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In chapters seven and eight, Mr. Dimmesdale is characterized as a sympathetic and understanding man. Mr. Dimmesdale is first introduced in chapter eight when he walks in to the mansion along with Mr. Wilson, Mr. Chillingworth, and Mr.Bellingworth to decide whether Hester is allowed to keep Pearl. Mr. Dimmesdale is sympathetic because he was the only one who stood up for Hester and gave reasons as to why she should keep her child. He says,” God gave her the child, and gave her, too, an instinctive knowledge of its nature and requirements,-both seemingly so peculiar,-which no other mortal being can possess. And, moreover, is there not a quality of awful sacredness in the relation between this mother and this child?”(P.86) This quote is Mr. Dimmesdale saying that God gave Hester the child for her to learn a lesson and that it would be wrong for them to take it from her because it’s God’s intentions. Mr. Dimmesdale is also understanding and this can be seen when Hester begs him to plead for her. She says,” Thou wast my pastor, and hadst charge of my soul, and knowest me better than theses men can. I will not lose the child! Speak for me!”(P.86) This is Hester characterizing Dimmesdale as an understanding man because he knows her feelings and her true self better than anyone else and can speak for her as a pastor. It further shows that Dimmesdale is understanding when Master Bellingham and Mr. Wilson agree with his reasons when they say,” Indeed hath he, and hath adduced such arguments, that we will even leave the matter as it now stands; so long, at least, as there shall be no further scandal in the woman.”(P.87) Master Bellingham and Mr. Wilson allow Hester to keep the child from Mr. Dimmesdale’s points of reasoning. Because he is so understanding and sympathetic, Hester got to keep Pearl.…
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Through all his inner turmoil, Dimmesdale still remains with a connection to God. He says that he will not confess to Chillingworth because he lacks to spirituality of God to heal a disease of the soul. Only God can heal this spiritual illness because he is the only “physician of the soul.” Dimmesdale’s religious beliefs still remain despite him growing weaker. His recognition of God’s heavenly power over him, allows him to believe that God will do with him as he pleases. Due to Chillingworth’s inability to heal him, He does not want him to come between him and God.…
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Dimmesdale can be classified as a tragic hero, but also has qualities that do not fit. His tragic flaw is actually an action that occurred in the past, and resulted in Hester Prynne's pregnancy, rather than something he was born with or into. Arthur Dimmesdale accepts death, even though with honor since he was able to concede to his relationship with Hester and Pearl. His greatness and legend left with the Puritan society is proven with the quote, “After exhausting life in his efforts for mankind’s spiritual good, he had made the manner of his death a parable, in order to impress on his admirers the mighty and mournful lesson, that, in the view of Infinite Purity, we are sinners all alike” (Hawthorne 243). Hester manages to support herself and Pearl, through sewing and still manages to give to and tend to the poor, becoming a "self-ordained a Sister of Mercy" (Hawthorne 150). She even manages to win the grudging respect of the townspeople, because she's full of "helpfulness," and so much "power to do, and power to sympathize" (Hawthorne 150). Hester’s character traits sufficiently describe one that accurately fits Henry Ward Beecher’s quote since she truly does improve the lives of others around her by correctly using her strengths for…
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Dimmesdale is a kind person who just wants to do the right thing but doesn't have the courage to confess…
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Before he accepts his flaws, he “ transfers his own responsibility to...Hester” (James 18). This makes Dimmsdale drag around a sack of shallow character mixed in with heavy guilt, causing him to have a despondent attitude. Hester feels she is “responsible to this unhappy man” for the injury she causes him (Hawthorne 153). Dimmesdale commits the same crime as Hester and his despondency is a result of his guilt, which he denies. To take the pressure off of Dimmesdale, like Hawthorne does with his guilty ancestors, Hester takes…
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Dimmesdale, the personification of "human frailty and sorrow," is young, pale, and physically delicate. 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. 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.…
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Everyone in their life goes through guilt and regret, and may have things in common with Dimmesdale. In the excerpt The Characters Reveal the Story’s Meaning from Hawthorne: A Critical Study by Hyatt H. Waggoner, he states “He first descends from his original position as the saintly guide and inspiration of the novel as very nearly the worst of the sinners in his hypocrisy and cowardice.” (Waggoner 74). Readers can learn from Dimmesdale in many ways. From reading the novel, they can see how much damage regret and guilt causes. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne states the moral of the story, “Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred!” (Hawthorne 286). This quote tells you to be true to yourself and be you. Dimmesdale is a perfect example of this, because he wasn’t true to himself and ended up paying a huge price for his guilt. Everyone knows that lying is a sin, and can have major consequences. Even if you tell your secret, you can still feel guilt after the fact. Dimmesdale is a very relatable character, and readers can understand him the most, as well as learn from him throughout the…
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Dimmesdale does not realize the life of hypocrisy he will come to live as a result of his and Hester's sin. More than once he resolved to confess his hypocrisy and take his place beside Hester, but he is too afraid of the shame open confession would bring. In spite of this, Dimmesdale does not confess his sin to the public. This is hypocritical of Dimmesdale because a "true priest" would not hide his sin from his congregation. Also, his sermons revolve around Hester's sin, which just happens to be a sin he also committed. Dimmesdale says he loves Hester but yet he refuses to climb the scaffold with Hester to reveal the truth. He keeps away from Hester and does not associate himself with her. Hester tells Pearl "[Dimmesdale] will be [at the scaffold], child. But he will not greet thee today" meaning that she believes that one day Dimmesdale will finally admit to the public that he is the father to Pearl and the man with whom Hester committed adultery…
