The Worst of Them All. An essay on "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne

In 'The Scarlet Letter' by Nathaniel Hawthorne, many characters sin. However, Arthur Dimmesdale, the church priest, commits the worst sins. Hester Prynne commits several sins, but none are even comparable to Dimmesdale's sins. Even Roger Chillingworth's sins, spawned by pure hatred, pale in comparison the sins of Arthur Dimmesdale. Hester Prynne was unfaithful to her husband, Roger Chillingworth. She commits adultery with Arthur Dimmesdale, and for her sins she is forced to wear a scarlet …

…Dimmesdale. At first he simply sought to have Dimmesdale confess his sins to the town. His desires got out of hand, but his original motivation is not wrong. Dimmesdale committed adultery, withheld the truth from the town, leaves Pearl fatherless, and caused the insanity of Chillingworth. His own death was deserved, although had he confessed while Hester was on the scaffold, he needn't put Hester, Chillingworth, Pearl, and himself through the hell that he did.