“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 tall, skinny, and "pretty" people; it's the same with evil. Some people view people who torture and murder others as evil, while others view large corporations as evil. Evil goes against someone's morals or the morals that society has created for us; this is where evil becomes distorted because no one believes everything the other does. Humans created this concept of evil for themselves, whether it was intended for their blood or a figment of their imagination is yet to be understood. Humans are not born evil, but the boundaries set by society to maintain order have influenced human perception to view them as evil. When people commit evil acts, they do so for their own well-being. Whether they take the time to consider their options or act on their instincts, they have chosen the path that benefits them the most. This often hurts others, whether intentionally or not. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne's husband, Roger Chillingworth, had abandoned Hester, unintentionally, for many years. While he was away, Hester found love, in secret, with Reverend Dimmesdale and gave birth to his child. His peers shamed him for adultery when Chillingworth finally arrived. At the time, Chillingworth considered Hester his possession. Men's natural instinct is to guard and protect what they have, and when he discovered that the father of Hester's child was not being persecuted, he sought revenge to ensure to have his fair share of paper.... ..the choices he made; he carefully planned and executed his malicious actions. Although based on instinct, he took it to the point where Dimmesdale was practically tortured just with his presence and thought he was doing justice (to 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 keep it spinning, keeping it a part of everyday 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. Print.