Scarlet Letter Quote Analysis

Reverent Dimmesdale 's journey through the story shows how his insecurities effect his decisions. Dimmesdale often let his thoughts of rejection from his life as a loved godly man take away from what he needed to do. He shows, by these actions, a want to be accepted that is so strong that it can overpower his churchly values. Dimmesdale 's inner-conflict with his conscience demonstrates how his need to fit in with society overpowers his value to have a pure repented heart.

Dimmesdale isolates himself from society because his sin that he refuses to repent makes him paranoid to anyone he comes in contact with. The quote "Trusting no man as his friend, he could not recognize his enemy when the latter actually appeared." (pg. 128) is a good example
The scene in the story where the colony finds Dimmesdale 's sock on the scaffold is a good representation of how high Dimmesdale 's pedestal is in their mind. Though the people know whose sock they 've found they force the thought that it 's the devil 's because they are so deep in with their minister that believing that he 's sinned makes their believes 'lies '. These people, who should be a comfort for Dimmesdale, because he has a following that loves him, are really what end up killing him in the end because the reason he couldn 't confess was because he wanted their approval; also, they make him feel guilty for lying to them since they have so much faith in him. Another way society pulls him is by punishing Hester as much as they did. Dimmesdale feels guilty because he gets off clean and squeaky while Hester gets a life full of ridicule for her and their daughter. This affects him so much because he feels like she wouldn 't be in the situation if not for him; also because Hester let him off the hook and took all the humiliation on herself and he wasn 't even enough of a man to step up and admit to what he did on his on accord. If society was softer on Hester he wouldn 't have been so consumed by his