Secret Sin Leads to Guilt In "The Scarlet Letter", Hawthorne depicts a way of life that no longer exists in today's society. It was a society of fear in a strict moral code. The morals, which were based on religious beliefs, were usually taken too seriously and gave birth to a generation of extremists known as puritans. Many puritans had ridiculously harsh punishments when a ... law was broken which caused many to live secretly. Secrets are never revealed or told to others in the puritan community. When Chillingworth says to Dimmesdale " ... punished as if they had committed a serious crime. ...

• Word Count: 558
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School