The Puritans were a group of people who grew discontented with the Church of England and craved religious, moral and greater societal reforms; moreover, they escaped persecution from the church leadership by fleeing to America. Sadly, in their newfound freedom they took this reform to the extreme. It is obvious that all extremes are dangerous, and this element in Puritan society is highlighted in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s renowned novel, The Scarlet Letter. In essence, Hawthorne intends to expose why Puritanical perspectives were ultimately hypocritical. The Scarlet Letter is a scathing portrait of the Puritan lifestyle in New England. The life that the Puritans live is plain, simple and utterly dull. They believed in communal authority, which contrasts with Hester Prynne, the female protagonist, and her fight for individual freedom. The Puritans had a passion for the Bible, a passion for the Church, and a passion for seeing the Gospel impact every area of life. To the Puritans, mankind’s primary internal problem was sin, their staunchest enemy was sin, and sin posed the most significant hindrance in their relationship to God. Indeed, Romans 3:23 states “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” This verse clearly describes the Puritan outlook on sin. Everyone does it, everyone has taken a part in it, and everyone is alienated from God because of it. As a result, they viewed it important to expose sin, and to ensure that it was dealt with for the “good” of the community. Their whole lives and being revolved around sin and that is why it is such a prominent theme in Hawthorne’s novel. All the major characters-- Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth-- are portrayed as flawed sinners. The Seven Deadly Sins play a vital role in depicting the worst sinner in the novel. These sins: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride create the basic outline of what each person has transgressed. At some level, all are guilty of all seven....