The differences in Dimmesdale’s behavior and attitude in the marketplace and the forest are substantial. To begin, the first time that the reader sees Dimmesdale is in the marketplace in chapter three. At this point, the reader does not know that he is the father of Pearl, but he has the opportunity to confess that he has committed adultery. He is pushed to ask Hester who the father is, yet he is quite reluctant. Once he begins to interrogate her, however, his speech is strong and relentless. Completely determined to convince Hester to confess who the father is, he even acknowledges the fact that it will hurt his own reputation. “Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, …show more content…
Fast forward to chapter twelve and Dimmesdale is up on the scaffold again, this time by his own accord. This instance is the only time in the marketplace, before the final chapters, that he expresses his guilt and repentance. The marketplace setting, in general, is very dark and full of gloom with no real shed of light or happiness. However, Dimmesdale’s demeanor in the forest is quite different. For the first time in the novel, Dimmesdale is able to express how he truly feels about his sin with another human being. He has a meaningful encounter with Hester as he openly elaborates on his inner guilt and shame. This is also the first time in the novel in which he feels some form of relief by being able to look into the eyes of someone who knows his sin. “Had I one friend, —or were it my worst enemy! —to whom, when sickened with the praises of all other men, I could daily betake myself, and be known as the vilest of all sinners, methinks my soul might keep itself alive thereby. Even thus much of truth would save me!” (Hawthorne
Life is unpredictable, and through trial and error humanity learns how to respond to conflicts and learns how to benefit from mistakes. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is a character who changes and gains knowledge from the trials he faces, but first he has to go through physical, spiritual, and emotional agony. In the midst of all the havoc, the young theologian is contaminated with evil but fortunately his character develops from fragile to powerful, and the transformation Dimmesdale undergoes contributes to the plot’s climax.
In the words of Alexander Pope 'To err is human.' Everybody makes mistakes. It is human nature. However, how one deals with the mistake is much more important than the mistake itself. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Dimmesdale and Danforth's sins have similar motives, but the characters have distinctly different methods of sin and resolution.
Cowardice creates self-destructive lies with which an individual must conceal themselves to delay the inevitable ramifications of their wickedness. The Bible states, “the cowardly…sexually immoral…idolaters and all liars [will] be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur” (NIV Revelations 21:8). Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter, depicted a holy minister who hypocritically hid within cowardice despite the commands of the Biblical teaching in which he preached. Through reverend Arthur Dimmesdale’s actions and motivations, cowardice was exemplified in order to prove the minister’s regret of adultery with a woman who was less significant to him than Hawthorne’s readers were led to believe. Arthur Dimmesdale’s weakness in hiding behind
Seven years later, in the middle of the night, Dimmesdale finally admits to his sin while standing on the scaffold, just as Hester did so very long ago. It has been eating away at him all this time and feels that he also must be punished, though he cannot bring himself to confess publicly. He even brands his chest with the same letter "A" that Hester has been forced to wear upon her clothing to show that she is an adulterer.
Instead of humbling himself in front of everyone in the beginning, he chooses his pride and his position of power over God’s merciful grace. In conclusion, with these arguments, it is indisputable that Dimmesdale experiences more guilt than any other character. He attempts every possible way to circumvent the inevitable.
In further developing Dimmesdale's character, Hawthorne portrays him as a hypocrite. His outward demeanor deceives the villagers, appearing as a completely holy man. However, before the action of the novel begins, he stumbles into sin, by committing adultery with Hester Pryn...
Guilt, shame, and penitence are just a few of the emotions that are often associated with a great act of sin. Mr. Arthur Dimmesdale, a highly respected minister of a 17th century Puritan community, is true example of this as he was somehow affected by all of these emotions after committing adultery. Due to the seven years of torturous internal struggle that finally resulted in his untimely death, Mr. Dimmesdale is the character who suffered the most throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Mr. Dimmesdale’s ever present guilt and boundless penance cause him an ongoing mental struggle of remorse and his conscience as well as deep physical pain from deprivation and self inflicted wounds. The external influence of the members of his society
Everyone waits outside the prison doors because they can’t wait to see Hester, our main heroine, stand alone on the scaffolding. In her arms, she carries the infant of an unknown father. She sees her ex-husband in the crowd, and he looks like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. People come to witness this from all around the town, because they obviously have nothing better to do. They want to see her be branded like a cow. There is a gleaming, embroidered “A” on her chest, and only an “A” because she was too dumb to spell ‘adultery’. That, as well as a lack of thread. Dimmesdale, a poor, pasty Reverend, walks on top of the scaffolding with Hester in order to question her about the baby daddy. Hester, unlike Maury, does not admit the identity of the father. SPOILER ALERT: It is Dimmesdale, the Reverend.
