Physical vs. Psychological Punishment

In the novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne juxtaposes the characters Hester and Dimmesdale to display the effects that guilt can have on a person. On one side there is Hester. She has admitted her guilt and therefore is punished by society for her sin, yet at the same time, purges her mind. On the other hand, there is Dimmesdale who chooses not to expose his sin, and while he doesn't face the punitive measures of society, he does face the consequences in his own mind. In the book, Hawthorne constantly implies that the emotional punishments are much worse than those of society. Chapter 13 tells the reader that Hester has actually gradually become accepted back into society through her many good deeds, such as making clothes for the poor. In contrast, while Dimmesdale is still accepted by society, because in their minds he hasn't done anything wrong, he is suffering a much worse fate than Hester. His mind is slowly deteriorating to lunacy and is now also affecting his physical body also. Hawthorne also displays through these characters that how people judge themselves is always more important than how others view them. Towards the beginning of the book, Hester is in shame, however she knows that everyone knowing her sin is for the best. This is proven by her interesting way of stitching the scarlet letter onto her clothing. Dimmesdale doesn't release guilt, and is therefore tortured by his own mind judging himself. Clearly by Hawthorne's descriptions of the two characters, Hester is better off than Dimmesdale. Suffering the judgement of society is better than suffering the judgement of one's own mind.