During the scaffold scenes in the scarlet letter it becomes clear that it is not the best place to be. In the very beginning of the novel, Hester is standing on the stage because she is about to be punished for being an adulteress and having and illegitimate child. The scaffold scenes to come also give off a negative impression. But shockingly, at the end of the novel when reverend Dimmesdale admits his sin, the scaffold becomes a place of honesty and confession.