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The Guilt Of Reverend Dimmesdale

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In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is convicted of adultery and the whole town ostracises her for her sin and the secrecy of who the father is, who is coincidentally their preacher, Reverend Dimmesdale. The town fails to find out the true identity of the father until he confesses seven years later after the birth of Pearl. While Hester is able to forgive herself with the help of her only treasure, Pearl, Reverend Dimmesdale does not forgive himself. When Rev. Dimmesdale fails to confess and forgive himself, he dooms his life forever because of the burden of his sin; but, not only did it hurt his life, it hurt Hester and Pearl and the rest of the community. Reverend Dimmesdale feels very guilty for not confessing to …show more content…

The only way that they could all be a family was if Dimmesdale confessed. Dimmesdale is driven to confess because Pearl feels like his responsibility because he truly does love her, “nothing is sweeter than these marks of childish preference… the minister looked round, laid his hand on the child’s head, hesitated an instant, and then kissed her brow.” (ch 8). Pearl is a reminder of his sin and he is uncertain about showing love to her, but that doesn’t change the fact that he does love her and Hester. Hester was publicly humiliated by wearing the scarlet letter, A, on her bosom. Hester willingly took the blame for all of it even though it hurt her, “Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life” (ch 3). Dimmesdale is begging Hester to put the blame on him, but she does not want to cause him shame so she carries the blame for both of them. This hinders Pearl and Hester because they have much more of a burden to carry since Dimmesdale has no punishment according to

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Arthur Dimmesdale Quotes

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Consequently, Arthur Dimmesdale is the cause of Hester Prynne's shame for he is the man whom Hester loves. No one knows he is the father of Pearl, Hester won't say and he isn't strong enough to speak up. He struggles with this knowledge that Hester is being punished and not him. The only truth that continued to give Mr. Dimmesdale a real existence on this earth was the anguish in his inmost soul, and the undissembled expression of it in his aspect, (Hawthorne 142). Being a minister of God the citizens look up to him, and he feels guilty about his hidden sin.

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Pearl And Reverend Dimmesdale In Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter

1041 Words | 5 Pages

Hester went to plead that the officials of the town leave Pearl in her care and not take her away to be raised by any one else. When it seems that Hester is losing this battle she asks Dimmesdale to speak in her defense which he does quite passionately. This desire to protect the mother and daughter bond of Hester and Pearl is what seems to draw Pearl to approach Dimmesdale and take “his hand in the grasp of both her own…” and lay “her cheek against it; a caress so tender…” (The Scarlet Letter, Chapter VIII) Dimmesdale’s defense and Pearl’s reaction are two cues that lead the reader to begin seeing the truth of who Pearl’s father

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Arthur Dimmesdale's Guilt Quotes

1158 Words | 5 Pages

Dimmesdale suffers differently from Hester, because while she “bore it all” to the townspeople (181), his fears forced him to hide his sin, living a life full of “nothing but despair” (177). Hester, though made a social pariah of the town, has a more honest and healthy way of dealing with her sin. Because Hester is forced to face her wrongdoings under the watchful eye of her Puritan neighbors, she did not have the same guilt of secrecy that Dimmesdale did. Dimmesdale, by hiding his sin, allows himself to become a captive to his guilt. The way that Dimmesdale dealt with his guilt was unhealthy for him, both mentally and physically.

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Compare And Contrast The Minister's Black Veil And The Scarlet Letter

119 Words | 1 Pages

In the short story “The Minister’s Black Veil” and the novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne tells the stories of two men who keep their sins secret and are hurt deeply. In The Scarlet Letter, Reverend Dimmesdale does not reveal his sin to the community and experiences far more pain than Hester, whose sin is revealed. Years after the original sin, Hester has healed and is accepted by the community, while Dimmesdale still feels guilty, as can be seen when he mounts the scaffold. Dimmesdale’s experience is similar to that of Reverend Hooper, who covers his face after a secret sin and is eschewed by the community. When we refuse to admit our faults, we will feel guilty

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Who Is Dimmesdale's Suffering In The Scarlet Letter

522 Words | 3 Pages

Dimmesdale and Hester suffers because of the sin they did. Dimmesdale feels guilt even though he never confesses that he is the farther. He would go to the scaffold at night and stand there screaming trying to get the people to come outside to see him but it was just all in his head when she would stand on the scaffold during the day with the red A on her chest she felt guilt even though she would not tell anyone who the farther is and for having an affair while her husband was missing for years. For example, Dimmesdale does not want to confess about his sin because he does not want to face the consequences. This is illustrated when Dimmesdale says, “then and there before the judgment-seat, thy mother and thou, and I must stand together” (Dimmesdale 139).

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Forgiven Hester's Letter Persuasive Letter

260 Words | 2 Pages

Hester, Pearl, and Dimmesdale were all forgiven by god. Hester breaks free from all the negativity and her beauty finally shows. Dimmesdale is still lived by all the citizens. Pearl becomes rich and lives a great life. Hester and Dimmesdale were no longer tortured by god.

