Men are but children. They still argue and misbehave and must be punished accordingly for their safety and that of others. Dimmesdale in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and John Proctor in Arthur Miller's The Crucible were guilty of adultery or extramarital sex, among other crimes. Proctor was accused of witchcraft which could involve anything from controlling spirits to communing with the devil. Punishments for such crimes included caning or caning. Dimmesdale committed adultery and hid his guilt with lies. Proctor and Dimmesdale each suffered for their crime, but nothing compared to what they should have received. Proctor was chastened through separation from his family and, ultimately, death. Dimmesdale inflicted his punishment through whippings, vigils, fasts, blinding lights, etc. Dimmesdale's punishments, while effective and justified, were not carried out by someone charged with doing so in view of the public and God. Proctor and Dimmesdale were ultimately punished by death, but even death was not an adequate punishment for their heinous crimes . Before Dimmesdale's untimely death in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale committed the sins of adultery and lying. To keep his sins a secret, Dimmesdale didn't talk about his involvement in the affair until it tore him apart from the inside. When Dimmesdale tried to confess his sin to his congregation, they saw the confession as part of his sin. sermon. “He had told the truth and transformed it into the most authentic falsehood.” (Hawthorne 171) Instead of correcting their assumption, Dimmesdale accepted it, once again hiding his sinfulness. When Dimmesdale finally openly confessed his sin... half the paper... both purpose and number. They eventually died, but did not receive the proper punishment beforehand to purify their souls to enter heaven. Works Cited Cox, James A. "History.org: Official History and Citizenship Site of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation." The official site of Colonial Williamsburg history and citizenship. Np, Spring 03. Web. November 23, 2013. .Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Classic enriched ed. New York City: Simon & Schuster, 2004. Print. Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. Student ed. Austin: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2005. Print.Phelps, Brian. “Crime and Punishment in the Massachusetts Colonies.” Crime and Punishment in the Massachusetts Colonies. PhelpsTek and Web. November 23. 2013. .