FORGIVENESS- throughout the book, Dimmesdale suffers with guilt because he knows he has done a sin. Dimmesdale was a Puritan pastor and his religion denies the possibility of forgiveness for the sin he committed. This belief leads Dimmesdale to initially deny his sin and hide the truth from his townspeople.

 JUDGEMENT- Chillingworth spends much of his days demanding justice and punishment from his wife adulterer. He believes in personal revenge against Dimmesdale and spends several years punishing him in private. Dimmesdale is also punished with guilt and fear regarding his judgment.

 ROMANTIC VIEW OF LIFE- Dimmesdale has a very romantic view of life. Despite his faith, he eventually gives in to his romantic desires to be with the woman he loves. The book’s Puritan outlook on life views human desires as sinful and meant to be conquered. Hester's affair confirms the town’s way of thinking and they humiliate her on the scaffold for her adultery. The scarlet letter she wears symbolizes the town’s rejection of romantic desires.

 REPENTANCE AND PENITENCE- Dimmesdale spent most of his life seeking repentance for his sin. The town punishes Hester for her sin, with humiliation by making her wear the letter "A". When Chillingworth discovered the "A" on Dimmesdale, it proved, to the readers Dimmesdale's desire for his own personal penitence.