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This essay explores Nathaniel Hawthorne’s spiritual quest into the mystery of sin by examining his use of the Unpardonable Sin and the Fortunate Fall (felix culpa) in The Scarlet Letter and The Marble Faun. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne foregrounds “the Unpardonable Sin,” which is his version of the unpardonable sin that Jesus speaks of. Revised as it is, “the Unpardonable Sin” shows that the author is under the influence of New England Puritanism’s emphasis on the justice of God. In contrast, The Marble Faun shows a shift in Hawthorne’s attitude toward sin. Employing the early Christian concept of the Fortunate Fall, Hawthorne tests an alternative to the Puritan way of understanding sin. While the unpardonable sin is related to Original Sin and the Puritan notion of the total depravity of humanity, the fortunate fall emphasizes God’s love for humankind. This shift in Hawthorne’s moral awareness does not indicate an artistic decline in the author’s work. Rather, it suggests a spiritual maturity as he breaks free from the limits of his Puritan worldview. By reflecting on the negative views of both Puritanism and Roman Catholicism pervasive in nineteenth century America, Hawthorne draws the reader into the two romances. He then goes on to shed positive light on the two religious traditions in an effort to bring both of them justice. In the process, he seeks an answer to his own lifelong question of the mystery of sin. By innovating such concepts as the unpardonable sin and the fortunate fall and crossing over the boundaries of Puritanism and Roman Catholicism, Hawthorne implies that the established Church is a means to salvation, not the ultimate authority over an individual. This focus on Hawthorne’s quest into the truth of sin reveals the concerns of nineteenth century New Englanders with regard to their spiritual situation.