truthandyetnottooffend,thatisallhawthornetriestoachievein
　　hisworks.
　　“
　　chaptertwdepravity---theoriginofthescarletletter
　　thestorybeginsinseventeenth-centuryboston,whichisunderpuritancommand.ayoung
　　woman,namedhesterprynne,issentaheadtoamericabyherhusband---anoldandugly
　　scholar.however,formanyyears,hedoesn’tarrive.obviously,itispossiblethathehas
　　beenlostinthesea.whilewaitingforherhusband,hesterandayounglocalminister
　　calledarthurdimmesdalefallinlovewitheachother.theycommitadulterysecretly.
　　becauseofhester’spregnancy,thesecretisfinallydiscovered.
　　accordingtothebible,everyoneissinful.thatistheopinionoftheoriginalsin:when
　　godcreatestheworld,hefirstcreatesamancalledadamandthenawomancalledeve.they
　　livehappilyinthegardenofeden.godtellsthemthattheycaneateverykindoffruitin
　　thegardenexceptthoseonthetreeofknowledgeofgoodandevil.instigatedbythe
　　serpent,thetwocannotcontroltheircuriosityandviolatesgod’sorderandeatthe
　　fruitsfromthatparticulartree.thatenragesgod.fromthattimeon,theybecomesinful
　　andareexpelledfromthegardenofeden.however,sindoesn’tstop.itispassedfrom
　　generationtogenerationbyreproductionofadamandeve.allsuccessivegenerationsare
　　theirdescendantsandthereforeinherittheirsin.soatthetimeoneisborn,he/shebears
　　evilandhastherootofcommittingcrime.
　　accordingtotheprincipleoftheoriginalsin,hesterprynneisnotanexception.sheis
　　alsotheoffspringofadamandeve.theinsideofherflowstheirbloodsandsheofcourse
　　inheritstheiroriginalsin.thussheisasinnerfromthebeginningofherlife.
　　arethereanyotherstandardstojudgewhetherapersonissinful?theanswerispositive.
　　thecriterionshouldnotbethecommoncustom.instead,itshouldbethegod’sstandard.
　　becauseaccordingtothecommoncustom,itisverydifficulttojudgesometimes.everybody
　　isamixtureofvirtueandevilandtheemphasisofeveryone’sselfishdesireisquite
　　different.somecravenlyfeardeath,someclingtowoman’scharms,someseekonlyprofits
　　andsomehankerafterreputation.somearefrankandhonestandothersslyandcunning.
　　thereforeitishardtodecidewhoisrightandwhoiswrong.furthermore,thecommoncustom
　　isrelativeandchanging.forexample,twentyyearsago,tocommitadulterywasenoughto
　　ruinaperson’sfame.however,intoday’ssociety,cohabitationbeforemarriageis
　　universal.besides,althoughsomepeopledisplayhighermoralstandardsthanothers,they
　　stillcan’tgetridofselfishnessandavoidcommittingcrime.ifweadoptsthecriterion
　　ofthecommoncustom,althoughweknowthatwearenotinnocent,wewillcomfortourselves
　　thatwemaybeworsethansomepeople,butstillbetterthanothers.
　　thuswecanonlyusegod’scriteriatodecidewhetherornotapersonissinful.god’s
　　criteriaarethetencommandmentsandthesevendeadlysins.
　　thetencommandments:
　　iamthelordyourgod,whobroughtyououtofegypt,outofslavery.youshallhaveno
　　othergodsbeforeme.
　　youshallnotmakeforyourselfanidolintheformofanythinginheavenaboveoronthe
　　earthbeneathorinthewatersbelow.
　　youshallnotbowdowntothemorworshipthem;fori,thelordyourgod,amajealousgod,
　　punishingthechildrenforthesinofthefatherstothethirdandfourthgenerationof
　　thosewhohateme,butshowinglovetoathousandgenerationsofthosewholovemeandkeep
　　mycommandments.
　　youshallnotmisusethenameofthelordyourgod,forthelordwillnotholdanyone
　　guiltlesswhomisuseshisname.
　　rememberthesabbathdaybykeepingitholy.
　　sixdaysyoushalllabouranddoallyourwork,buttheseventhdayisasabbathtothelord
　　yourgod.onityoushallnotdoanywork,neitheryou,noryoursonordaughter,noryour
　　manservantormaidservant,noryouranimals,northealienwithinyourgates.
　　forinsixdaysthelordmadetheheavensandtheearth,thesea,andallthatisinthem,
　　butherestedontheseventhday.thereforethelordblessedthesabbathdayandmadeit
　　holy.
　　honouryourfatherandyourmother,sothatyoumaylivelonginthelandthelordyourgod
　　isgivingyou.
　　youshallnotmurder.
　　youshallnotcommitadultery.
　　youshallnotsteal.
　　youshallnotgivefalsetestimonyagainstyourneighbour.
　　youshallnotcovetyourneighbour'shouse.youshallnotcovetyourneighbour'swife,or
　　hismanservantormaidservant,hisoxordonkey,oranythingthatbelongstoyourneighbour.
　　(exodus2,14)
　　thesevendeadlysins:a)pride;b)lechery;c)envy;d)wrath;e)sloth;f)glutton
　　obviously,accordingtothesecriteria,hesterprynneisquitesinful.sheissinfulbecause
　　shedisobeysgodbycommittingadultery.whenchillingworth---hesterprynne’shusband
　　senthertothenewworld,althoughtherewasnoloveatallbetweenthecouple,sheshouldn
　　’tforgetthatshehadalreadygotmarried.shehadahusband,whowasjustmissingatthat
　　time.however,shecouldnotcontrolherviciousdesireandhadaloveaffairwiththe
　　minister---dimmesdale.that’snotforgivableaccordingtocatholicism.that’sinsultto
　　god.that’sbetrayal!insuchasituation,hesterprynneforgotgod’sinstructionandwas
　　completelydegenerated.sheisablasphemetogod.
　　sofromtheverydayofhercrime,hesterprynnehastobearallthesufferingsthatfollow.
　　everysinmustbepunished.

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