Evil of Isolation In the New Testament it states that "the wages of sin is death." Though thepenalty of sin in The Scarlet Letter is not a termination of life, the evil of isolation can bea physically, morally, and socially tortuous event in Puritan society. Hester Prynne andArthur Dimmesdale, in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, are both victims of the cruelisolation from Puritan society on the basis of their sins. Hester wears her sin upon herbreast where it stands as a constant reminder of her malfeasance. Shame and isolationstrip her of all passion and femininity, leaving her a shell of her former self. ThoughArthur's mark of shame is not visible, it is all the more tortuous for its absence. Shameand guilt feed upon Arthur's soul with slow malevolency. Only a combination of deathand confession finally release Arthur from his torture. Though Hester's ostracism from society and the tortuous nature of her shame,Hester is stripped of all passion and humanity. Since society acknowledges Hester's sin,she becomes an exile in her own town. "All the world Ha[s] frowned on her," and Hestermust bear the brunt of her shameful isolation. When Hester walks through her town "asort of magic circle [forms] itself around her." Devoid of any social contact, save that ofher daughter, Hester must endure of lonely existence. "In all her intercourse with society,save that of her daughter, there was nothing that made [Hester] feel as if she belonged toit."; therefore, she turns to herself for reflection of her shame. When Hester must walkthrough the town, she suffers "an agony from every footstep." Frequent suffering does notinure Hester to her inner torment; instead, the same grows" more sensitive with dailytorture." Hester's ostracism from a stoic society and the burdensome nature of her shame,deprive her off life. Treated as a dangerous delinquent by society, Hester begins toquestion her humanity. Due to her intense suffering, "some attribute [departs] from[Hester], which had been essential to keep her a woman." Stripped of her passion andfemininity, Hester is left as an iron character with a solemn manner. Hester's shameremains to haunt her until her dying day.Reverend Dimmesdale's bought with the evils of isolation is distinct from Hester'sdue to the fact that his sin remains a secret from the public. Tormented by his grievoussin and the duplicity of a fraudulent lifestyle, Dimmesdale's physical stature is destroyed.Arthur Dimmesdale is "a man burdened with a secret" that haunts his daily existence.The only truth that continues to give Arthur Dimmesdale a real existence "was theanguish in his inmost soul." Arthur wears "his hand over his heart" an indication of hisshame eating away at his soul. In addition to the torture Dimmesdale endures from hisshame, he constantly suffers from the fraudulent duplicity of his lifestyle. To hiscongregation, Arthur wears a mask of purity, however, Arthur realizes the blackness ofhis sin in private. Dimmesdale endures a constant "bitterness and agony of heart" fromthe "contrast between what [he] seem[s] and what [he is]" Due to his multiple lifestyles,Dimmesdale is often "bewildered as to which may be true." The sum of Dimmesdale'storment is manifested in the form of a "bodily disease," which serves to deteriorate thereverend. Dimmesdale is only able to find peace in death and confession. Revealing hissin to society, he frees himself to advance toward God's judgment. The evil of isolation of Puritan society robs Hester and Dimmesdale of theirhumanity, leaving them as stone monuments of shame. The isolation of Puritan society isa result of their belief that "the wages of sin is death." Only in death do Hester andDimmesdale escape the anguish that arises from isolation. However, the infancy remainsas their "only monument" after death. The destructive nature of shame is a powerfulweapon. . judgment. The evil of isolation of Puritan society robs Hester and Dimmesdale of theirhumanity, leaving them as stone monuments of shame. The isolation of Puritan. Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, are both victims of the cruelisolation from Puritan society on the basis of their sins. Hester wears her sin upon herbreast