Nathaniel Hawthorne's bold novel, The Scarlet Letter, revolves around sin and punishment. The main characters of the novel are in stark contrast to each other in the way they react to the sin committed. Dimmesdale's instant response to sin is to lie. She stands before Hester and the rest of the town and proceeds to give a moving speech about how it would be in her and her father's best interests for her to reveal her father's name (67). Even though he never actually says that he is not the other parent, he lets it be understood by speaking of the father in the third person (67). For example: "If you think it is for the peace of your soul, and that your earthly punishment will thereby be made more effectual for salvation, I command you to speak the name of your fellow sinner and fellow sufferer" (67) . Chillingworth's first reaction is shock, but he quickly represses it (61). Since the first time he sees his wife in two years is the one being punished for being unfaithful, he is naturally surprised. However, it does not last long, because it is in his nature to control his emotions (61). Pearl's very existence in this scene is the greatest immediate effect of her parents' crime (52). Of course she would never have been there if her parents had resisted their love for each other. The second scene takes place several years later and shows the effects after time has had a chance to do its part. It begins with Dimmesdale climbing the steps of the gallows in the middle of the night because it is the closest he can get to confessing his sin (152). This scene is especially important because it shows how pitiful he has become. Dimmesdale shows how irrational he is when he screams out loud because he's scared... middle of paper... er, Matthew. “The Scarlet Letter and the Book of Esther: Scriptural Letter and Narrative Life.” Studies in American Fiction (1995): 131-144.Hawthorne, J. (1886, April). "The Scarlet Letter." The Atlantic Monthly [Online], pp. 1-20. Available: http://wwww.theatlantic.com/unbound/classrev/scarlet.htmlHawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: St. Martins, 1991. Kazin, Alfred. God and the American writer. New York: Vintage, 1997. Loring, G. B. (1850). "The Scarlet Letter and Transcendentalism." Massachusetts Quarterly Review [online], pp. 1-6. Available: http://eldred.ne.mediaone.net/nh/loring.htmlReynolds, David S. Beneath the American Renaissance. Cambridge: Harvard, 1989. Scharnhorst, Gary. Critical response to Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. New York: Greenwood, 1992.