In The Scarlet Letter, how do the main characters reactions to sin make significant contributions to their changes and futures.

Hester views her "sin" quite differently that Dimmesdale
does.  Hester recognizes her sin as a violation of human law, and accepts the
consequences of what she has done by living on the outskirts of "civilization" and by
doing what she can to make the lives of others better.  It is unclear whether she sees
her sin as a violation of a "religious" law.  In Chapter 17 she makes the famous
argument/statement to Dimmesdale that "What we did had ahenb consecration of its own.
 We felt is so.  We said to to each other."  She almost makes an argument here that
their act was "religious" through the use of the specific word "consecration," a word
with very specific religious overtones.  The key here is that they "felt" and "told"
each other --- is feeling and telling enough to make something "right"? Certainly some
ethical systems would agree.  Because of this, Hester maintains a kind of balance that
escapes Dimmesdale; she accept the punishment of man while not hiding from the wrath of
God.

On the other hand, Dimmesdale recognies his sin as a
violation not only of man's law but also of God's law.  Dimmesdale defined himself
through his ministry and his religion.  When he "sinned" he changed his sense of himself
and did not just violate a human law; he was a changed and defeated man, wracked by
guilt and regret.  His sin so changed him that he was never able to return to his
previous life because his previous being wasn't there any more.  I think he would have
liked to believe what Hester told him about the "consecration" of their act, but it was
outside the possibilites that his faith offered him.