The Scarlet Letter is based around sin and its effects. Different characters deal with their sins in different ways. Some show it in a subtle way and for others it is much more evident. Dimmesdale’s life is a good example of the effects of sin on people. This can be seen in the guilt he feels, the way he falls into farther temptation, and how his sin affects his relationship with others.
Dimmesdale, a young minister, and Hester Prynne committed adultery together. Hester was forced to bear her shame publicly whereas Dimmesdale’s sin went unknown. This did not save him from internal turmoil however. He was filled with great guilt and anxiety. The Scarlet Letter talks about these feelings. “He had striven to put a cheat upon himself by making the avowal of a guilty conscience, but had gained only one other sin, and a self-acknowledged shame, without the momentary relief of being self-deceived”(Hawthorne 99). He wanted to admit that he was not this saintly person everyone saw him to be. This absence of a confession only brought further
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He was seen in his community as a person to look up to and trust because of his kindness and Puritan morals. After he falls farther and farther into sin it changes how he treats people. There are a couple of times he acts apon temptation leading him to treat people poorly rather than with his usual warmth. “So-with a mightier struggle that he had yet sustained-he held his Geneva cloak before his face, and hurried onward, making no sign of recognition, and leaving the young girl to digest his rudeness”(Hawthorne 150). At this point his sin is no longer just effecting him but the people around him. Dimmesdale was always seen as a living saint which obviously made people look up to him. This change in personally could make people lessen their trust and respect for him and could also make impressionable people follow in his