Theme Of Guilt In The Scarlet Letter

Guilt in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s the “Scarlet Letter”

In the Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, the unnamed narrator is engulfed with so much guilt for a murder that he committed, it causes him to mentally break down and confess to the murder. Secrets and conflicts cause people to have mental illnesses and they come to the point where they can no longer live with themselves. In the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne characterizes Arthur Dimmesdale to have passion towards the town seamstress, Hester Prynne. Dimmesdale’s passion with Hester conflicts with his status and duties as the town minister. The conflict ultimately leads to Dimmesdale’s self-abuse and death. Even though, Dimmesdale tries really hard to keep his passion a secret,

Dimmesdale has to be under the care of Chillingworth, who is currently pretending to be a doctor. While “caring” for Dimmesdale, Chillingworth is actually looking for vengeance because he knows that Dimmesdale had an affair with Hester. Hawthorne says, “His nerve seemed absolutely destroyed…. even while his intellectual faculties retained their pristine strength, or had perhaps acquired a morbid energy, which disease only could have given them,” (138). Dimmesdale comes to the point where thinking like an adult man is impossible. Mentally, he is weaker than a child. He cannot support his physical self any longer. He is torn between his morals and action because his instincts have caused him to act so inappropriately. His insides are literally battling each other, leaving him weaker and weaker. Dimmesdale says, "bringing me hither, to die this death of triumphant ignominy," (267). Right as he was dying. He is thanking God for punishing him so much because he believes he deserves it. While Dimmesdale has guilt pumping through his veins, he does not realize that he is being punished by so many surrounding forces already. Chillingworth is punishing Dimmesdale through his “doctoral care”, and Dimmesdale is also punishing himself, through fasting and vigilance. His body can not support the battle between his mind and soul while being punished from so many outside forces.

Dimmesdale’s sin and guilt ultimately shows that guilt will bring out the truth in the end. Dimmesdale is not honest about his adultery with Hester, and while he does not lie, by not saying anything about it, it’s just as bad as if he did. The text says, “No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true” (200). This shows how Dimmesdale wore a mask pretending he did not know anything about Hester’s pregnancy, but the truth came out. In fact, he is the father! Fact is always stronger than someone’s emotions, and since fact is truth, that is what is most important. Hawthorne states, “It is a good lesson - though it may often be a hard one - for a man... to step aside out of the narrow circle in which his claims are recognized, and to find how utterly devoid of significance, beyond that circle, is all that he achieves, and all he aims at,” (32). In Dimmesdale’s mind it is very important to come out and say the truth however not important enough to prevent it from affecting his values. If he had come clean with the facts he wouldn’t have had such a big impact on him in the long run. After the scaffold seen where he finally reveals the truth, so much weight is lifted off his shoulders. if only he had done it earlier maybe, his life would probably have been spared. The significance of