“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16). One of the central plot points in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is Reverend Dimmesdale’s choice not to confess, which leads to his physical and mental demise. However, though he might have been better off physically had he initially confessed, Dimmesdale’s choice not to was best for his pastoral duties and, ultimately achieved the same result of repentance. In hiding his terrible truth, Dimmesdale sins even more, yet becomes a more effective reverend. To begin with, the Bible encourages confession, which he is certainly knows, so he is a hypocrite. In addition, while …show more content…
he indirectly admits to being sinful, his congregation only interprets that as him being supercritical of himself and reveres him more; an act he allows to continue.
But he is completely aware of all these sins and he hates himself for it. “By the constitution of his nature, he loved the truth, and loathed the lie, as few men ever did. Therefore, above all things else, he loathed his miserable self!” (130-131). Dimmesdale consequently puts himself, through a lot of suffering, which, in the end, results in a truer and deeper repentance. However, his compromised character ironically gives him more empathy for his parishioners, “for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). One aspect of this is his more powerful sermons, which reach a zenith on the Election Day. “Majestic as the voice sometimes became, there was for ever in it an essential character of plaintiveness. A loud or low expression of anguish,—the whisper, or the shriek, as it might be conceived, of suffering humanity, that touched a sensibility in every bosom!” (222). The very tone of his voice conveys his oneness with the suffering of humanity and allows him to reach and redeem others. Basically, he becomes a more relatable reverend. “[It] gave him …show more content…
sympathies so intimate with the sinful brotherhood of mankind; so that his heart vibrated in unison with theirs, and received their pain into itself, and sent its own throb of pain through a thousand other hearts, in gushes of sad persuasive eloquence” (129). He understands human sin and pain and can better sympathize and help, guiding others to the right path and to their own salvation. In this way his suffering aids the spiritual needs of his congregation in a way that resembles how Jesus’s suffering allowed for the redemption of all of humanity. Furthermore, his prolonged suffering and penance are part of a larger plan for redemption.
Most importantly, Dimmesdale rejects his sin and resolves not to do it again. “In Mr. Dimmesdale’s secret closet, under lock and key, there was a bloody scourge” (131). He is causing his own suffering, clearly showing that he regrets what he did and feels very guilty about it. The whipping is meant as his punishment, and that, along with his psychological torture and Chillingworth’s constant provocation, acts as a constant reminder of what he did and not to do it again. Also, his suffering could be seen as God’s plan for him and his mortal punishment. Dimmesdale believes this and his dying words are: “God knows; and He is merciful! He hath proved his mercy, most of all, in my afflictions. By giving me this burning torture to bear upon my breast!...Had either of these agonies been wanting, I had been lost for ever!” (235). His suffering is actually a blessing because without it he would have had even more eternal suffering. In a way, he has been living through purgatory and, with this final confession, is liberated. And ultimately, his suffering brings him back to God. This is illustrated at the end of the novel, when Dimmesdale finally chooses to confess on the scaffold rather than escape to the old world with Hester. This must have been prompted by his ‘prolonged suffering’, which steered him to the right choice by choosing out of true remorse and repentance rather than
an expectation to do so, similar to the story of how Saul becomes the Apostle Paul after being blinded (Acts 9:1-16). All things considered, given how his suffering actually lead him to repent and to better help others, Dimmesdale’s choice not to confess was not as bad as it seems. Though it was against his instruction, through sympathy and a better understanding of human emotion, he was able to move people’s souls and lead them to repentance also. And through his own suffering, Dimmesdale was lead back to God. So, his story is not as doleful as it appears, and nor is the purport of Hawthorne’s simple moral, Be true! Be true! Be true!, as simple. What his story really shows us is that Dimmesdale was always true to himself and that is what saved him, and thus it is a parable that teaches us to uphold our integrity and be true to ourselves.
