Public humiliation is supposed to force people's behaviors to change, but does shame really make people change? Most people have their different opinions on public humiliation, but in all cases, Hester is the victim of this well-known cruel Puritan punishment. On the other hand, as a result of Reverend Dimmesdale retaining his sin, a serious illness secretly strikes the Reverend. The scarlet letter located on Hester's chest is a constant reminder of her poor decision. In the novel The Scarlet Letter, author Nathaniel Hawthorne expresses the effects of sin in several ways, including public humiliation, Hester and the Scarlet Letter, and Dimmesdale's illness. Maria Stromberg, who wrote the article “Hawthorne's Black Man: Image of Social Evil,” expresses the danger of breaking laws through her writings on The Scarlet Letter. Olivia Taylor's article "Cultural Confessions: Penance and Repentance in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and the Marble Faun" states that every sin one commits has consequences. Public humiliation is known to make everyone aware of an embarrassing act committed by a person. Throughout The Scarlet Letter, one character suffers public humiliation. Nathanial Hawthorne uses Hester Prynne as an example. “To those who would forgive Hester's sin, on the grounds that she knew love, Hawthorne presents the painful reality of the evil that arises from the violation of the laws of society” (Stromberg 275). Stromberg states that this author clearly illustrates the consequences a person must suffer if they break the laws written for society. Throughout the book, Hawthorne brings up the idea of ​​the black man, symbolizing Satan. "The black man's mark, which Hester and Dimmesdale bore...... middle of paper ...... Public Confession and The Scarlet Letter." The New England Quarterly 40. (1967): 532-550. Print. Bensick, Carol. “His madness, his weakness: adultery demystified in The Scarlet Letter. » New essays on the scarlet letter. Ed. Michael J. Colacurcio. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985. 137-159. Print.Gross, Seymour L. ““Loneliness, love and anguish”: the tragic conception of the scarlet letter. » Journal CLA 3. (1960): 154-165). Print. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The scarlet letter. New York: Penguin Classics, 2003. Print. Stromgberg, Maria. "Hawthorne's Black Man: Image of Social Evil." » Explainer 67.4 (2009): 274-276. First academic research. Internet. October 9, 2013. Taylor, Olivia Gatti. “Cultural Confession: Penance and Repentance in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and The Marble Faun.” Renaissance. 58.2 (2005): 134-152. First academic research. Internet. October 9. 2013.