The Effects and Implications of Sin in The Scarlet Letter Published in 1850, The Scarlet Letter was the first American tragedy. It was written by one of America's greatest writers, Nathaniel Hawthorne. This story deals with problems of secret sin and the guilt of a tortured conscience. Hawthorne uses a fictional symbol and a fictional woman to weave a tale with ageless significance. The Scarlet Letter is a psychological novel, dealing not only with the sin …showed first 75 words of 785 total…

…showed last 75 words of 785 total…all sins, yet when sins are exposed the consequences may be less. In The Scarlet Letter, Dimmsdale hides his sin and he suffers more than Hester, who reveals her sin. People who confess their sins find peace and those who conceal their sins will suffer. To prove his point Hawthorne uses "Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred!"