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When Dimmesdale stands upon the pulpit, trying to fess up, he begins to worry, “Would not the people start up in their seats… and tear him down from the pulpit which he defiled… They heard it all, and but did reverence him more” (P.99). Dimmesdale half-heartedly tries to confess, never fully willing to commit to revealing his secret but receives no input from the town who loves him. Thus, he creates an excuse for himself and denies his sin. Though there is an attempt at confession, he ultimately does not profess his crime, thus continuing his denial. When sat in front of the town, “Mr. Dimmesdale was thinking of his grave, he questioned himself whether the grass would ever grow on it, because in a cursed thing must there be buried” (P.98). Dimmesdale’s guilt shows as he ponders upon his grave, he feels massive guilt that causes him pain, yet he does not disclose his mistakes. He battles himself with immense shame, but faithfully chooses to harbor pain within himself over facing the consequences of his adultery. With Dimmesdale’s reluctance to divulge his misdeed, he contrasts with…
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Hawthorne often places Dimmesdale’s character amongst the shadows, concealing him and the secret. If those surrounding him were to discover his disgraceful act, he could lose everything. By staying hidden in the heavy folds of the curtain, Dimmesdale withholds his actions and emotions while residing out of the sunlight cast upon the floor. Correspondingly, once the first opportunity passed for telling his secret, Dimmesdale took it upon himself to ensure no one uncovered the truth because of his job. His sin suddenly becomes a considerably heavier burden than Hester’s.…
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To begin with, Dimmesdale was a coward for the first part of The Scarlet Letter. Instead of just confessing his share of the sin to the public he chose to remain silent and let Hester take all of the blame. He should have just confessed right away and it probably would have saved him a lot of trouble later on in the book. Even without an immediate confession, he was given many other opportunities to speak up. He could have easily admitted his sin the day Hester was forced to stand on the scaffold. One of the bystanders in the crowd said “The Reverend Master Dimmesdale, her godly pastor, takes it very grievously to heart that such a scandal should have come upon his congregation” (48). This is a very hypocritical and cowardice thing to feel considering that Dimmesdale is the one who had the affair with Hester. Another time his cowardice shows is when Pearl asks him “Wilt thou stand her with Mother and me, tomorrow noontide?” (140) and Dimmesdale replies “Nay, not so, my little Pearl” (140). Once again, his cowardice holds him back from revealing the truth. This is very much like society today where people are scared to tell the truth and would rather sit back and let others take the fall for what they also had a part in. For example, if a group of people decide to rob a bank and one of the robbers gets arrested, in most cases the other criminals aren’t going to come clean, they are just going to let him take the blame.…
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Dimmesdale’s moral dilemma starts as he constantly tries to conceal his sin from the rest of his community. In pressure of keeping his appearance as a “godly pastor”, Dimmesdale plays the part as a sinless and holy minister (59). Him not confessing even questions Pearl who asks “but why does he not wear it outside his bosom? (225).…
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Pretending to be somebody else, by acting like them, in order to fit in or be popular is something that most people have done in their lives; however, this has always come back to bite them in the end. Similarly to how Dimmesdale did not show his true feelings and emotions in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, instead of letting people see what he was really feeling. This inner anguish is what made Dimmesdale so sickly and made the town believe he was ill and dying, when he was actually just feeling guilt for not owning up to his sin of adultery with Hester. Therefore, Dimmesdale’s outward conformity to the town’s values and beliefs while withholding his own values and beliefs led to his inevitable death proving that not being who you…
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Although Reverend Dimmesdale feels guilty for his sin, he still helps other people in their journey. For instance, after his encounter with the elderly woman, “he beheld an expression of divine gratitude and ecstasy that seemed like the shine of the celestial city on her face” that was caused because he gave her helpful words (201). This is a healthy impact Dimmesdale had on the society because he made the people he talked with feel better than before. If Dimmesdale had confessed upon the scaffold with Hester, he would not have been able to impact the townspeople, and strengthen the town’s religious roots. He helped to bolster the community’s religious roots by becoming a better preacher. Rallying the town behind his sermons, Dimmesdale had the “street and the market-place absolutely babbled… with applauses of the minister” (227). He became a far better preacher once he funneled his guilt into his sermons because it brought a fiery passion to the speeches.. This in turn, relieved some of Dimmesdale’s guilt by letting him express his sin through religion and faith. As the novel progressed he became a better figure to Hester and Pearl by spending more time with them in the forest. As Pearl spent more time with the minister, she ultimately kissed him on the scaffold, causing“a spell” to be “broken” (234). This was a great part of Dimmesdale’s life; becoming a good figure to Pearl was one of his chief goals. Becoming a better preacher, father and person was a positive impact that his “hidden” sin had on him because he influences the people around…
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Unlike Hester, Dimmesdale chose to hide his sin from the public, and, as a result, his guilt grew immensely as time went on which would eventually amount to his death. Dimmesdale’s guilt from his sin of adultery had been steadily increasing over the years. Then one night after moving in with Chillingworth, Dimmesdale tried to remedy this by “...inflicting a hideous torture on himself,” (Hawthorne 234) using a bloody scourge to whip himself, but to no avail. Since Dimmesdale’s suffering only continued after this event, it demonstrates how only confession can act as a remedy for his guilt. The weight of Dimmesdale’s guilt only grew stronger after this event destroying until he broke down and confess. After years of torment from his guilt, Dimmesdale…
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