All throughout the novel Hawthorne discusses the idea of sin and redemption. Hester is shown to be the least sinful of the three people because she is redeemed by the fact that she must wear the scarlet letter for the rest of her life if she is to remain in the Puritan town because she committed the sin of adultery. Dimmesdale is more sinful than Hester because it takes him so long to confess his sin to the town. Dimmesdale is cowardly because he is afraid of the townspeople and of what they may do to him for his sin. He is also naïve because he fears the town more than he fears God even though he is a minister in Puritan times. Although Dimmesdale is a coward for not confessing his sin until he is close to the end he still shows remorse by lashing himself for his sin of adultery, and by helping Hester and Pearl by aiding Hester in persuading the Governor to let her keep Pearl. In addition, both Hester and Dimmesdale have the constant reminder of their sin because of Pearl who forces the issue upon them by always asking questions like what the scarlet letter stands for and if Dimmesdale will ever stand on the scaffold with her and her mother during the day in front of the town. Dimmesdale believes he has a reason to hide his sin; if he were to confess his sin the town may lose all hope of good, and may have became overrun by sin and evil.

Chillingworth, however, comes into the town and from the moment that he sees his wife has cheated on him he declares that he will seek revenge on the man that shares her sin. When Chillingworth suspects Dimmesdale he moves in with him, under the pretense of being his physician, and begins giving Dimmesdale different herbs and “medicines” to “help” with Dimmesdale’s health. While Chillingworth is living with Dimmesdale, he asks many personal questions to try to find out if Dimmesdale is the one that he is seeking. Chillingworth becomes a “leech” and begins sucking the life out of the poor minister. At one point in the novel Chillingworth looks at Dimmesdale’s chest and does a devilish dance at the sight. Chillingworth’s vengeance becomes an obsession and drives him to make Dimmesdale’s health get worse faster by giving him the so-called medicine, and by making Dimmesdale feel so guilty that it drives him insane. Chillingworth tries to play God by deciding who should be punished, and ends up turning into the “Black Man,” or the Devil.

Hester and Dimmesdale committed a sin that did not intentionally hurt anyone but their own souls, but Chillingworth committed a sin that was purposefully hurting another human being physically and emotionally. Sins of passion are not on the same magnitude as sins of vengeance. Murder and adultery are not on the same level. Hester and Dimmesdale both showed remorse for their sins. Hester and Dimmesdale were both punished by society and both punished themselves. Chillingworth did not feel that he ever did anything wrong even though his sins were worse that those of the person he sought revenge upon. Chillingworth was never punished by society or and he never sought repentance. Chillingworth was the guiltiest sinner in the Scarlet Letter.

The character of Hester Prynne plays a different role in the eyes of the colonial Puritans she lives amongst and the limited omnipotent view of the narrator. What the often superstitious townsfolk see as evil or God-sent is different from what the narrator conveys through his privileged knowledge of the tale in its entirety; however, as the tale progresses, the differing views of the main character merges into agreement.

The Scarlet Letter opens with an exhaustive description of setting where the narrator relates the bleakness and vileness of the yet-to-be named sinner as she proceeds from the darkness of prison onto the scaffold where she is ridiculed and berated by her countrymen. Hester Prynne is introduced by symbolism and dialogue as the worst sinner in the new world.

The vivid description of the prison is ripe with symbolism linking Hester Prynne to hell. The prison is described as both old and dark. The description of the condemned coming forth from its door is similar to descriptions of hell. Hester Prynne needs an armed escort as if she is a danger to the people.

"The door of the jail being flung open from within, there appeared, in the first place, like a black shadow emerging into sunshine, the grim and grisly presence of the town-beadle, with a sword by his side and his staff of office in his hand. This personage prefigured and represented in his aspect the whole dismal severity of the Puritanic code of law, which it was his business to administer in its final and closest application to the offender. Stretching forth the official staff in his left hand, he laid his right upon the shoulder of a young woman, whom he thus drew forward until, on the threshold of the prison-door, she repelled him, by an action marked with natural dignity and force of character, and stepped into the open air, as if by her own free-will." (52)

Through this introduction, left until the second chapter, Hester has the arrogance and pride of the devil coming up out the pit.

