There were many differences between the novels The Scarlet Letter and Billy Bud. The Scarlet Letter was about how two people dealt with their sin in different ways, while Billy Bud was about an innocent man, who was punished for an unintentional "sin". Although the stories and themes were different, these novels do some significant similarities. Both stories involve the battle of good and evil, and in both all of the main characters are highly symbolic.
             In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Pryne and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale had committed the horrible sin of adultery. Hester was open about what she did. There was no way for her to deny her sin, since the product was her daughter, Pearl. The only thing that she did hide was the identity of the child's father, the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Hester took all of the blame for a sin that they were both responsible for. Dimmesdale kept his sin hidden and this was torture to his soul. Therefore, Hester's honesty made her a symbol of strength and Dimmesdale's inability to be truthful to himself and to society made him a symbol of weakness.
             When Pearl asks Hester if she has ever met the Black Man (the devil) she responds, "Once in my life I met the Black Man! This scarlet letter is his mark!" This shows that Hester was honest with herself about her sin and was willing to except whatever the consequences would be. Hester actually learned from her sin and bettered herself from it. "The scarlet letter had the effect of the cross on a nun's bosom. It imparted to the wearer a kind of sacredness, which enabled her to walk securely amid all peril. "
             By the end of the novel "Hester Pryne had no selfish ends, nor lived in any measure for her own profit and enjoyment, people brought all their sorrows and perplexities, and besought her counsel, as one who had herself gone through a mighty trouble."
             In one scene, Hester is speaking with Roger Chillingworth, who was ...