Modern society would call a life of humiliation cruel and unusual punishment. In Puritan times, however, this punishment was considered excessively merciful to Hester Prynne, a woman guilty of adultery. Forced to carry a visible label of her crime for the rest of her life, Hester was unable to hide from the sin she committed. His counterpart Dimmesdale, on the other hand, was seen by the public as pious and he hid his responsibility for years. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne illustrates the effects of conscience, showing the differences between one whose guilt is secret and one whose guilt is revealed. Hester Prynne could never have hidden her crime, since the resulting child was a constant reminder of it. She spent time in prison for what she had done and was placed on a platform in front of the entire town to shame her and show the public what the punishment was for such an act. According to the novel, the appropriate punishment at that time was public execution; instead, Hester was forced to wear the scarlet letter on her chest forever. Still, she refused to divulge the name of the man also responsible for the crime. Hester was initially rejected by the people of Boston. The residents were embarrassed to have him among them and to have seen such a scandal occur in their church. The children, not fully understanding his crime, observed him with fear and only from afar. Hawthorne states that “the poor…, whom [Hester] sought to be the objects of her generosity, often reviled the hand stretched out to help them. » Yet Hester found her place in clothing making. She was able to do what she hoped, which was to say “…acquire nothing beyond a subsistence, of the simplest and most m...... middle of paper... ...death. Hawthorne makes a powerful statement in his novel, encouraging readers that surely any punishment is not as terrible as that we inflict on ourselves by having a troubled conscience. Hester Prynne transforms before the reader's eyes, from a sinful character unworthy of humanity's mercy to a respectable and admirable woman who has changed her life. Dimmesdale is also transformed, from a respected man who made a mistake to a terrifying character who could not recognize his wrongdoing. Hester made a positive transformation thanks in part to the scarlet letter, and her change helped her raise her child and live a respectable life. Many people, no matter what era they lived in, would have fled the situation Hester found herself in; however, recognition and confession of her failure led Hester Prynne to success..