Moral Consequences Of Sin In The Scarlet Letter
Moral Consequences of Sin William Shakespeare once said, “Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall”. Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne shows the moral consequences of sin are being in outcast in society and punishing oneself. Hawthorne tells the reader the only ways for one to be redeemed is to help others or owning up to their own mistakes. As a result of making mistakes, everyone should do some kind of virtue to redeem oneself. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne wants the reader to know that the only ways to redeem oneself from making such substandard mistakes are too help others or confess to what they have done.
The act of adultery is a crime against the individual, that individual being the wrong husband or wife. But, adultery
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Society does not penalize him because the social order does not know of the sin that he has committed. He is a greater offender than Hester because, to the offense of adultery, he adds the sin of concealment or hypocrisy. His double standard saves him from social censure or any other form of societal action. Had society come to know his crime, it would have sentenced him to death. Dimmesdale is the victim of his conscience only, “He had striven to put a cheat upon himself by making the avowal of a guilty conscience”(136). Dimmesdale's conscience not only allows him no peace, but is a source of constant torment to him. He is constantly haunted by a sense of his own guilt. Concealing his mistake for as long serves only to intensify his misery. He undergoes various kinds of penance, including vigils, fasts, and flagellation. Soon after his forest interview with Hester, he hardens himself and determines to make a public confession of his sin. Dimmesdale is redeemed by owning up to his own mistakes, “Even thus much of truth would save me”(183). He carries out his resolves to unburden his heart, and in a few minutes, meets his end on the scaffold. This incident is the climax of his spiritual development. He confesses his guilt and gives away his life, but he has established his right to a place in heaven by virtue of his act of genuine confession. As Hawthorne points out, a man like Dimmesdale should not commit a crime
How Did Arthur Dimmesdale Believe In The Scarlet Letter
935 Words | 4 PagesOne spontaneous but significant mistake made by Arther Dimmesdale caused him to live the rest of his life crawling with guilt. Arthur Dimmesdale, in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, had an affair with a married woman, and that crime ruined the lives of almost everyone in the novel. The Scarlet Letter remains a classic to this day because it emphasizes harsh penance which highlights the difference between the treatment of sinners today and those during the 17th century. The way Puritans view sin and guilt cause Dimmesdale’s life to come to an unfortunate end.
Scarlet Letter By Arthur Dimmesdale
778 Words | 4 PagesDimmesdale presumes, “That my labours, and my sorrows, and my sins, and my pains, should shortly end with me, and what is earthly of them be buried in my grave, and the spiritual go with me to my eternal state, rather than that you should put your skill to the proof in my behalf.” As mentioned before, the truth always comes out and Dimmesdale is naive to think the townspeople can be deceived into having a perfect image of the Reverend. Arthur Dimmesdale is the image of a reverend on the path to heaven but, after the sins committed, becomes a man of hypocrisy. Dimmesdale believes dying with the sins would end the transgressions, however, the Reverend soon finds out that the soul and body of Dimmesdale would be tortured into revealing the
Shame In Lydia Woodyatt's 'Power Of Public Shaming'
638 Words | 3 PagesHawthorne declares, “‘But still, methinks, it must needs be better for the sufferer to be free to show his pain, as this poor woman Hester has, than to cover it all up in his heart” (Hawthorne 131). In other words, Hester is fortunate in Dimmesdale’s eyes because she confesses her sins to the public; Dimmesdale bears his sin upon his heart. One’s indignity provokes more of a chance to change because a hidden guilt can weigh in on them. Woodyatt writes, “Taking responsibility can then lead to self-forgiveness and resolving our feelings of shame” (Woodyatt). In other words, Hester Prynne forgives herself for all of her sin; similarly, the common learns to forgive her too.
