The Theme of Sin in the Scarlet Letter

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…consequences is demonstrated. Hester and Dimmesdale are the two characters that best display this theme. They both commit the same sin, but the way in which they each are punished is different. They both illustrate the theme of the effects of sin in completely different ways. Hester was publicly punished for her crime while Dimmesdale punished himself emotionally and physically. Both these characters, though in different ways, demonstrated the theme of the effects of sin.