Arthur Dimmesdale In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter
Today it is not uncommon for someone to appear different than how they actually are. This is made easy by television and social media now, but the concept was around even in the 1850s. The Scarlet Letter by, Nathaniel Hawthorne, shows that there can be two sides to a person-how they are and who they appear to be. This is demonstrated by several characters in the book including Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth. In the beginning of the book, Hester Prynne is being punished for adultery. She must stand on a scaffold for three hours and get publicly humiliated by the puritans. She also must wear an “A” on her bosom which stands for adultery. At first none of the puritans accept Hester because of her sin. “Of an impulse and

Dimmesdale is a minister in the Puritan town. He is a very respected and likable man. “Therefore, so far as his duties would permit, he trod in the shadowy bypaths, and thus kept himself simple and childlike, coming forth, when occasion was, with a freshness, and fragrance, and dewy purity of thought, which, as many people said, affected them like the speech of an angel” (72). From this description Dimmesdale is almost like the perfect Puritan. But he is not.Dimmesdale has a secret . He has sinned many times and now is telling the truth so the entire Puritan town will find out. “And thus, while standing on the scaffold, in this vain shown of expiation, Mr. Dimmesdale was overcome with a great horror of mine, as if the universe were gazing at the scarlet token on his naked breast, right over his heart” (144). Dimmesdale has sinned more times than Hester, but he looked like an “angel” to the Puritans so they don’t suspect anything. In reality, he should be punished also. Dimmesdale is the opposite of Hester being that he seems to be this “perfect” minister but he would be very disrespected by his society if they found