Scarlet Letter - Sense of Guilt and Sin of Hester and Dimmesdale

Scarlet Letter - Sense of Guilt and Sin of Hester and Dimmesdale

Was Hester’s sense of guilt and sin the same as Reverend Dimmesdale’s?   It is known Hester Prynne was punished for adultery outwardly.   All of the puritan community knew of her sin.   Yet they did not know the father of Pearl.
Reverend Dimmesdale was not punished in the community because he was protecting his reputation as a minister.   This seemed like a good idea at the time.   In the long run it produced devastating results; death.   However, Hester committed the sin and lived her life in ignominy being continually used as an example of sin and immorality to others in the town.   In return Hester decided to help less fortunate in need.   I believe she did this to get rid of the sin she was living and bring herself up in society not known as “A” for adultery but now known as “A” for “Able” or “Angel.”  
Reverend Dimmesdale did a similar task such as gratitude towards the townspeople.   He became an extremely sedulous minister.   His sermons touched more people than ever before.   In a way he thought this would rid him of his guilt and sin much like Hester.   But because he did not tell anyone of the situation he was in repugnance of himself.
Another example of guilt and sin with Hester was when she visited the Governor’s mansion to keep Pearl and give the Governor a pair of gloves she embroidered.   The sin of not bringing her child up in the puritan church (example: Pearl saying she was merely “plucked from a rosebush” telling where she came from) was making everyone believe she wasn’t a fit mother.   Reverend Dimmesdale interceded for Hester in the matter of Pearl’s custody.   His sense of guilt of having nothing to do with his daughter’s upbringing is his main decision in doing so.
In conclusion, Hester and Reverend Dimmesdale’s sense of guilt and sin contrast in similar ways except for the outwardly known sin of Hester and the hidden secret of Reverend Dimmesdale.