What Are Hester Prynne And Dimmesdale's Attitude Towards Public Shame

The characters of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale in Hawthorne's book The Scarlet Letter exhibit similar and contrasting attitudes towards public shame, private shame, and the effect of the shame which ultimately shapes their lives and abilities to live in the book. The way Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale deal with their shame publicly and privately allows the reader to get a sense of compassion and empathy toward the two, while also providing how they relate to each other. Hawthorne alludes to the theme of guilt and how actions have consequences along the way. Hester and Dimmesdale's sins were sins of passion. This passion ultimately led to their own shameful mess. Hester was publicly shamed in front of the Puritan Society. On the

Hester and Dimmesdale’s shame was privately and publicly expressed. Dimmesdale’s shame was private and faced internally. It constantly ate at him and his health deteriorated because of it. He never shared his pain and anguish over his shame with anyone. Dimmesdale is a respected minister and pillar of the community. Him being in such high regard for the people makes it hard for him to acknowledge his sin. The effects of Hester and Dimmesdale’s shame differ greatly. Hester’s shame was a form of punishment, but within that punishment, it allowed her to find strength in herself. In contrast, Dimmesdale’s shame eats him alive, and makes him sick, weak, and even insane. Dimmesdale, like Hester, does also experience a good aspect from their sins. He became a better preacher and his sermons are amazing. His sin and shame was all that was on his mind. Which created for better, more personal sermons, although the townspeople didn’t question the sermons, Dimmesdale himself struggled with preaching something he couldn’t do himself. Regardless of them both having shame for the same sin, Hester and Dimmesdale had very different outcomes coming from the