Thematic essay "The Scarlet Letter"No matter how much someone may be punished for a serious crime, nothing will compare to the remorse, guilt and reproach they feel will endure , as these negative mindsets can lead to madness or, even worse, death. This concept is expressed in depth by Nathaniel Hawthorne in “The Scarlet Letter” in which two sinners would face their fate either with direct punishment or with their own guilt. One of the most significant themes developed in “The Scarlet Letter” is that the punishment imposed on us by others may not be as destructive as the guilt we feel. This theme is gradually depicted through Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale dealing with the consequences of committing adultery, where Hester is able to overcome and adapt to her external punishment, but Dimmesdale struggles and faces immense problems in dealing with internal guilt in the keep his sin secret. others. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Reverend Dimmesdale sustains many internal conflicts and pain throughout the novel, being a religious leader in the community and having to set a solid example as a Puritan, but failing to maintain his purity after committing adultery and hiding it out of fear of the consequences. This constant feeling of guilt led Dimmesdale to mental health problems that would result in self-inflicted damage as he attempted to cleanse himself, but was unable to feel better about what he had done. Hawthorne writes, “It was his habit…to fast…not to purify the body…but rigorously, and till his knees trembled beneath him” (150). Dimmesdale's guilt drives him to extreme acts such as this, fasting until "his knees trembled beneath him", demonstrating the major effect this was having on his lifestyle. The most important aspect of this is that this was caused by his own feelings of going from someone who no one would ever expect to commit even the smallest sin, to committing something like adultery, an extreme sin despised by his peers Puritans. Along with this, “In Mr. Dimmesdale's secret closet, locked, there was a bloody scourge. Often [Dimmesdale] carried it on his shoulders; laughing bitterly at himself” (Hawthorne, 150). Here Dimmesdale resorts to self-flagellation, the act of physically harming himself, an extreme example of the substantial suffering Dimmesdale would endure as a result of this sin. This constant harm that Dimmesdale suffers is all caused by his own personal guilt, with no explicit punishments inflicted upon him by anyone other than his own, showing the extent of the effects caused by his own guilt. Hester has very little trouble dealing with her punishments and soon settles into a meaningful lifestyle. Within the novel, Hester at first appears to be permanently outcast from society by being branded and forced to wear a scarlet letter "A", but will gradually grow accustomed to her punishment and make it part of who she is. Hawthorne states: “Individuals in private life, meanwhile, had completely forgiven Hester Prynne for her frailty; indeed, they had begun to regard the scarlet letter as the sign, not of that one sin… but of his many good deeds since” (169). Here the scarlet letter is expressed as a “sign” that represents her good deeds and shows Hester's normalization into society, doing the opposite of what the scarlet letter was intended to do. Hawthorne also states: "The scarlet letter had not,.