Consequences of Sin The major theme of Nathaniel Hawthorne's 19th century masterpiece, The Scarlet Letter, is sin, both openly confessed and hidden, and the very real consequences for those who sin. The setting takes place during the Puritan rule of Boston, Massachusetts. There were much harsher consequences for being sinful than there are today. The Puritans thought the only way God would forgive one's sin is to openly confess it in front of all the …showed first 75 words of 1100 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1100 total…that we don't think about because people commit them all the time and these are excepted as normal. Hawthorne's opposing idea of Puritanism is still useful to learn about how its not up to us to judge people's sins. The Scarlet Letter is one of the few books that will always teach a lesson, because it deals with sin, alienation, guilt, and punishment, emotions that will continue to be felt by people around the world.