To further cement her as evil, the first dialogue is from women whose opinions of Hester Prynne vary from utter disdain...

"What do we talk of marks and brands, whether on the bodice of her gown, or the flesh of her forehead?' cried another female, the ugliest as well as the most pitiless of these self-constituted judges. ‘This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die. Is there no law for it? Truly there is, both in the Scripture and the statute-book. Then let the magistrates, who have made it of no effect, thank themselves if their own wives and daughters go astray!'" (51)

... to a kind of pitying sadness.

"‘Ah, but,' interposed, more softly, a young wife, holding a child by the hand, ‘let her cover the mark as she will, the pang of it will be always in her heart.'" (51)

Initially, the narrator stays un-opinionated and distant from the story. Though, as the story progresses, the narrator begins to sympathize with the saintly behavior and sacrifice Hester Prynne partakes of and only he is witness to.

"Hester bestowed all her superfluous means in charity, on wretches less miserable than herself, and who not unfrequently insulted the hand that fed them. Much of the time, which she might readily have applied to the better efforts of her art, she employed in making coarse garments for the poor." (83)

About two-thirds of the way trough the text, the narrator's positive view of Hester and the public view of her begin to merge. After seven long years of wearing the scarlet letter, the charity and sacrifice of Hester doesn't go unnoticed.

"The letter was the symbol of her calling. Such helpfulness was found in her,--so much power to do, and power to sympathize,--that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman's strength." (161)

At the story's climax, it's the minister's scarlet letter that the crowd is shocked to see. The seven-year secret revealed in such a dramatic way has the effect of a miracle on the crowd. Some see a scarlet letter burned into the minister's flesh, some saw it's the devilish arts of Roger Chillingworth and others saw they see nothing (258-259). Hester ends up disappearing along with Pearl. However, the final merger of the narrator and character's view of Hester manifests itself in the last few pages when she returns to New England sans Pearl, still wearing the scarlet letter. Only, upon her arrival, the scarlet letter is not a badge of shame but a badge of sanctity.

"But, in the lapse of the toilsome, thoughtful, and self-devoted years that made up Hester's life, the scarlet letter ceased to be a stigma which attracted the world's scorn and bitterness, and became a type of something to be sorrowed over, and looked upon with awe, yet with reverence too. And, as Hester Prynne 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. Women, more especially,--in the continually recurring trials of wounded, wasted, wronged, misplaced, or erring and sinful passion,--or with the dreary burden of a heart unyielded, because unvalued and unsought,--came to Hester's cottage, demanding why they were so wretched, and what the remedy! Hester comforted and counselled them, as best she might." (263)
Through character, symbolism, narration and dialogue, Hawthorne communicates a life, which endures the darkest scorn of humanity only to rise higher and more saintly than it possible could without enduring those hurts.

The Scarlet Letter shows interest in the psychology of emotions. There are a couple of instances where the interest in the psychology of emotions is shown. One character to focus on is Minister Dimmesdale. The psychology of emotions is shown most evidently in this character. As you progress in the story, you notice Dimmesdale's character slowly change. His health was steadily weakening. "About this period, however, the health of Mr. Dimmesdale had evidently begun to fail." (Hawthorne 107) It may seem ordinary for a person's health to weaken as time passes by, but that isn't the case.

"His form grew emaciated; his voice, though still rich and sweet, had a certain melancholy prophecy of decay in it; he was often observed, on any slight alarm or other sudden accident, to put his hand over his heart, with first a flush and then a paleness, indicative of pain." (Hawthorne 107) The clenching of his heart shows that he is in pain, and not in the physical sense, but in the emotional and mental sense. Because he was hiding his sin, the guilt and shame began to eat at him and take away his strength and health. This all affected the way he thought and viewed society and things.

