The Scarlet Letter - Punishment and Death Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter deals with many themes, including punishment and death. Using the theme of punishment, the central character, Hester Prynne, was forced to wear a scarlet letter embroidered on her "breast" for the rest of her life as a sign of her sin of adultery. This item; however, it has the opposite effect as a punishment and when people in the community begin to forget the original meaning of the letter, it takes on a new, capable meaning. In the thirteenth chapter of this book, Hawthorne comes out and states in the third person that "the scarlet letter has not done its office." Hester went beyond the letter of the law and did everything that was asked of her. She becomes a rather popular seamstress, acclaimed throughout the city of Boston for her work. She herself wears only drab, ordinary clothes, punishing herself with humility. There is only one item of clothing that she is prohibited from making, the wedding veil, and it is assumed that it cannot possibly represent the values ​​of a wedding. It would be very improper for a person who has committed a sin like her to be involved in the marital bonds of another couple. Nonetheless, it does its job diligently and completely. She is emotionally worn out from all the work and penance for her sin. Halfway through the novel she no longer appears as a hidden beauty. Hesterow wears his hair in a cap, and the only effort of notable value is that which he expends in his teachings to Pearl. She has earned the respect of the citizens. People now consider the letter to represent the word "capable". As Reverend Dimmesdale refers to Pearl in his argument for allowing the child to remain with her mother, "God gave Pearl as a blessing and as a reminder of her sin." The girl herself represents a much more considerable punishment for Hester than the letter "A". The pearl is the living symbol of his sin. All the evil and hatred of this story are contained in this little one