The Ten Commandments are religious rules or beliefs that show up in many of the world’s major religions. Christianity, Islam, and Judaism all have their own form of the Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue, or rules by which everyone should follow. In Christianity, the belief is that if one breaks one of these rules, he or she will be punished for ones sins: many believe that this punishment will be banishment to hell. In Judaism, these commandments are the first ten in a series of 613 commandments by which one should live by. The same idea exists in Islam. All three religions believe that adultery is a horrible offense that one should never commit. Adultery plays a huge role within The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorn. Two of
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He believes that his own sins are punishable by death, which is why he has hidden his secrets for so long, and hasn’t told anyone of his wrong doings. Since he hasn’t told anyone, he has also not been able to forgive himself. Dimmesdale has broken his integrity, gone against his morals, and isn’t able to forgive himself for his own actions, which makes him a greater sinner than Hester. Dimmesdale goes against his own morals and breaks his own integrity by committing adultery; therefore, he is the greatest sinner in the book. Roger Chillingworth isn’t a sinner, because he hasn’t gone against his morals. He does not see his actions as wrong. Hester isn’t as great a sinner as Dimmesdale, because she has forgiven herself for going against her morals. Dimmesdale, on the other hand, has made himself sick with guilt, to the point of physical weakness. As the reader can sense, the theme of sin is constantly present throughout the book, and he or she may begin to contemplate Hawthorne’s motives while writing The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne may be asking the reader to think about his or her own morals. If a person has strong morals, why would he or she go against them and commit a sin if it is known that there will be a
He believes that his own sins are punishable by death, which is why he has hidden his secrets for so long, and hasn’t told anyone of his wrong doings. Since he hasn’t told anyone, he has also not been able to forgive himself. Dimmesdale has broken his integrity, gone against his morals, and isn’t able to forgive himself for his own actions, which makes him a greater sinner than Hester. Dimmesdale goes against his own morals and breaks his own integrity by committing adultery; therefore, he is the greatest sinner in the book. Roger Chillingworth isn’t a sinner, because he hasn’t gone against his morals. He does not see his actions as wrong. Hester isn’t as great a sinner as Dimmesdale, because she has forgiven herself for going against her morals. Dimmesdale, on the other hand, has made himself sick with guilt, to the point of physical weakness. As the reader can sense, the theme of sin is constantly present throughout the book, and he or she may begin to contemplate Hawthorne’s motives while writing The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne may be asking the reader to think about his or her own morals. If a person has strong morals, why would he or she go against them and commit a sin if it is known that there will be a