin, the scarlet letter "A." As the novel progresses, the reader is introduced to Arthur Dimmesdale, the minister with whom Hester had an affair; and Roger Chillingworth, Hester's revenge-seeking ex-husband. The Scarlet Letter examines the relationships of the main characters and the consequences of these characters regarding Hester's sin. Hester's sin of adultery interacts with themes of alienation from society, revenge, creativity, and the consequences of violating the moral code. The underlying sin that Hawthorn explores in The Scarlet Letter is hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is easily defined as a falsehood between one's professed beliefs and feelings and one's actual beliefs and feelings, or the application of criticism to others that does not apply to oneself. Hester, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, and Puritan society were immersed in their sin of hypocrisy. Hawthorne reveals through the pages of The Scarlet Letter that hypocrisy is indeed a sin by punishing transgressors. Hester Prynne is a strong, independent, and stubborn individual who gives in to hypocrisy throughout The Scarlet Letter. Hester Prynne accepts the consequences of her action and wears her scarlet letter with pride and envy from the members of her society. However, there is a psychological block in Hester's mind that she has not actually committed any sin. In prison, he defends his actions from committing... middle of paper... real bodies in The Scarlet Letter. Although Hester, Chillingworth, Dimmesdale, and the Puritan Society are full of hypocrisy, this not only impacts the lives of these people, but also affects the innocent. Pearl, daughter of Hester and Dimmesdale, was shocked by her parents' hypocrisy. She was considered an outcast like her mother. Pearl's interpretations of her mother's sin taught how different individuals deal with their own sin and guilt. Pearl has become Hawthorne's voice for always being true to himself and valuing appearances. Works Cited "Hypocrisy | Define hypocrisy at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Free online dictionary for English definitions. Network. March 31, 2011. .http://content.loudlit.org/audio/ScarletLetter/pages/17_04_ScarletLetter.htmhttp://www.online-literature.com/hawthorne/scarletletter/3/