We are all sinners. Even if we try hard not to sin, all humans eventually succumb to sin at one time or another. Even though people cannot avoid the fate that awaits them, the power of free will allows them to decide how they will respond to sin. While some may react with guilt and regret, others may react with a sense of redemption and a renewed sense of responsibility. Nathanial Hawthorne, a 19th century American author, witnessed the power of sin to wreak havoc not only on an individual but on all of humanity. community. Her novel The Scarlet Letter expresses this idea by exposing the follies of humanity and the potentially harmful effects of sin through Hester Prynne, the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth who were all affected by sin in different ways. Using powerful symbols and light/dark imagery, Hawthorne conveys to readers, through these characters, the power of how an individual's response to sin can positively change an individual or gradually destroy them by spreading like a disease contagious and ultimately consuming the victim. Through Hester and the symbol of the scarlet letter, Hawthorne reveals how sin can be used to change a person for the better, allowing for responsibility, forgiveness, and a renewed sense of pride. In a Puritan society that strongly condemns adultery, one might expect Hester to leave society and never return, but this does not happen. Instead, Hester says, “Here…had been the scene of his guilt, and here should be the scene of his earthly punishment; and thus, perhaps, the torture of her daily shame would finally purge her soul and give her another purity than that which she had lost; holier, because the result of martyrdom. It is... middle of paper ... to depict through Dimmesdale and Chillingworth, that without accountability for wrongdoing, our world will eventually be destroyed, just like these two individuals. However, Hawthorne, through the portrait of Hester, shows that he has not abandoned humanity. If our world is to survive for future generations, it must model itself after Hester's behavior. Yes, sin is inevitable, but we must learn to respond to it with accountability, forgiveness, and redemption rather than guilt, vengeance, and uncertainty. Most importantly, we must learn to remain honest and truthful in every action we take, because ultimately only God will have the power to grant us ultimate forgiveness by saving us or condemning us to hell. Work cited Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “The Scarlet Letter.” The Tales of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Ed. James McIntosh. New York: Norton, 1987.