The Scarlet letter wrote by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This story has 3 main characters name Hester, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth they are related each other, they are many stories happened and in the third scaffold scene, the woman loses her dream, her husband loses his victim, the young man regains his soul
That man who Hester loves so deeply, Mr. Dimmesdale also undergoes major changes due the sin he bears. In the beginning of the book we see this man’s weakness and unwillingness to confess sin even as he begs Hester the person he committed his sin with to come forth with her other parties name (p56). As The Scarlet Letter progresses we see Dimmesdale become weaker physically and his religious speeches become even stronger so that his congregation begins to revere him. For a large part of the novel Dimmesdale has been on a downward spiral in terms of mental and physical health thanks to a so-called friend who was issued to take care of Mr. Dimmesdale, then because of a talk with Hester he is revitalized and given the power to do something, which he could not for seven long years. At the end of the novel Dimmesdale is finally able to recognize his family in public and confess his sin before all releasing the sin he held so long hidden in his heart (p218, 219).
A good idea for a new character in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter would be a friend to Arthur Dimmesdale, named Abel Danforth. As the novel stands, Dimmesdale is a Puritan minister who had an affair with Hester Prynne. Hester throughout the novel is publically shamed for her sin, but her fellow adulterous, and father to her daughter, Pearl, remains unknown to the public. Abel would be the one that Dimmesdale confides his sins to. Also, in the novel is Hester’s husband, Roger Chillingworth. Chillingworth, under false identity, is Dimmesdale’s doctor who secretly abuses him emotionally. Abel would stand up to Chillingworth for his sick friend.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Mr. Dimmesdale’s greatest fear is that the townspeople will find out about his sin of adultery with Hester Prynne. Mr. Dimmesdale fears that his soul could not take the shame of such a disclosure, as he is an important moral figure in society. However, in not confessing his sin to the public, he suffers through the guilt of his sin, a pain which is exacerbated by the tortures of Roger Chillingworth. Though he consistently chooses guilt over shame, Mr. Dimmesdale goes through a much more painful experience than Hester, who endured the public shame of the scarlet letter. Mr. Dimmesdale’s guilt is much more damaging to his soul than any shame that he might have endured.
In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, many characters go through the great transformation. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale - a key character of the plot - is one of them. Throughout the story, Dimmesdale undergoes his own transformation from a weak and cowardly man who refuses to take responsibility for his actions to a person who admits his sins and finally finds his happiness.
Rev. Dimmesdale suffered through things and had nothing to ease the pain he felt inside. While Hester wore an A on her shirt, he wore an A that was carved onto his chest. The difference between Hester and Dimmesdale was that Hester had someone to comfort her while she was dealing with adultery, her daughter. dimmesdale didn't have any family members or someone that would really be there for him.
Dimmesdale is not ignorant, he is very well educated. As Hawthorne states, “…Rev. Mr. Dimmesdale; a young clergyman who had come from one of the great English universities, bringing all the learning of the age into our wild forestland. His eloquence and religious fervor had already given the earnest of high eminence in his profession.” (Hawthorne 72) This man’s morals had, until the adultery, been high. He is very spiritual because on top of being of the Puritan faith, he is a minister of the word of God. Throughout most of the novel, Rev. Dimmesdale is forced to hide his guilt of being Hester’s partner in sin. When in reality, he is not being forced by anyone, but himself, for he is the one who chooses not to reveal his secret to the town. Dimmesdalehas a concealed sin that is, eating at him. He just doesn’t have the courage to admit his wrongs. He seems to be a coward during these seven years of living with guilt. There is a scene in chapter 3 where Rev. Dimmesdale states, “Hester Prynne…If thou feelest it to be for thy soul’s peace, and that thy earthly punishment will thereby be made more effectual to salvation, I charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow –sinner and fellow-sufferer! Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for,