Thou little knowest what a relief it is, after the torment of a seven years' cheat, to look into an eye that recognizes me for what I am! In the end, this guilt destroys him. He's a weak man who sins and won't accept his punishment, and the hypocrisy eats away at him. Recognizing that death is imminent, he chooses to purify his soul at the last minute by confessing his sin publicly and revealing the scarlet letter A that has appeared on his chest over his heart.
And in the end, he is strong enough to be grateful: "God… is merciful! By sending yonder dark and terrible old man, to keep the torture always at red-heat! By bringing me hither, to die this death of triumphant ignominy before the people! Had either of these agonies been wanting, I had been lost for ever! Praised be his name!
His will be done! We can't like Reverend Dimmesdale, exactly, and we can't quite respect him, either. But in the end, we do feel sorry for him. Parents Home Homeschool College Resources. Study Guide. By Nathaniel Hawthorne. When he is on his own, he starts to write his sermon he is to deliver in 3 days on Election Day. He tosses the original draft into the fire and writes a new one from scratch.
The inauguration day for Boston's new governor has arrived. Dimmesdale is among the officials in the procession through the marketplace, and looks more energetic and healthy. He glances at Hester, which makes her concerned of his behaviour. He delivers a powerful sermon to the crowd, which is about New England thriving with the power of God. It was a success and is the most greatest moment in his life, with the delighted crowd praising him.
As everyone goes to the town hall for a banquet, they murmur when Dimmesdale, now pale and weak again, nearly collapses and can barely walk. He realizes that his failing health is taking an effect on him and he is now going to die. The Governor Bellingham and John Wilson try to help him, but he pushes them aside and pauses as he sees Hester and Pearl standing in front of the scaffold.
He ignores Chillingworth trying to stop him as he asks his lover and daughter to climb up the scaffold steps with him. He tells her this is better than when they were in the forest and begs her to take responsibility for his punishment; even saying that God will be forgiving, and that he will finally reveal his secret before his dies.
Supported by Hester and Pearl, Dimmesdale turns to the crowd and announces that he is guilty of the same sin Hester has been punished for. He collapses and asks Pearl to kiss him. She does, while she wept. He bids farewell to Hester, saying that their reunion in the afterlife will be decided by God. He then passes away in her arms as the crowd watches in awe. Dimmesdale was interred in the King's Chapel churchyard, and after Hester's death years later, they both share a headstone with an "A" symbol on the grave's black background.
Arthur Dimmesdale is a young man who is deeply religious and devoted to his profession as a Boston minister. He believes in his Christian morals and often depicts the words of God in his sermons.
At times, his sermons can be powerful and eloquent, which may be the reason why he is so beloved and respected by the locals, as they were deeply moved by his sermons and his soft, compassionate voice.
He is talented enough to offer education and morality to the human heart and to the Boston citizens, as well as argue about the importance of his secret daughter to Hester while defending her from the authorities. He originally received his education from an English university and is often intelligent at his position.
In addition, he is devoted towards God and often thinks about the consequences that his saviour can bring to him and to his people, including when he would rather be punished from God than the townsfolk and tells Hester that the holy lord can decide their fate in the afterlife when they would be with each other again.
His sermons were originally about spiritualism and God's virtue to the Puritans, but as he becomes more insane and demented, the topic then focuses on sin and makes him tremble when in the presence of his parishioners. Despite his respect and intelligence, he is usually a fearful, sensitive and weak man. After his relationship with Hester and got her pregnant, he realizes that he had done something really evil and knew he will face a grim punishment that would leave a black mark on his reputation.
His sensitivity is overbearing for him and wanting to be more revealing, but he is so afraid of the consequences, he instead chose to confess of it in secret and to himself, since he refuses to share it to anyone; not even to Chillingworth.
His intense fear, anxiety and stress takes a toll of his fragile health and the more he is secretive and worried, the more his health damages until he is on the verge of death. He is also afraid of Chillingworth's ruthless cruelty, and he finds himself turning insane and torturing himself while being tormented mentally by the physician, as well as being anxious of the physician exposing his secrets.
These punishments include hurting himself such as whipping himself and even having an "A" symbol carved onto his flesh, as a symbol of his adultery guilt like how Hester wore the scarlet letter on her chest like him. He also has visions of Hester and Pearl, which leaves him more tormented and guilty. His tortured life makes him miserable and is too weak, both physically and emotionally, to do anything to stop it and constantly blames his own frustration for his sin.
