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Dying With Sin In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

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Dying with their sins seems to be the greatest fear the townspeople have and Hawthorne describes it as, “Dying sinners cried aloud for Mr. Hopper, and would not yield their breath till he appeared”(10). It is a great vulnerability to bare their deepest mistakes to someone who sees all and judges them for the rest of eternity. “The black veil involved his own spirit in the horror with which it overwhelmed all others”(6) the minister had seen his reflection in a glass cup, reminded of the horrible sin the veil represent for him. He quickly runs, the fear of the known chasing him and taunting him by hanging in front of his face, ever so reminding that he shall die with it.

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