How Does Arthur Dimmesdale Conceal His Guilt

Aryan Bandyopadhyay

Mrs. Van Sant

Honors English II

13 November 2017

Human flaw depicts that no one is perfect, but rather posses some sort of hidden sin. Often the result of one’s secrecy and alienation from society leads to the feeling of guilt and sometimes, psychological torment. Throughout the novel there are many signs of Dark Romanticism and human flaw. Human frailty and sorrow is derived from the concept of secret sin and internal conflict, thus connecting the emotional and physical state. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Dimmesdale’s inability to cope with his secret sin is illustrated through his repetitive desire for death and torment, which demonstrates human’s innate weakness to conform to problems in a dynamic society leading to their sorrow and desire to avoid guilt.

Dimmesdale struggles to conceal his guilt and secret sin, affecting his mind and causing psychological and physical torment. Dimmesdale’s internal damage is seen through his oscillating health and negative emotional state of mind. In addition to that, he also physically wounds and exerts himself to his limits. This is supported by when Dimmesdale claims that, “ Oftentimes, this Protestant and Puritan divine had plied it on his own shoulders; laughing bitterly at himself the while, and smiting so much the more pitilessly, because of that bitter laugh” (Hawthorne 132). These extreme acts of atonement result in his suffering of physical weakness, causing him to become weak in overall spirit. Hester Prynne is one of the few people that Dimmesdale can share his secret sin with. By speaking with Hester about this Hawthorne reveals to the reader that he has become enlightened and feels a lesser sense of guilt. This reveals that sorrow and weakness is a result of keeping secret