How Does Arthur Dimmesdale Present The Community In The Scarlet Letter

Throughout the novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne illustrates the Puritan community as judgemental. Naturally, humans attempt to hide their mistakes and imperfections from the world. The protagonists of the story battle with concealing their feelings of shame from the town. Hawthorne shows that self-isolation will inevitably lead to the destruction of one’s character, suggesting that those who admit to their sins are able to thrive. He accomplishes this by contrasting character changes between Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth, and Hester Prynne. Arthur Dimmesdale serves as the venerated minister of the tightly knit Puritan community. The Puritan’s lives revolve around religion, so Dimmesdale provides moral guidance to the

At the same time Chillingworth travels across sea, Hester gives birth to her daughter, revealing to the community that she had an affair. Hester constantly endures the ignominy of the public by wearing an “A” on her bosom for the rest of her life. She withdraws herself from society by moving to a remote cottage on the edge of the forest. They also excommunicate her from the church and do not allow her daughter, Pearl, to attend school. Despite these obstacles, Hester and Pearl learn to thrive. She continues to hold onto her regrets; however, her personality flourishes. Hawthorne portrays Hester as a strong individual, who even alters the stigma surrounding her. The women of the town eventually see her positive attitude, and they begin to interpret the scarlet letter differently: “Such helpfulness was found in her, - so much power to do, and power to sympathize, - that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength” (151). Their interpretation of the letter shifts, and although Hester becomes an outcast of the community, she embraces her sin and learns to live with it. Her determination to continue to help others express her growth from her mistakes. Hester allows herself to prosper because she has no secrets or guilt holding her back