Dimmesdale's Sin In The Scarlett Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne
Which is more important, to admit one’s sins to the public or keep one’s faults to oneself? In this novel, it is better to admit to one's errors because it takes a lesser toll on one’s physical, mental, and spiritual state. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Reverend Dimmesdale, the clergyman, suffers the most pain because he hides his sin from the rest of the world. Dimmesdale shows physical signs of pain due to his inward suffering and guilt. As Hester pressures Dimmesdale to let her keep Pearl, Hester describes Dimmesdale’s appearance as, “careworn and emaciated” and “his large dark eyes had a world of pain in their troubled and melancholy depth”(133-134). This example proves that the stresses and pressures of Dimmesdale's sin has aged him. The townspeople view Dimmesdale …show more content…
When Hester and Dimmesdale are talking in the forest, and Pearl is playing nearby, he thinks aloud, “‘Dost thou think the child will be glad to know me?’ asked the minister, somewhat uneasily. ‘I have long shrunk from children, because they often show a distrust, -a backwardness to be familiar with me. I have been afraid of little Pearl!’ ”(244). Dimmesdale becomes anxious when talking with Hester about meeting his daughter, Pearl. He has nervous emotions towards officially meeting Pearl and the anticipation of meeting her causes Dimmesdale additional mental stress. While on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl, Dimmesdale, pretends to speak to the people of New England, “I stand upon the spot where, seven years since, I should have stood; here, with this woman, whose arm, more than the little strength wherewith I have crept hitherward, sustains me, at this dreadful moment, from grovelling down upon my face!” (305). After seven years, Dimmesdale realizes he made a mistake. He has a revelation that he should have stood with Hester when she was publically shamed, this causes him guilt as shown through his
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How Old Is Dimmesdale In Scarlet Letter
573 Words | 3 PagesDimmesdale is the biggest jerk of The Scarlet Letter. From the beginning of the book, Dimmesdale is a hypocrite. Although it is implied that he preaches against premarital sex as a Puritan pastor, Dimmesdale commits adultery with Hester. After getting Hester pregnant, he avoids visiting Hester and his daughter for seven years.
Dimmesdale In The Scarlet Letter
1227 Words | 5 PagesHester and Dimmesdale have both committed adultery, but Hester accepts and embraces what has happened. Alternatively, for Dimmesdale, enduring seven long years of guilt and sin are required to get him to finally reveal the truth. Taking so many years to do so shows how
Who Is Dimmesdale's Decay In The Scarlet Letter
417 Words | 2 PagesHowever, Dimmesdale’s strong conscience will not rest while his sin goes unpunished, leaving him with a burning desire for both penalty and disclosure. It is illustrated that Dimmesdale’s conscience is plagued after his sin, and this distress intensifies once he learns of Hester’s new place in society, as a matronly figure. Dimmesdale’s hiding of sin and internalization of guilt damages his conscience and tears apart his
Dimmesdale And Chillingworth In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne
727 Words | 3 PagesIn the novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne tackles the issue of hiding sins by using Dimmesdale and Chillingworth as pawns to portray his view on sinful secrets. Dimmesdale’s main argument relies on divine powers, while Chillingworth focuses on nature in his argument. Dimmesdale argues that sometimes people want to confess their sins, but cannot because they fear they won’t be able to redeem themselves, so instead of confessing, they just leave their secrets for the divine powers to reveal. While Dimmesdale and Chillingworth are talking about the man from the grave, Dimmesdale points out the fact that “‘he earnestly desired [to reveal his sin] but could not’“ (123). He is able to state that so easily because the man he is actually
The Unknown Shame Of Arthur Dimmesdale In The Scarlett Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne
933 Words | 4 PagesDimmesdale remembered all th pain and embarrassment Hester had felt on the scaffold where she was punished for the sin she had committed. He goes to the scaffold and lets the guilt build up. “And thus, while standing on the scaffold, in this vain show of expiation, Mr. Dimmesdale was overcome with a great horror of mind, as if the universe were gazing at a scarlet token on his breast, right over his heart. ” Not just the guilt of himself and what he had done, but of what Hester had gone through and kept his secret all along.
