ipl-logo

Dimmesdale's Transformation In The Scarlet Letter

281 Words2 Pages

After Dimmesdale and Hester have their discussion in the forest about freeing themselves from the harsh Puritan society, Dimmesdale ends up having a characteristic transformation. Dimmesdale feels that he has just released his sin that he has been keeping secret all this time, which causes him “at every step to do some strange, wild, wicked thing or another, with a sense that it would be at once involuntary and intentional, in spite of himself, yet growing out of a profounder self than that which opposed the impulse.” This passage is closely foreshadowing how in the new future, Dimmesdale is going to break free from his common characteristic of the noble minister, that he has worn so far throughout the story. Hawthorne also chooses to mention

Show More
Related

  • How Did Arthur Dimmesdale Change Throughout The Scarlet Letter

    191 Words  | 1 Pages

    Arthur Dimmesdale has experienced multiple changes during the novel. During the novel, Arthur Dimmesdale has been extremely convicted about the sin he has committed because he hasn't told anyone but Hester about it. Arthur is so extremely convicted that he intentionally tried to hurt himself every day in order to cope with his horrible sin. To avoid telling anyone, Hester, Pearl, and Arthur plan to board a Spanish ship headed to Europe. Arthur and Hester believe that in doing this, he will not be as convicted and will be able to live a happy and wonderful life with Hester and Pearl.

    Read More

  • Dimsdale's Childhood In The Scarlet Letter

    336 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dimsdale’s Decision By Aurora Tennant Have you ever had to make a really hard decision? This was exactly the position Dimsdale was in. We know that adultery was committed. I believe that he should have confessed in the beginning. Conversely some believe, he should not have confessed in the beginning.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Of Reverend Dimmesdale From 'The Scarlet Letter'

    540 Words  | 3 Pages

    There is always a defining moment in every novel revealing how a certain character will be shown. These moments are “first” seen through the initial action of each character and then ended by their “last”. Each “first” defines how someone is seen, but there is always a turning point in each novel that changes at least one character for the better. The “last” of Reverend Dimmesdale from The Scarlet Letter shows how much he has changed since the beginning of the novel into a better, more dauntless man. At the beginning of the novel Reverend Dimmesdale acted cowardly, not being strong enough to reveal the truth of his sin thus allowing the guilt to destroy him inside out.

    Read More

  • How Did Arthur Dimmesdale Believe In The Scarlet Letter

    935 Words  | 4 Pages

    This refers to Dimmesdale’s beliefs that the townspeople honor him only because he keeps secrets from them. Lastly, his guilt from misleading the townspeople tempts him to announce his crime. However, Dimmesdale cannot explain to them his misdeed, or he will lose everything he has, including his reputation. Lastly, when Hester and he congregate in the woods, she suggests that he takes comfort in the people’s reverence of him. However, he answers that it brings him “only the more misery.”

    Read More

  • How Old Is Dimmesdale In Scarlet Letter

    573 Words  | 3 Pages

    While everyone around Dimmesdale thinks he is a kind and sensitive sweetheart, Dimmesdale is obviously a jerk from the way he treats Hester. Dimmesdale constantly received compliments about how godly and good he was, and highly respected by the townsfolk. He had “a freshness, and fragrance, and dewy purity of thought, which, as many people said, affected them like tile speech of an angel.” He therefore knew he had enough power over the town in order to allow Hester not to wear the Scarlet

    Read More

  • How Is Dimmsdale Presented In The Scarlet Letter

    741 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dimsdale is reluctant to admit his sin because he has the mentality that he can never lose respect from the public however in order to gain redemption for his sins he has to sacrifice his reputation. Dimsdale is one of the main characters in Nathaniel Hawthorn’s “The Scarlet Letter” he is the minister of the puritan community in Boston and everyone in the community looks up to him. Dimsdale is the puritan minister of Boston who has a high reputation who is considered to be an important member of the community. Sin is intolerable within the puritan community and that is why Dimsdale is so conflicted when it comes to confessing his sin since he is a person that everyone looks up to.

    Read More

  • Arthur Dimmesdale Quotes

    551 Words  | 3 Pages

    He feels he shouldn't be a minister or have people look up to him. On the last day of his life he sees Hester in the woods, they talk and make a plan to runaway together. Leaving, Hester, Dimmesdale feels a million times better. The excitement of Mr. Dimmesdale’s feelings as he returned from his interview with Hester lent him unaccustomed physical energy, (Hawthorne 204). That night he writes his speech to step down as a minister.