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Arthur Dimmesdale's Shame In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

1655 Words | 7 Pages

However, in reality, Hester's infamy was strengthening her, while Dimmesdale’s self-humiliation was weakening him. Although it may seem that his hesitance towards confessing his sin was killing him, it can be seen as the only thing keeping him alive. Hester may have been tormented by her mistake but she ended up being

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Who Is Dimmesdale's Decay In The Scarlet Letter

417 Words | 2 Pages

“And the infectious poison of that sin had been thus rapidly diffused throughout his moral system” (Hawthorne 174). In The Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale serves as the holiest person many people meet in their moral lifetime, and as the purest embodiment of God’s word. However, Dimmesdale has a wounding secret, a cancer, that tears his soul apart throughout his time in America. Dimmesdale falls prey to sin in a moment of passion with Hester, resulting in her condemnation by the townspeople, and the birth of their child, Pearl. For years, Dimmesdale’s life is defined by an internal conflict - his job demands his purity in the eye of the townspeople, but he desires the acceptance of herself that Hester achieves through her sin being made public.

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The Guilt Of Dimmesdale In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'

319 Words | 2 Pages

By Dimmesdale's hand always on his chest, everyone makes the connection that he is the father of Pearl because of the Scarlet Letter on Hester’s

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Juxtaposition In Scarlet Letter

752 Words | 4 Pages

In The Scarlet Letter, author Nathaniel Hawthorne makes it evidently clear that the Minister, Dimmesdale, is the father of Hester Prynne's illegitimate child, Pearl. With a series of increasingly elevated indications of his fathership, Hawthorne is able to foreshadow Dimmesdale’s role in the adultery that causes Hester to live her life in solitude. As the novel entails, Hawthorne introduces Dimmesdale to readers in The Recognition, which is a slight giveaway in itself. Yet, Hawthorne describes Dimmesdale so meticulously, unlike many of the other characters, which consequently gives off that he must be a very important character in the novel.

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The True Meaning Of Dimmesdale's Scarlet Letter

184 Words | 1 Pages

Rumors flew regarding how Dimmesdale got his scarlet letter: he carved it himself out of guilt, Chillingworth’s strong hatred increased its power, and that it was burnt onto him out of regret. All these rumors reflected the pain Dimmesdale got because he only thought of protecting his own reputation at first. Revealing that hiding anything and only to protect personal benefit will destroy one’s spirit and soul. Dimmesdale’s death impacted many characters. Chillingworth had no more sin to feed on and therefore withered; Pearl, found a happy new life in Europe.

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Examples Of Sinning In The Scarlet Letter

561 Words | 3 Pages

Both Dimmesdale and Hester commited the same sin of adultery, resulting in Pearl. However, because Hester confessed the sin early on, she had the rest of her life to try and change the purpose of her scarlet A to mean something more than just sin. Which she succeeds in, the people refused to interpret the scarlet letter for sin and instead for “Able.” Soon after, the people had almost forgotten what the original meaning of the scarlet letter was. On the contrary Dimmesdale doesn’t confess his sin and lives a terrible life of self-harming and guilt.

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Dimmesdale's Responsibility For Sin In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

878 Words | 4 Pages

Therefore, when Chillingworth gets to torturing Dimmesdale, she has already confessed her guilt over three years. Therefore, her emotional trauma is virtually nil compared to Dimmesdale’s and she also has relatively little emotional tension. Right before Hester enters the Forest with Pearl, “…Hester’s nature showed itself warm and rich; a well-spring of human tenderness, unfailing to every real demand, and inexhaustible by largest.” (110-111) When one compares this with Dimmesdale’s sick, decrepit state at this time in the book, one can see the difference between Hester and Dimmesdale, and following that the effects of divulging guilt and concealing it.

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Suffering Of Hester And Dimmesdale In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

332 Words | 2 Pages

The bible said “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Hester and Dimmesdale both fell short of the glory of God but, that does not mean they should BE executed or punished for their sins any longer. They both endured a lot of suffering for their sins and did not deserve any more, they both confessed and took responsibility for it. They are forgiven. For example, In The Scarlet Letter Hawthorne wrote, “Ah, but let her cover the mark as she will, the pang of it will be always in her heart.” The consequences of her actions will show their face to remind her of what happened, especially Pearl’s birth, it acts as a charitable mistake that they will always have bearing down on them.

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604 Words | 3 Pages

However, he will not repent for his sin until he confesses. Penitence is regret for one’s wrongdoing. Dimmesdale does not feel penitence for his sins: Happy are you, Hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly upon your bosom! Mine burns in secret! Thou little knowest what a relief it is, after the torment of a seven years' cheat, to look into an eye that recognizes me for what I am!

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