The True Meaning Of Dimmesdale's Scarlet Letter

He knows what is right and wrong but one example has been haunting him in his life. Now in a Puritan society, sin had to have been confessed publicly and they must bear their shame. This however goes against what the Word actually says and this is what created Arthur Dimmesdale as a character. He most likely has already repented to God but his guilt will not leave until he confesses it to his congregation and it leads him to other “ways” of repentance. Being reminded of his guilt 24/7 causes his his health to deteriorate to the point of death, possibly alluding to the fact that the wages of sin are death.

In the story the Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst the narrator knows what he did was wrong. In the end, he realized that his own pride was the downfall for his own little brother. For wanting a normal little brother and not a crippled one. As stated on page 2 “ It was bad enough having an invalid brother, but having one who possibly was not all there was unbearable, so I began to make my plans to kill him by smothering him with a pillow”. Clearly, in this sentence, it shows that the narrator would rather have no brother at all than having one that is crippled.

Hester can wear her scarlet letter in public, and has adjusted enough to continue living a normal life. Dimmesdale, on the other hand, lives in secret with his scarlet letter affecting him more every day. He envies how Hester has managed to embrace her scarlet letter, while his guilt is only increasing. At one point, Dimmesdale feels so much envy that he says, “Happy are you, Hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly upon your bosom! Mine burns in secret!

It is the land of her ancestors and wants to pass down her way of life to her future children. Today, one can see the pride that the Québécois take in their rich history and culture. The establishment of a bilingual province bearing the motto, “Je me souviens,” recognizes that the citizens of Québec take pride in their lineage and will not forget the past that has shaped their present. Adrien Hébert was an artist from Québec that is remembered for painting scenes of Montréal during the early 20th century.

But looking back, the only thing she was leaving behind were bad memoirs of her childhood. America has changed Mori, when she visits Japan people think she’s a foreigner because she’s dressed the way “Americans” would dress and she speaks good English. America was a safe getaway for Mori, it allowed her to get married and

Edna kills herself at the end of the novel and frees herself from the social confinements. Edna, in the beginning of the novel, tailors her life to the path set before her. A mother of two, Edna 's life does not concern herself, but her husband and children. All of Edna 's interests are thrown to the side to make way for her family, as a mother-woman would do in the nineteenth century. Edna understands

That there is not always that whole happily ever after. It is up to you to find that silver lining that makes your ending something great or not. Marry Antin found her way after her mother died and she moved to America all the way from Russia. Though all of this she saw things in a positive light. Antin then goes on to be the great writer she is to inspire others.

However, 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

To begin with, Hester acts as an individualist in the story. Although Hester has challenged the Puritans’ rules and people look at her as an outcast, she finds a place for herself in the society through her charity and needle works. As a result, people start interpreting the scarlet letter as “Able” instead of “Adulterer” (Hawthorne 158). The narrator describes Hester as a heroic individual who accepts her punishment by keeping the scarlet letter on her chest and starts rebuilding her life. Although Hester thinks that Reverend Dimmesdale, her lover, must be happy that nobody knows about his affair with Hester, Dimmesdale tells her, “I should long ago have thrown off these garments of mock holiness, and have shown myself to mankind as they will see me at the judgment seat.

This feeling of pride is what led Creon to his demise. The play, “Antigone” by Sophocles is about pride and reveals to the readers that too much pride leads to destruction. The first time this theme reveals itself is while Antigone is consulting with Ismene about burying Polyneices, their brother who died, and was thought to have dishonored the family in Creon’s eyes. Due to these circumstances Polyneices was banned from being buried and from taking the journey of the afterlife to heaven.

Her husband’s death freed her and she saw the best moments of life that were to soon come. In a brief period of time where there should have been grief there was instead joyfulness and relief. She realized that she would have the rest of her life to live for herself and not her husband. There is no one to command her anymore and this is why

Defining Chillingworth as a worse sinner than both Hester and himself, Dimmesdale worries about Chillingworth exposing their relationship to the public. Therefore, he suggests Hester moving to Europe to live as a family. Hester and Dimmesdale have decided to move to Europe for their child and themselves too. Feeling joyfulness, Dimmesdale throws the scarlet letter away from Hester’s bosom. Hester, knowing that Dimmesdale will be a father of Pearl, tells him that both he and Pearl should be able to know each other as a father and a daughter.

“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.

The Scarlet Letter represents the struggle between man and sin, yet it can be repealed by the hand of God who redeems those worthy. There are two cases in the story, one being Hester who openly lives in sin and Dimmesdale who hiddenly lives a fake life. Both handle their matters differently which determine the roles and outcome of them in the story. In Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester is indeed the protagonists who makes wise decisions and moral choices that positively affect her life. Although Dimmesdale is a reverend and serves the Lord under his church, his actions do not change throughout the story resulting in his demise.

Essay #1 Dimmesdale’s concealment of his sin of adultery caused him to almost entirely go insane, if not completely. He would punish himself for his sin by torturing himself. For example, he would whip himself with a “bloody scourge”, but he almost seemed to enjoy it, as he would laugh while whipping himself. He refused to seek outside help, and his undertaking of care from Chillingworth would eventually lead to his death.