It is often taught that the worst part of sin is not the sin itself but rather the effects of that sin on not only the sinner but also all the people around the sinner. That is why the important lesson in The Scarlet Letter is not about the sin committed by Hester Prynne and the Reverend Master Dimmesdale but more importantly about the way the sin effects, not just Hester Prynne and the Reverend Master Dimmesdale, but other characters as well, for the rest of their lives. Hester Prynne is the most obviously effected by the sin by being marked with the scarlet letter, but the less obvious effects are in her heart, soul and mind. For the rest of her life she will have to wear not only