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Arthur Dimmesdale's Transformation

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Arthur Dimmesdale's Transformation
Arthur Dimmesdale, or better yet, Pearl’s father, is a dynamic character. The minister undergoes an exploration of guilt, love, violence and remorse during the pages of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter. During each scene new information is unveiled to reveal the true characteristics of the Hill’s beloved Reverend. Purple is the most dominant color on my character mandal because it symbolizes transformation. In the opening chapter of the novel, Arthur Dimmesdale is still attempting to grapple with the fact that he is Pearl’s father- but, is not married to his daughter’s mother, Heaster. For the past nine months Hester has been locked up in jail, so although the adultery issue existed it wasn’t front and center everyday for all the other Puritans to witness and gossip about. Now that Hester must deal with her sentencing of being forced to wear a scarlet letter on her breast, as well as, public ridicule up on the town scaffold. This Dimmsdale to begin to feel like a fraud, a liar- ironic right? Since he is the most revered man of the Puritan village, who would dare begin to think their minister was wearing a …show more content…
The reason Roger Chillingworth was able to leech the life from Dimmsdale was due to his illness. The doctor was continually by the Minister’s side. Chillingworth even convinced the townspeople he should take up residence with the Minister in order to help him overcome disease. “ While thus suffering under bodily disease and gnawed and tortured by some black trouble of the soul…” The illness Dimmsdale suffered from not only damaged him physically but also mentally, as referred to earlier with the color red- he tortured himself.
Overall, Dimmsdale showed traits from many other colors, but predominately he was purple, black, red and yellow. Purple for transformation. Red for violence. Black for fear and remorse and yellow for his
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