Syn. The word itself is synonymous with evil, shame and a host of other negative connotations. Everyone sins. However, each individual deals with their sin in a unique way. Do they hide their ignominy within themselves or confess their wrongdoings? Which is more preferable than the other? Author Nathaniel Hawthorne attempts to answer some of these profound questions about life in The Scarlet Letter. Through the events that occur in the lives of the characters Roger Chillingworth, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Hester Prynn, Hawthorne conveys his opinion that confessing and repenting of sins is better than hiding them. The character of Roger Chillingworth serves to represent the harmful side effects that are conceived in a life as a result of persevering in sin without confessing. Chillingworth realizes what he has become because of his sinful revenge when he says, “No life had been more peaceful and innocent than mine; few lives are so rich in benefits conferred. Do you remember me? Was I not, though you may think me cold, yet a man considerate of others, desiring little of himself, kind, sincere, just, and of constant, if not affectionate, affections? And what are they now? I already told you what they are! A demon!” (Hawthorne 118). Roger is a slave to his desire for revenge against Dimmesdale and, in doing so, transforms himself from a wise and peaceful man into a monster thirsting for revenge. Indeed, Hawthorne writes that “This unhappy man had made the very principle of his life consist in the pursuit and systematic exercise of revenge…” (177). During Arthur's death scene, Roger has "...an empty, dull look, from which life seemed to have departed" (Hawthorne 175). He also explains that, “…the death of old Roger Chillingworth…… in the middle of the paper……not as any of the men feel in their hearts. While Dimmesdale's extreme depression most likely causes his fatal illness, Chillingworth's vindictive 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 story's denouement, counseling countless other hurting women and successfully raising a daughter, Pearl. There is no doubt that Hawthorne uses the events in the lives of Arthur, Hester, and Roger to illustrate that keeping your sin away 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 true! Be true! Freely show the world, if not your worst, at least some trait from which the worst can be deduced!” (177).