Conformity Revealed By Arthur Dimmesdale In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne
836 Words | 4 PagesHumans have a tendency to conform and often neglect the potential consequences of doing so. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author introduces those consequences through a respected clergyman and sinner named Arthur Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale struggles with his guilty conscience and cowardice to confess his sin which prompts him to abide by societal rules but question himself in private. Dimmesdale’s conflict between outward conformity and inward questioning contributes to the novel’s message that everybody must confront their sins or they will fall victim to some form of retribution.
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765 Words | 4 PagesThis was the first part in the book when Dimmesdale went on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl. When all three of them were on the scaffold Pearl was described as “Pearl she a symbol, and the connecting link between the two”(139). When they were on the scaffold pearl connected Hester and Dimmesdale. As soon as Pearl held hands with both of them she felt as if she was no longer a product of sin because of Hester and Dimemsdasles actions. When the townspeople saw this they thought that Pearl was a magical human that brought together two people in a tough time.
Consequences Of Sin In The Scarlet Letter
796 Words | 4 PagesThe Consequences of Sin Sin is defined as “an offense against religious or moral law”. The idea of sin and being ostracized for your sins was extremely relevant during the Puritan period when religion was the greatest component of daily life. The Puritans believed that they had entered a covenant with God and therefore any sin, such as crime and adultery were considered a breach of their covenant with God. This view led to the church punishing people who committed sin in order for God not to punish the church as a whole. The consequences and effects of sin is shown through the character development in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter.
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1158 Words | 5 PagesDimmesdale’s guilt, which stems from his dread of not living
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660 Words | 3 PagesMany people are said to be weak individuals, because of how they choose to live their lives. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Arthur Dimmesdale is being characterized as a very weak individual who can only make bad decisions that cause him guilt and stress. Dimmesdale denies being the father of Pearl, and having an affair with Hester. Guilt begins to take over his life, and to make himself feel better about hester taking all the punishment, he harms himself.
Who Is Dimmesdale Punish Sinners In The Scarlet Letter
1000 Words | 4 PagesIn the book The scarlet letter , Nathaniel Hawthorne questions the reader by questioning whether it is okay to punish sinners since we all have committed sins. Scarlet letter takes place in massachustes in new england in the time of colonization of the new world.at the time massachustes is very religious and the church has alot of power over the people, they control almost evry aspect of their life and punish thoose who commit sins. Dimmesdale is the head of the church in salem massachusetts and he is defined by how people admired him and how people liked him, this traits affect the theme and other characters in the story because it makes dimmesdale look pure and sin free making people make wrong assumption and decisions when it come to dimmesdale. At the beginning of the book Dimmesdale is liked by his community and is well respected.
The Scarlet Letter Dimmesdale's Transformation
523 Words | 3 PagesMany characters from The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, changed throughout the progression of the novel, — including Chillingworth, Hester, and even Pearl herself. No character, however, has changed as much as Dimmesdale has. Towards the beginning of the novel, Dimmesdale tries to ignore his sinful actions. Near the middle of the book, the clergyman, with the ‘help’ of Chillingworth, is able to realize his wrongdoings, and starts obsessively thinking of those wrongdoings. Around the end of the novel, with the help of the forest’s freedom, is able to finally repent correctly for his sin.
Dimmesdale's 'Judgment In The Scarlet Letter'
690 Words | 3 Pages“The child’s own nature had been born amiss, —the effluence of her mother’s lawless passion, —and often impelled Hester to ask, in bitterness of heart, whether it were for ill or good that the poor little creature had been born at all” (Hawthorne, 541). This shows how much she has internalized the judgment of her peers. In many other chapters, Hester perceives Pearl as a positive outcome of her sin, but in this particular quotation, Hester is questioning if it was even worth it at all. These dark thoughts and feelings continue in this chapter when Hester contemplates
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978 Words | 4 PagesFor instance, in Chapter 3 while Hester is up on the scaffold in front of society as a consequence for her sin of adultery,
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