Sin. The word itself is synonymous with evil, shame, and many other negative connotations. Everyone sins. Yet each individual faces their sin in unique ways. Do they bury their shame inside or do they confess their misdeeds? Which is preferable to the other? Author Nathaniel Hawthorne attempts to answer some of these deep life questions in The Scarlet Letter. Through the events that occur in the lives of the characters Roger Chillingworth, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Hester Prynn, Hawthorne expresses his opinion that it is better to confess and repent of sin than to hide sin. The character of Roger Chillingworth serves to represent the harmful side effects that are designed into one's life as a result of continuing to sin without confessing. Chillingworth realizes what he has become because of his sinful vengeance when he says, “No life has been more peaceful and innocent than mine; few lives are so rich in conferred benefits. Do you remember me? Was I not, although I might be thought cold, a man considerate of others, eager for little of himself, good, true, just, and constant, if not warm, affections? And what am I now? I already told you what I am! A demon! (Hawthorne 118). Roger is enslaved by his desire for revenge against Dimmesdale and, in doing so, is transformed from a wise and peaceful man into a monster thirsting for revenge. In fact, Hawthorne writes that “this unfortunate man had made the very principle of his life the pursuit and systematic exercise of revenge…” (177). During Arthur's death scene, Roger has “…a blank, dull face, from which life seemed to have departed” (Hawthorne 175). He also explains that "...the passing of old Roger Chillingworth... middle of paper... as each man feels in his own heart." While Dimmesdale's extreme depression is most likely the cause of his fatal illness, Chillingworth's vengeful attitude towards Arthur turns him into a gargoyle whose sole purpose is to scare away any joy that may exist in Dimmesdale's life . On the other hand, Hester emerges victorious from the tale's denouement, counseling countless other hurting women and successfully raising a daughter, Pearl. There is no doubt that Hawthorne uses the incidents in the lives of Arthur, Hester and Roger to illustrate that keeping one's sin from the rest of the world is not the way to go and that, to get the most out of life, like Hester, you must confess your sin. In the words of Nathaniel Hawthorne: “Be true! Be faithful! Be faithful! Freely show the world, if not your worst, at least a trait from which to infer the worst!” (177).