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Symbols Used By Arthur Dimmesdale In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

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When you choose to hold onto a secret, your brain stimulates in your mind just how bad sharing the secret will be, imagining all the possible outcomes.With Arthur Dimmesdale’s decision to conceal his secret he released upon himself negative feelings which led him to self hate and harm.Arthur Dimmesdale’s sin of concealment leads to his downfall because the burden was heavier which led to self punishment, denial of God's worthiness, and eventually death. As a servant of God, it is Dimmesdale’s duty to tell the truth, so lying about adultery for seven years was especially hard on him. Dimmesdale believes that he is a fraud and unfit to lead a town to salvation. He also does not share his sin because he is weak-minded. During Hester’s trial at the beginning of the book he pleads for her to tell the name of the father, not just for her sake, but for his own. "I charge thee to speak out the name of the thy fellow-sinner and fellow sufferer! Be not silent for any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for believe me... yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart …show more content…

The novel The Scarlet Letter uses a type of symbol thats meaning changes as the story unwinds and progresses. In the novel, Hester Prynne is obligated to wear an embroidered letter “A” as a punishment for committing the crime of adultery. The scarlet letters meaning changes from adultery, to able, and eventually to awe, throughout the course of the novel.
As the news spread of the crime that Hester committed, the people of town weren’t hesitant to judge Hester for the sin against God and her husband. The reason why the scarlet letter started off symbolizing adultery is because her accessory was a large embroidered “A” that really meant adultery. Puritans in Boston were supposed to notice the symbol so Hester would live her life alone and embarrassed, however as the years passed and the crime became less

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