Mr Dimmesdale's Sin

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Hester Prynne wears her sin directly on her person, her sin is the scarlet letter and the community uses the letter as a means of public humiliation against her. Hester’s mental health did not falter and neither did her physical health. She held her head high in the face of ridicule and according to Chillingworth, somewhat redeemed herself. Chillingworth said “‘It was debated whether or no… yonder scarlet letter might be taken off your bosom…” (116) Chillingworth and apparently some councilmen of the town agree that Hester has redeemed herself and should be able to take off the letter. Hester had to deal with public ridicule for over 7 years by the townspeople. Her punishment, however, was not as harsh as the punishment for adultery in the …show more content…

Throughout the novel Dimmesdale is eaten away by his inner sin so his mental and physical health began to deteriorate. The narrator speaks about Dimmesdale punishing himself for his sin. He says, “In Mr. Dimmesdale’s secret closet, under lock and key, there was a bloody scourge… (he) had plied it on his own shoulders; laughing bitterly at himself the while, and smiting so much the more pitilessly,” (99) Dimmesdale keeps a whip in his closet and whips himself from the guilt and pain of knowing he has a great sin to carry to death. The penance he has shows the immense emotional toll that keeping the sin inside gives him. Another example of Dimmesdale's inner sin affecting him is in chapter 9, where the narrator describes Dimmesdale’s development since the beginning of the novel. He says, “His form grew more emaciated; his voice, though still rich and sweet, had a certain melancholy prophecy of decay in it; he was often observed… to put his hand over his heart, with first a flush and then a paleness, indicative of pain” This shows that Dimmesdale is being effected in even more ways than just physical. His voice is becoming more dark and is decaying, much like his psyche. Dimmesdale had to deal with much larger consequences for hiding away his sin, and it plays a major role at the end of the novel, where Dimmesdale dies after finally confessing his sin. His redeeming is seen only in his

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