The Scarlet Letter also shows the criticism of the norm. This novel criticizes the norm by exaggerating something that does not happen on a normal basis. They take one small thing that is different and blow it up to another level. When in reality, it really should not be that big of a deal. "At the very least, they should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynne's forehead. Madam Hester would have winced at that, I warrant me. But she-the naughty baggage-little will she care what they put upon the bodice of her gown!

Why, look you, she may cover it with a brooch, or suchlike heathenish adornment, and so walk the streets as brave as ever!" (Hawthorne 45) The women of the town gossiped much about Hester Prynne's sin and exaggerated so much about it. They caused drama just because they believed her punishment should have been worse. It is not like Hester killed somebody, but still everyone acted as though she committed the worst crime possible. This shows that the norm for this town was so strict. The people were so ludicrously set on their rules and laws. So that one little thing that stood out was exaggerated and put up for show.

The Scarlet Letter also portrays the individual as the center of literature. Wherever in the book you read or turn to, you will notice it is always keeping in focus at one person and from their view or what is going on with them. In most parts of the novel, Hester Prynne is the center of attraction. She is the center of everything going on. The whole story itself revolves around her. "...all the townspeople assembled and leveling their stern regards at Hester Prynne-yes, at herself-who stood on the scaffold of the pillory, an infant on her arm, and the letter "A" in scarlet, fantastically embroidered with gold thread, upon her bosom!" (Hawthorne 52) Everyone looked towards her and talked about her. Everything that went on and occurred involved or revolved around her. Hester Prynne, the individual of this book, is the center of everything.

The psychology of emotions, the criticism of the norm, and the individual as the center of literature shown in The Scarlet Letter affirms that it is indeed a romance novel. Although The Scarlet Letter may not include all the elements of romanticism, it does contain some. And those elements show that The Scarlet Letter is a romance novel because these elements are evident throughout the entire book.

Pearl is described as good in many ways including being an angel. Pearl is described as an angel throughout the whole book including this passage, " In this child there were many children, comprehending the full scope between the wild-flower prettiness of a peasant-baby, and the pomp, in little, of an infant princess." (Hawthorne 62). She has a very complex thought about Hester even though she is only 7. Pearl also knows that Dimmesdale is her father even though nobody tells her.

Pearl loves Hester in the Scarlet Letter even though not many other people like Hester. The main reason that Pearl loves Hester is because Hester is Pearl's mother. Pearl also loves Hester because she defended Pearl when she still was a little baby and held Pearl in Hester's arms. Another reason that Pearl loves Hester is told in this quote from the book, " All this enmity and passion had Pearl inherited, by inalienable right, out of Hester's heart." (Hawthorne 65). Pearl loves Hester in many ways including the Scarlet A. Pearl does not think that the Scarlet A is a bad thing on Hester but a good thing. Pearl also thinks about many things good about Hester including being born good, and free from sin. Pearl also loves Hester in this line of the book, " And then what a happiness would it have been, could HesterPrynne have heard her clear, bird-like voice mingling with the uproar of other childish voices, and have distinguished and unraveled her own darling's tones, amid all the entangled outcry of a group of sportive children!" (Hawthorne 64).

Even though the Scarlet A does not have a lot of meaning about Pearl it still describes how Pearl is good. Pearl thinks of the Scarlet A in many ways other than evil. Pearl does not judge Hester about the Scarlet A like the towns people who think the Scarlet A is the worst thing ever. Pearl also does not think the Scarlet A is bad but thinks it is Hester's identity. This passage describes how Pearl is the only person who loves the Scarlet A, "They mother is yonder woman with the scarlet letter, said the seaman. Wilt thou carry her a message from me? If the message pleases me I will, answered Pearl." (Hawthorne 168). Pearl also loves the Scarlet A very much and will not go back to Hester without the Scarlet A. This quote tells how Pearl loves the A, " Pearl took some eel-grass, and imitated, as best she could, on her own bosom, the decoration with which she was so familiar on her mother's chest." (Hawthorne 122).

