The works of Nathaniel Hawthorne all had one thing in common. They all managed to deliver a strong message that often times dealt with the darker side of society. Hawthorne saw that the world was evil and had no problem expressing this view in his writing. Through his books and short stories he covers a variety of topics but one of specific interest is that of secret sin.
             In the Scarlet Letter the reader is introduced to the characters of Hester and Dimmesdale. The two have committed the unspeakable sin of adultery and soon forced to face the consequences of their actions. Hester is discovered because she becomes pregnant but refuses to drag her lover into the whole mess. Dimmesdale on the other hand is forced to suffer from his guilt. Over time it begins to eat away at him like a disease. "Mr. Dimmesdale conscious that the poison of one morbid spot was infecting his heart's entire substance, attributed all his presentiments to no other cause," (pg.137). Hester experiences public humiliation for her sin but Dimmesdale is living a lie. By keeping his deeds a secret he manages to remain on good terms with the town but it all comes at a terrible price. He eventually learned how the truth really could set him free but by that time his sanity had all but been torn away.
             In the short story The Minister's Black Veil Parson Hooper also falls victim to secret sin. He is presented as a somewhat strange character but as time progresses the reader begins to understand his situation. He is a very religious man who takes his faith to an extreme. Some where along the line he had committed a sin he believes to be terrible. He does not speak of it and instead hides his shame behind a black veil.
             Whatever his secret sin was really did not matter. The problem was that he let it control his life. Because of habit of wearing the veil other people began to think badly of him. "Our parson has gone mad!" cried Goo...