    Read More

  • Dimmesdale In The Scarlet Letter

    1227 Words  | 5 Pages

    Dimmesdale’s True Colors Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, also the father of Hester’s child, showed prominent parts of his character throughout the story. The first trait the reader becomes aware of is Dimmesdale’s cowardice. He has no intentions of revealing his sin to the public, due to how highly he is seen in the community’s eyes. Remorse, or guilt, is another term that can be associated with Dimmesdale, growing increasingly more prominent as the novel goes on. Cowardice, a lacking of bravery when facing danger, was a trait that Dimmesdale carried.

    Read More

  • Dimmesdale's Sorrowful Nature In The Scarlet Letter

    147 Words  | 1 Pages

    In order to reveal Dimmesdale's sorrowful nature. Hawthorne describes the different actions the poor minister takes in order to attempt to atone for his sins such as “[fasting]” and his use of a “bloody scourge” he genuinely believed that this would help to purify himself of his sins and to relieve the burden that he was forced to bear upon his shoulders, however his attempts to atone ultimately lead to even more torment. Hawthorne discloses this by describing Dimmesdale’s visions of the “herd of diabolic shapes, that grinned and mocked at the pale minister” this further reveals the utter anguish that he is going through another example of this is the vision of his mother “turning her face away as she passed by” the emotional

    Read More

  • Who Is Dimmesdale's Decay In The Scarlet Letter

    417 Words  | 2 Pages

    “And the infectious poison of that sin had been thus rapidly diffused throughout his moral system” (Hawthorne 174). In The Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale serves as the holiest person many people meet in their moral lifetime, and as the purest embodiment of God’s word. However, Dimmesdale has a wounding secret, a cancer, that tears his soul apart throughout his time in America. Dimmesdale falls prey to sin in a moment of passion with Hester, resulting in her condemnation by the townspeople, and the birth of their child, Pearl. For years, Dimmesdale’s life is defined by an internal conflict - his job demands his purity in the eye of the townspeople, but he desires the acceptance of herself that Hester achieves through her sin being made public.

    Read More

  • Pride In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

    830 Words  | 4 Pages

    Although it is not stated in the text, Dimmesdale, similar to which is further elaborated on by Mary Diorio. She discusses the issues that Dimmesdale faces, such as how being a preacher and a man of God is pulling him down. Diorio demonstrates the challenge Dimmesdale must face, ultimately deciding that “His fear of losing his good reputation is greater than his love for Hester. (Diorio

    Read More

  • The Guilt Of Dimmesdale In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'

    319 Words  | 2 Pages

    Erin Joel Mrs. Janosy English 2H P 5 22 October 2015 Quote Explication Dimmesdale is trying to overcome a conflict within his own soul, defying his own religion, and choosing to do wrong by keeping his sin to himself. In a theocracy type community like Dimmesdale's, God is known as the supreme civil ruler, and a crime would be known as a sin. On the other hand, Hester’s sin was made known to the public, receiving the public shame and ridicule she deserved. During the duration of time when the public knew Dimmesdale was hiding his sin, “the agony with which this public tortured him” (Hawthorne 119).

    Read More

  • The Scarlet Letter Dimmesdale's Transformation

    523 Words  | 3 Pages

    All that Dimmesdale has to live for his life is serving out his sentence; this is where, Dimmesdale must make a huge decision on whether he should conceal sin, or let his words roam free. When the minister is able to go into the forest, which is a place unlike Puritan society, he is able to talk with Hester, which lets him become his true self: where he is able to come out to the public of his

    Read More

  • Dimmesdale And Chillingworth's Secrets In Scarlet Letter

    361 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dimmesdale and Chillingworth both have secrets that make them look and act differently, their secrets affect their character and how they do their job. Dimmesdale is the father of Pearl but he doesn 't want to face the same humiliation as Hester did for his sins. Because of his secret he self punishes and fasts, he also preaches better than he did before although his health is failing. Chillingworth’s secret is that he was the husband of Hester while he was away, before she cheated on him. Chillingworth gets uglier and uglier driven by the need to get revenge on Pearl’s father.

    Read More

  • Arthur Dimmesdale's Moral Development In Scarlet Letter

    978 Words  | 4 Pages

    In 1964, Lawrence Kohlberg, a psychologist introduced the idea that humans evolved through different stages of morality. In the novel, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne male characters exemplify a moral development as the story unfolds. In particular, Arthur Dimmesdale’s morality differs from the beginning of the novel to the ending of the novel. His morality undergoes continuity and change by constantly changing from selfishness, social order, and social contract. Dimmesdale undergoes the morality maintaining the social order and being considerate of others to eventually being selfish and only thinks about himself.

    Read More

More about Dimmesdale's Transformation In The Scarlet Letter

Open Document