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Who Is Arthur Dimmesdale In The Scarlet Letter

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In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne perseveres through the struggles and adversities thrown in her path. Although, this tale of sinful passion does not hold the same truth/fate for every character. Arthur Dimmesdale is a weak and feeble individual. He is a desperate and miserable man. The minister is physically fragile. Arthur Dimmesdale is also a coward. While many, like Hester Prynne flourish, the minister’s character slowly diminishes throughout this novel.
Arthur Dimmesdale is a desperate and miserable man. His sin dampens his life, affecting his daily work as a minister. He said, “Hester, I am most miserable[…] What can a ruined soul, like mine, effect towards the redemption of other souls?- or a polluted soul, towards their purification?”(Hawthorne 181). Dimmesdale is in a constant state of misery due to the sin that deeply burdens his heart. He is brought no comfort knowing that the people regard him so highly because he does not believe that a man with such a burden shall preach to those who are seeking redemption. The miserable minister, in desperation, …show more content…

As Dimmesdale falls into a state of desperation, he fails to take care of his well-being. “And leaning on a staff[…] He looked haggard and feeble[…] There was a listlessness in his gait; as if he saw no reason for taking one step farther, nor felt any desire to do so, but would have been glad, could he be glad of anything, to fling himself down at the root of the nearest tree, and lie there passive for evermore”(Hawthorne 177). The minister’s conditions weaken as he holds long vigils, fasts, and scourges himself in attempt to purify his blackened soul. His body is incredibly battered to a point that he could lay down and perish in that instant. Arthur Dimmesdale’s life purpose was to keep his sin hidden from the world. He dedicated his life to keeping this secret, which took a toll on his body

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(113) “What can thy silence do for him, except it tempt him—yea, compel him, as it were—to add hypocrisy to sin?” (62) These passages emphasize the internal conflict within Dimmesdale, he is a man who is desperately trying to hide his sins from the public. The physical description of Dimmesdale emphasizes his physical weakness and fragility, which reflects his moral weakness, linked with his unfaithfulness which brings him to fulfill sinful acts.

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“What can thy silence do for him, except it tempt him— yea, compel him, as it were — to add hypocrisy to sin?” After the different approaches Dimmesdale brought forward to the community, she is being asked to reveal his name by asking what does she get from adding on to the sin. How does her hiding the name save him, from a sin he has already done? He tried in every way to get it out of her. He asks why was it okay for her lover to perform the adultery, do the sin, but then suddenly not okay for him to take on the punishment with her in front of the community.

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Dimsdale is reluctant to admit his sin because he has the mentality that he can never lose respect from the public however in order to gain redemption for his sins he has to sacrifice his reputation. Dimsdale is one of the main characters in Nathaniel Hawthorn’s “The Scarlet Letter” he is the minister of the puritan community in Boston and everyone in the community looks up to him. Dimsdale is the puritan minister of Boston who has a high reputation who is considered to be an important member of the community. Sin is intolerable within the puritan community and that is why Dimsdale is so conflicted when it comes to confessing his sin since he is a person that everyone looks up to.

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