Public humiliation supposedly forces people to change their behavior, but does shame really influence people to change? Most people have different opinions about public humiliation, but in any case Hester is the victim of this cruel and well-known Puritan punishment. On the other hand, due to Reverend Dimmesdale holding back his sin, a serious illness secretly strikes the Reverend. The scarlet letter located on Hester's chest is a constant reminder of her poor decision. In the novel The Scarlet Letter, author Nathaniel Hawthorne expresses the effects of sin in many ways, including public humiliation, Hester and the Scarlet Letter, and Dimmesdale's illness. Maria Stromberg, author of the article “Hawthorne's Black Man: Image of Social Evil,” expresses the danger of breaking laws through her writings on The Scarlet Letter. Olivia Taylor's article "Cultural Confessions: Penance and Penance in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and The Marble Faun" indicates that for every sin committed there are consequences. Public humiliation is known as making everyone aware of an embarrassing act done by one. In The Scarlet Letter a character experiences public humiliation. Nathanial Hawthorne uses Hester Prynne as an example. “To those who would condone Hester’s sin, on the grounds that she knew love, Hawthorne presents the painful reality of the evil that comes from violating the laws of society” (Stromberg 275). Stromberg states that that author clearly illustrates the consequences one must accept if one breaks the laws written for society. Throughout the book, Hawthorne mentions the idea of ​​the Boogeyman, who symbolizes Satan. “The mark of the Black Man, which both Hester and Dimmesdale bore… in the center of the paper… Public Confession and the Scarlet Letter.” The New England Quarterly 40. (1967): 532-550. Print.Bensick, Carol. “His Madness, His Weakness: Adultery Demystified in The Scarlet Letter.” New essays on the Scarlet Letter. Ed. Michael J. Colacurcio. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985. 137-159. Print.Gross, Seymour L. “'Loneliness, Love and Anguish': The Tragic Design of the Scarlet Letter.” CLA Journal 3. (1960): 154-165). Print.Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Penguin Classics, 2003. Print. Stromgberg, Maria. "Hawthorne's Boogeyman: Image of Social Evil." Explainer 67.4 (2009): 274-276. Academic Research Premiere. Network. October 9, 2013.Taylor, Olivia Gatti. “Cultural Confession: Penance and Penance in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and The Marble Faun.” Renaissance. 58.2 (2005): 134-152. Academic Research Premiere. Network. 9 October. 2013.