He grows more sickly possibly from his own stress that results in him developing a fatal heart condition that could be caused from his "A" scar.
While he is supportive and sympathetic to Hester by defending her from having Pearl being removed from her care, he barely interacts with her during the first few years after their daughter and doesn't even bother to offer her more help as she struggles being an outsider. He even sees his over as sinful and child as a symbol of sin and immorality, and they have been indirectly responsible for his demented misery and is unable to clean up his act from bearing an illegitimate child.
He is often a bit shy whenever he is around Hester and Pearl, and can be too afraid to speak up to them. Such as when his voice breaks when he gives a sermon to Hester and when he turns down Pearl into wanting to join each other as a family. But as Hester is willing to save him escape from Chillingworth's cruelty, he temporarily brightens and recovers on the idea of him restarting his new life and for once be a more devoted partner and parent.
He is also more kind and compassionate to Hester's situation and towards Pearl, and whenever he is with them, he feels more warm and safe. But the severe pain he caused on himself continued to have his health fail rapidly until he is at death's door when he mounts the scaffold and shows off his "A" scar to the public. Dimmesdale is described as having fair, pale skin with brown eyes, and generally becomes more frail as the novel progresses. He also wears Puritan minister clothing to symbolize his position as a clergyman.
Hester Prynne - Dimmesdale's lover. His relationship with her resulted in the birth of their child, and finds himself racked with guilt and shame of his adultery and indirectly allowing them to suffer from their sin.
Despite being disregardful of her originally, such as asking her to reveal her lover's name at her public shaming, he really does care of her such as when he defended her from the governor wanting to take Pearl away by speaking out about the girl's importance to her mother. He looked up to her for help and agreed on the idea of wanting to restart his life with her. Before he died in her arms, he hopes they will be together again in the afterlife.
Pearl- Dimmesdale's daughter. Conceived from his affair with Hester, Dimmesdale at first saw her as a "demon-child" but knew that she is essential to Hester as her faithful companion to prevent her from sinning again.
He tries to show his love to her, such as holding her hand and kissing her like a father, and as he lays dying in Hester's arms, he has Pearl kiss him as a sign she loves him as well.
Roger Chillingworth - The physician Dimmesdale lived with and looked after while he was sickly. He may had thought he could help him feel better, but ends up being manipulated and tortured by him for revenge.
He has large, melancholy eyes and a tremulous mouth, suggesting great sensitivity. An ordained Puritan minister, he is well educated, and he has a philosophical turn of mind. There is no doubt that he is devoted to God, passionate in his religion, and effective in the pulpit. He also has the principal conflict in the novel, and his agonized suffering is the direct result of his inability to disclose his sin.
Of the four major characters in this novel, which investigates the nature of evil and sin and is a criticism of Puritan rigidity and intolerance, Dimmesdale is the only Puritan. One really cannot understand Dimmesdale or his dilemma without at least a cursory understanding of the Puritans who inhabited Boston at this time see the essay "The Puritan Community" in the Critical Essays and Hawthorne's psychological perspective through which he presents this tragic character.
In Puritan terms, Dimmesdale's predicament is that he is unsure of his soul's status: He is exemplary in performing his duties as a Puritan minister, an indicator that he is one of the elect; however, he knows he has sinned and considers himself a hypocrite, a sign he is not chosen.
The vigils he keeps are representative of this inward struggle to ascertain his heavenly status, the status of his very soul. Note that Hawthorne says of Dimmesdale's nightly vigils, which are sometimes in darkness, sometimes in dim light, and sometimes by the most powerful light which he could throw upon it, "He thus typified the constant introspection wherewith he tortured. Finally, to add to the Dimmesdale dilemma, the Puritans — therefore, Dimmesdale — did not believe that good works or moral living earned salvation for the individual.
As Dimmesdale states, "There is no substance in it [good works]. Since God created the soul and infused it in the human body, salvation is predestined. They reasoned that the elect — that is, God's chosen people — would not or could not commit evil acts; they would act the role, as it were; thus, Dimmesdale's dilemma. As a minister, Dimmesdale has a voice that consoles and an ability to sway audiences.
His congregation adores him and his parishioners seek his advice. As a minister, Dimmesdale must be above reproach, and there is no question that he excels at his profession and enjoys a reputation among his congregation and other ministers. His soul aside, he does do good works.
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