Pearl was a good character in the Scarlet Letter. Pearl did everything a regular loving child does with her mother and she does not think of her mother as a bad person. Pearl was described as evil in the Scarlet Letter but she was never described in depth about how she could have been a demon child.

Pearl was more of an angel than anything else, with angel like qualities. After all that was said, it should be convincing that Pearl was a good character and not a demon child or a bad character.

By interpreting the dream as both Goodman Brown's conscious and unconscious mind (each of which come into play within the dream) it is possible to assert a number of conclusions this allegorical tale alluded to. Among these, one could say that the Puritan Culture caused an unavoidable hypocracy both personally and communally. It is no secret that human's have the capacity of great good, and also great evil, and throughout our lives we struggle figuratively and between these two forces.

By constructing a society in which each person is expected, without leniency, to conduct themselves in perfect concordance with the spiritual doctrines of the time, you come to the inevitable dilemma due to humanity's "sinful" nature. Without the opportunity for redemption, socially and spiritually, it is small wonder that Goodman Brown, a man of most probably exemplary humanity, is driven to near agoraphobia.

Consciously, throughout the story, Goodman Brown verbally and mentally enters into a state of denial against the images of pure evil that he is exposed to. When told of his father and grandfather's sins, he unshakably denies them, "We are a people of prayer, and good works to boot, and abide no such wickedness" (56). Consciously, he continues to hold steadfast in his beliefs, and in his faith, even with the revealing that both the Minister and his Deacon were participating in this Black Mass (61).

However, if one looks at the symbolism of the events that occur inside of the dream, a different picture beings to make itself visible. Freud stated, "It is ... necessary to observe tht our doctrine is not based upon the estimates of the obvious dream- content, but relates to the thought-content, which, in the course of interpretation, is found to lie behind the dream. Dreams do not directly allow themselves open to interpretation, rather, are subject to condensation (compression, conflation and omission of dream elements) and displacement (shifting, emphasis).

Freud even went as far as to say that our conscious mind attempts to reject messages put forth in our dreams, we repress this knowledge. In Goodman Brown's case, the Witch Festival was merely a symbol, in which he himself was thrust face first into the knowledge that on some level all men are inherently capable of evil deeds, and no man can be called sinless. Even his very wife, whom he holds in such high regards, was villanized in this dream. "...they [were] partakers of the mystery of sin, more conscious of the secret guilt of others, both in deed and in thought, then they could now be of their own" (67).

This subconscious realization, relayed through the dream, was (even as Freud said would be), completely denied by the conscious self of Goodman Brown. The guilt of others hung so heavily in his subconscious mind, even greater than his own. As his subconscious self continued to reveal his own knowledge that the entire human race was sinful by nature, "Ye have found thus young your nature and your destiny," (65) Goodman Brown continued to push deeper into denial, ignoring the obvious implication that he was equally as filthy as those around him.

The scene of dire importance lay with the moment Goodman Brown discovered the pink ribbon which belonged to his wife. In his moment of despair he too is brought to a "...a vent[ing] of horrid blasphemy..." (62). But this slip, this dark moment of complete and total hopelessness, and the significance of such, is lost on the conscious Goodman Brown, but perhaps not in his subconscious.

Though continuing his life of denial as "[a] stern, a sad, a darkly meditative, a distrustful, if not a desperate man..." (68) shows a psychological break down in the screen that Goodman Brown's mind had placed in front of him. It revealed to him the natural sinfulness of man, but in a very Puritan way, denied him the ability to see the hypocracy of such unsound judgment upon his fellow man. And while outwardly he chose to ostracize his community, inwardly the message that his subconscious attempted to deliver was still festering.