What does dimmesdale and hester's affairs say about the role of women? How does this affair connect to the plot of the book?

Gender roles are very set in stone. Women were largely subjugated by men. Puritan society, however, frowned on any romantic relationships outside of marriage. Hester's affair with the town priest would have been most sinful. What Hawthorne sets out to portray, then, is how the private thoughts, the private torture and guilt and emotional destruction of the people involved in the affair, are more than enough punishment for the crime. We wonder whether the state or society has any right to impose law in private matters between citizens. Does adultery really have no impact upon the lives of others? If not, it should not be seen as a crime against the village. A more charitable reading of the Bible would come later in reflections on the New Testament interpretation of adultery law, namely, that the public need not step in to punish a crime when we ourselves have our own sins to be judged. Each person suffers enough already for his or her own sins.