“Evil is not a thing, it is not a person, it is an attribute like beauty” (Maguire 370-371). Like beauty, evil is seen differently through the eyes of individuals. Some people have the ability to see beauty in everyone, while others only see it in a select few, such as those who are tall, thin, and “pretty/handsome”; the same goes for evil. Some see people who torture and kill others as evil, while others see large corporations as evil. Evil goes against someone's morals, or the morals that society has created for us; this is where evil gets distorted because no one believes everything anyone else does. Human beings have created this concept of evil for themselves, whether it is destined in their blood or a figment of their imagination is yet to be understood. Humans are not born evil, but the boundaries established by society to maintain order have influenced human perception leading them to see them as evil. When people commit evil acts, they do so for their own well-being. Whether they take the time to think about their options or act on instinct, they have chosen the way that benefits them the most. This often hurts others, intentionally or unintentionally. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne's husband, Roger Chillingworth, had abandoned Hester, unintentionally, for many years. While he was away, Hester found love, secretly, with Reverend Dimmesdale and gave birth to his son. She had been shamed by her peers for adultery when Chillingworth finally arrived. At the time, Chillingworth viewed Hester as his possession. The natural instinct of men is to guard and protect what they own, and when he discovered that the father of Hester's child was not persecuted, he sought revenge to ensure that he had his right... middle of paper... .. oices did; he carefully planned and executed his harmful actions. Although relying on instinct, he took it to the point where Dimmesdale was practically tortured just by his presence and thought he was doing justice (for himself) in the process. Perception leaves evil open to interpretation, as shown by Frankenstein and his monster. As long as humans continue to believe in this concept of "evil", their thoughts and actions will revolve around it, keeping it a part of daily life. Works Cited Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. 1st edition. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications Incorporated, 1994. 1-180. Print.Maguire, Gregory. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. 1st edition. New York: HarperCollins, 1996. 406. Print.Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. 3rd edition. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications Incorporated, 1994. 1-166. Press.