The Scarlet letter starts out with an unfortunate marriage between Hester and Roger Prynne, within this marriage we see it lead to adultery and revenge, which is all a sin in the puritan world of which is the setting of the book. We see that with Hester's sin of committing adultery lead other people to get caught in the midst of it all, and to sin themselves.
             Hester Prynne the stories main character is committed of adultery, which was a sin back then, and was a sin worthy of death at that. The only reason that Hester's life was spared was because she wouldn't say who the father of her child was, and the baby couldn't live without and mother and a father. But in order to practice their authority the magistracy decided to punish her by making her wear the scarlet A on her bosom, and to stand on the scaffold for three hours every day. So that people could see her, and realize what could happen to them if not worse if they were to do this. "But in their great mercies and tenderness of heart they doomed mistress Prynne to stand only a space of three hours on the platform of the pillory, and then and there after for the rest of her natural life, to wear a mark of shame upon her bosom." (42)
             On the other hand we find Reverend Dimsdale who was the father of Hester's baby. It seems that he could not resist the temptations of the flesh, even being a minister; he still fell into a sin, and that sin being adultery. Unlike Hester, Dimsdale did not have to pay consequences as far as to the outside world refers, as to the fact that Hester did not tell a soul who the father of her baby was. Despite this he still received his punishment. "A well hidden secret, looking pure as new fallen snow, while their heart is spotted with iniquity of which they cannot rid themselves." (88) But as we see this is all related to Hester not telling who the father of the baby was, and in turn it left Dimsdale to live h...