Who Is Dimmesdale's Suffering In The Scarlet Letter
522 Words | 3 PagesDimmesdale and Hester suffers because of the sin they did. Dimmesdale feels guilt even though he never confesses that he is the farther. He would go to the scaffold at night and stand there screaming trying to get the people to come outside to see him but it was just all in his head when she would stand on the scaffold during the day with the red A on her chest she felt guilt even though she would not tell anyone who the farther is and for having an affair while her husband was missing for years. For example, Dimmesdale does not want to confess about his sin because he does not want to face the consequences. This is illustrated when Dimmesdale says, “then and there before the judgment-seat, thy mother and thou, and I must stand together” (Dimmesdale 139).
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.
The Scarlet Letter Penance Vs. Penitence
604 Words | 3 PagesDimmesdale had achieved a brilliant popularity in his sacred office. He won it, indeed, in great part by his sorrows. (Hawthorne 128) The guilt of his sin has eaten him alive, so much that his visage and demeanor are almost cadaverous. Dimmesdale does not confess his sin until the end of the novel because he does not want to disappoint his congregation.
Arthur Dimmesdale's Guilt Quotes
1158 Words | 5 PagesIn Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale commits a mortal sin by having an affair with a married woman, Hester Prynne. As a man of the cloth in Puritan society, Dimmesdale is expected to be the embodiment of the town’s values. He becomes captive to a self-imposed guilt that manifests from affair and his fear that he won’t meet the town’s high expectations of him. In an attempt to mitigate this guilt, Dimmesdale acts “piously” and accepts Chillingworth’s torture, causing him to suffer privately, unlike Hester who repented in the eyes of the townspeople. When Dimmesdale finally reveals his sin to the townspeople, he is able to free himself from his guilt.
The Guilt Of Dimmesdale In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'
319 Words | 2 PagesErin 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).
Who Is Dimmesdale Guilty Of Adultery
582 Words | 3 PagesWhen we keep secrets we also keep guilt and guilt will destroy us from the inside. In the book of scarlet letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and how one woman who committed adultery with a character named dimmesdale who is the town revered. Dimmesdale kept secrets to maintaining his reputation but actions the guilt eats him from the inside. Dimmesdale the town revered for the puritan religion. He commits adultery with Hester and has a child, but instead of facing his sin he keeps inside for no one to know.
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 Responsibility For Sin In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne
878 Words | 4 PagesHester and Dimmesdale each are equivalent in the sin that they commit, but their lives and fates are different because Hester had to repent for her crimes while Dimmesdale bottled up his guilt inside. The indirect result of Dimmesdale’s concealment of the truth was Chillingworth’s torture, which played a large role in Dimmesdale’s untimely death. Chillingworth snapped when Hester did not reveal Dimmesdale’s crimes. Hester, in part, helped Dimmesdale in
Arthur Dimmesdale's Moral Development In Scarlet Letter
978 Words | 4 PagesIn 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.
Compare And Contrast Dimmesdale And Chillingworth A Sinner
480 Words | 2 PagesThe Scarlet Letter Essay Roger Chillingworth and Arthur Dimmesdale were two of the main sinners in The Scarlet Letter. Both characters kept their sins secrete throughout the story. These sins included adultery, revenge, and even murder. Out of the two sinners, Chillingworth was the worst, because he never felt guilt for the terrible things he was doing. Dimmesdale spent his entire life in guilt and remorse for the sins he had committed (“Who”).
The Hidden Sin In The Scarlet Letter
686 Words | 3 PagesHe was the last person that people would think as a sinner. Dimmesdale was sin when he was committed adultery with Hester. He broke the law of church, but he was afraid to face the punishment and indifferent attitude from he masses. As a faithful follower, Dimmesdale also afraid the punishment of God, so he flog himself with a whip. The physical and spiral torture and the control of Chillingworth stranded him in a world that he cannot contact with others.
Social Status In The Scarlet Letter
754 Words | 4 PagesHowever, at Dimmesdale’s deathbed, when he finally confesses, he realizes that his “death [is] of triumphant ignominy before the people! Had either of these agonies been wanting, I had been lost for ever!” (Hawthorne 383). Dimmesdale finally feels the freedom when he steps down to Hester’s level and onto the scaffold. By lowering his belief if his status, Dimmesdale is able to
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