Since Genesis, the true nature of humanity has been closely associated with sin. While the Puritans vehemently believed that sin degraded both God and human beings, in the Scarlet Letter it is the very nature of transgression and the resulting contempt that bestows extraordinary powers on sinners. For Hester, being excluded in such a restrictive society frees her from the conventional feminine role and gives her the opportunity to observe the nature of Puritan Boston as an outsider. Even though Dimmesdale's sin remains repressed, his experience allows him to understand the truth and the very nature of human sin and makes him a much more effective speaker despite his inner turmoil and ultimate destruction. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay “For years...she had looked at human institutions from this strange point of view...all with little more respect than an Indian...The trend of her destiny...l 'had... released. The scarlet letter was her passport to regions where other women did not dare tread... Shame, Despair, Solitude! They were his teachers..." (p. 1413.) The intention of the Scarlet Letter was to demean and shame, to serve as an example to all under theocracy that deviance from societal expectations would not go unpunished. Yet Hester's branding and subsequent reaction produces a stronger woman who serves as a beacon of humanity, compassion, and sensitivity within a cold, puritanical society. It is this action of becoming an outcast that plunges Hester into a relative isolation in which she can reformulate her identity and reflect on the nature and particularities of the society to which she once belonged. In Thoreauvian fashion, being closer to the wilderness allows Hester to break free from the chains of society and allows her to cultivate a sense of self and her relationship to society. Hester's sin allows her to cultivate a sense of humanity and dignity that people could look up to. "Such helpfulness was found in her [Hester], -- so much power to act and power to sympathize -- that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original meaning. They said it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with the strength of a woman. (p. 1393.) The cold, calculated faith and doctrine of self-control of the ancient Puritans clash with the deviance that Hester comes to represent. In a sense, Hester becomes the representation of a 19th-century romantic transcendentalist as she faces the embodiment of what Thoreau or Emerson would have considered a great danger to himself. The original intent of the Scarlet Letter fails because while carrying her burden, Hester becomes over time a pillar of deviance and strength. Instead of avoiding her, women tied to Puritan society ended up seeking her as a guide or symbol of hope and comfort. "Women...in the continually recurring trials of wounded, emaciated, wronged, misplaced or erroneous and sinful passions......came to Hester's cottage...Hester comforted and advised them, as best she could. 'she could.' (p. 1447.) Arthur Dimmesdale is a man incapable of breaking with the defining nature of Puritan society. The lack of physical evidence of his participation in sin allows his sin to remain unknown. Thus, Dimmesdale's experience of the ultimate result of sin greatly juxtaposes Hester's. While the sin committed destroys Hester's reputation as a good Puritan, it gives her a spectacular sense of strength and individualism within.