Dimmesdale's Guilty Conscience In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

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A guilty conscience can be one of the worst forms of punishment, because it relentlessly haunts the soul day and night, refusing to give up. This notion is explored in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter through the character of Arthur Dimmesdale, in order to show the effects of guilt. Not only does Dimmesdale’s guilty conscience destroy his mind and body, but also ultimately leads to his death. In order to illustrate the true torture inflicted upon Dimmesdale, Hawthorne uses the digression of his physical health to represent the effects of his guilt. As the novel continues, his health is seen plummeting downwards, until he ends up dying. Dimmesdale’s continuous physical deterioration ultimately parallels and symbolizes the effect of his …show more content…

He feels “the responsibility of [Hester’s] soul”(Hawthorne 62) because he is guilty as well, yet she is taking all the blame. As he watches Hester stand in front of the entire town with the scarlet letter burning into her chest, he finally realizes the pain he has inflicted upon her. She is now a social outcast, forced to raise a baby by herself. This is the first time that Dimmesdale has come face to face with his sin, which therefore causes him to experience physical discomfort in order to punish himself. He begins to develop the habit of wincing in pain “with his hand [over] his heart” (Hawthorne 64) almost symbolically placing his own scarlet letter on his chest. Although he cannot come forward, he subconsciously still feels the effects of being branded as an adulterer which ultimately display themselves in a physical manner. This leads to the beginning of Dimmesdale’s downward spiral, as his guilt continues to manifest inside of …show more content…

Dimmesdale seems to have been “gnawed and tortured by [the] black trouble [in] [his] soul” (Hawthorne 128) because he is unable to confess. He does not have a moment’s peace, which ultimately causes him to turn towards fasting, vigils, and scourging. Just like the pain in his chest, Dimmesdale is hopeful that these other methods of torture will alleviate the pain of his guilt. Unfortunately, the only feeling of peace and reassurance he is able to grasp, is when he holds hands with Pearl and Hester. Dimmesdale feels a “tumultuous rush of new life” (Hawthorne 139) enter his body, because he is finally standing in the light of his guilt. However, this only lasts for a few minutes before Dimmesdale cowardly scurries back into the darkness of his hidden secrets. Although it is obvious that Dimmesdale’s physical torture disappears when he owns up to his sinful actions, he still refuses to sacrifice his public image. This cowardly behavior only feeds the beast inside of him and allows his guilty conscience to

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