Guilt

Before reading the Scarlet Letter, we briefly discussed the concept of guilt. Every person on Earth has, at some point, experienced this emotion. Its presence can be caused by the smallest of things but can have the biggest impact on one's life. Guilt starts as just a horrible feeling in one's stomach but can evolve into influencing the day to day functions of the individual.

A major real-world application of the extreme effects of guilt is soldiers suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD). According to Juliann Steinbeigle, the Director of Psychological Health for the Illinois National Guard, guilt is the "#1 predictor of suicide thoughts and attempts". These soldiers feel guilty for their actions on the battle-field and this haunts them for their entire lives.

In the literary world, Dimmesdale is a textbook example of the negative effects of guilt. The guilt from his sin has made him unable to enjoy any moment of his life. Every single actions he performs and every word he utters is controlled by his guilt. He does not want to commit another sin that would result in a similar feeling and thus holds himself back from enjoying his life. Just like PTSD victims, Dimmesdale eventually loses his life to guilt.