The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Arthur Dimmesdale faces many challenges throughout the course of the novel, which causes him to evolve. Despite his many good qualities, he does not confess, while Hester Prynne gets publicly shamed for the sin they committed together. This adds up to the reader’s lack of empathy for Dimmesdale. He plays the role of “human frailty and sorrow.” The activities Hester and Dimmesdale engage in are completely unacceptable in the Puritan society. Arthur Dimmesdale is a Puritan minister, he is expected to be the representation of Puritan faith, so he refrains from disclosing the truth.

Everyone makes a mistake in life that they regret; in Dimmesdale’s case, he kept his sin hidden. Hawthorne uses various methods to depict Dimmesdale’s struggle to overcome the oppressive Puritan society and reveal his true identity. The laws, religion, and members of the community set high expectations for Dimmesdale to live up to. He is pressured to please his people and obey the rules of his society, but he knows that they will not accept who he really is. The community’s expectations cause Dimmesdale to punish himself for his sin instead of confessing.

The Herodians hated Jesus because they were afraid that he would take their fame away from them. The last and final of the main groups that hated Jesus was the Chief Priests. They hated him, because they were afraid that he would take their power.2 Now for the illegal proceedings of Jesus' trial. The problem is that Jesus was crucified when Pontius Polite declared him innocent. There are several illegalisms that we are going to look at.3 The first one that we are going to talk about is the charges placed against Jesus.

Blake strongly and openly criticized how the capital and industrialized system abused its people, killed children, and forced prostitution. Blake openly and defiantly attacked the English church because of its beliefs and thought that the doctrines were a form of social and mental control meant to encourage people to be obedient and accept poverty which Bl... ... middle of paper ... ...he church he writes about how God is always there and will guide you to safety. He believed that children should stay innocent and pure. Blake did not get the attention he wanted when he was alive but eventually his work was noticed and he is now a historical role model when it comes to art and poetry. Works Cited Ohen, Lloyd.”George Zimmerman And Justice.” Commentary 134.3(2012): 8.

Dimmesdale suffers greatly because of the consequences of his refusal to acknowledge his sin and is therefore portrayed as a hypocrite because does not confess his sin still continues to act as a well-respected minister. When the reader is first introduced to Dimmesdale they do not realize he is a hypocrite until later in the book. His hypocrisy is first made apparent when Hester is on a platform in front of the town as punishment and Dimmesdale is called to force Hester to confess who the father is: “Hester Prynne,” said he [Dimmesdale], leaning over the balcony and looking down steadfastly into... ... middle of paper ... ... of truth. At the end of the novel Hawthorne draws a conclusion from the story that “Among many morals which press upon us from the poor minister’s miserable experience, we put only this into a sentence-- Be true! Be true!

Instead, he attempts to cover up his sin and use Hester 's sin instead in his sermons. A faithful minister would not attempt to hide his sins from his congregation; and only to make matters worse; he is a hypocrite by preaching about how terrible Hester 's sin was, even though he committed it as well. Internally Dimmesdale

For most of The Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale chose to lie. Dimmesdale also believes that his sin has taken the meaning out of his life. His life's work has been dedicated to God, and now his sin has tainted it. He feels that he is a fraud and is not fit to lead the people of the town through their Puritan beliefs. Dimmesdale knows that he has done wrong.

It has been argued that the pre-reformation church was a corrupt and failing institution and therefore Henry had to totally overthrow the running of the church and appoint himself as the Supreme Head in order to reform church practice. Traditionally many historians have argued that the people of the early sixteenth century agreed with Henry in his decision because the church in England was a deeply unpopular institution. Anti-clericalism according to this line of argument was widespread. As G R Elton puts it, "People in England thought little of Priests". The clergy were widely despised.

His life's work has been dedicated to God, and now his sin has tainted it. He feels that he is a fraud and is not fit to lead the people of the town to salvation. His secret guilt a much heavier burden than Hester's since he must hold it all within himself. This also reveals Dimmesdale weakness. Arthur wanted desperately to admit his sin to the world, which is shown throughout the book.

Although he tried to live a double life of being a pastor and a man who is trying to keep his greatest sin a secret. He cannot come to terms to confessing his sin even if his guilt i... ... middle of paper ... ...ter.” (149). While Hester had to receive the penance of her actions and conquer it, Dimmesdale was still in hiding like the coward he presented himself as. He views Hester as the one that got the better end of the situation by saying “Happy are you, Hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly upon your bosom! Mine burns in secret!” (167) Dimmesdale envies Hester’s letter because she has no need to hide form anyone and live in secret.