Danforth and Dimmesdale contrast in the way of their sins of commission and omission. Although Dimmesdale does not openly admit his sins until the end of the story, they feed on his conscience, causing him to engage in self-torturing practices. He confuses the destruction and weakening of himself for penance for his sin. Aided by Hester?s angered husband, Dimmesdale weakens himself so much, that he uses the last of his strength in his confession and he dies in Hester?s arms. Danforth suspects he is sending innocent people to their deaths, but through the love of his office, he does not stop his corrupt practices nor attempt to right his wrongs.
In the book The Scarlet Letter, the character Reverend Dimmesdale, a very religious man, committed adultery, which was a sin in the Puritan community. Of course, this sin could not be committed alone. His partner was Hester Prynne. Hester was caught with the sinning only because she had a child named Pearl. Dimmesdale was broken down by Roger Chillinsworth, Hester Prynne’s real husband, and by his own self-guilt. Dimmesdale would later confess his sin and die on the scaffold. Dimmesdale was well known by the community and was looked up to by many religious people. But underneath his religious mask he is actually the worst sinner of them all. His sin was one of the greatest sins in a Puritan community. The sin would eat him alive from the inside out causing him to become weaker and weaker, until he could not stand it anymore. In a last show of strength he announces his sin to the world, but dies soon afterwards. In the beginning Dimmesdale is a weak, reserved man. Because of his sin his health regresses more and more as the book goes on, yet he tries to hide his sin beneath a religious mask. By the end of the book he comes forth and tells the truth, but because he had hidden the sin for so long he is unable to survive. Dimmesdale also adds suspense to the novel to keep the reader more interested in what Reverend Dimmesdale is hiding and his hidden secrets. Therefore Dimmesdale’s sin is the key focus of the book to keep the reader interested. Dimmesdale tries to cover up his sin by preaching to the town and becoming more committed to his preachings, but this only makes him feel guiltier. In the beginning of the story, Dimmesdale is described by these words; “His eloquence and religious fervor had already given earnest of high eminence in his profession.”(Hawthorne,44). This proves that the people of the town looked up to him because he acted very religious and he was the last person that anyone expected to sin. This is the reason that it was so hard for him to come out and tell the people the truth. Dimmesdale often tried to tell the people in a roundabout way when he said “…though he (Dimmesdale) were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life.
The reverend’s burden of secret sin ultimately led to his demise, while proving his pompous concern for life after death. Dimmesdale’s life was terminated prematurely due to the anchor of sin he bore day in and day out. The minister’s lover, Hester, “made the best possible recovery,” but was still condemned to “spend her life in retribution” (Jones). Notwithstanding Hester’s actions, Arthur’s “burden of carrying the secret sin literally killed him” (Jones). For seven long years, the ordinate saw the reprimands which Hester endured, such as public shame and forced isolation. Rather than join her in humiliation, Arthur chose to contain the depravity within his heart in fear of retribution. Had the minister confessed his immoralities, he would have paid earthly punishment, but would have endured for not bearing the corruptive evil on a daily basis. Dimmesdale understood his action’s outcomes because he would rather die with a holy legacy than go down in infamy for being an adulterer. When Arthur finally acknowledged his debauchery, his motives for doing so were still fainthearted. Reverend Dimmesdale’s redemption came from his own self-interest with little regards for Hester and Pearl. When the minister presented himself to the colony on the scaffold, he acknowledged his “death of triumphant ignominy before the people,” just before passing (Hawthorne 210). Regardless of Arthur’s depravity, he
The town is all out to witness the punishment of Hester Prynne some of the women are suggesting other punishments and the women are telling us about Hester and Dimmesdale. People say," said another, "that the Reverend Master Dimmesdale, her godly pastor, takes it very grievously to heart that such a scandal should have come upon his congregation." (Page 49) Reverend Dimmesdale is seen as a godly man. A man who does not commit sin and in his own mind at this point he feels fine and does not have any guilt. Dimmesdale at this point in the novel is seen as godly and throughout the novel is seen as godly even at the end after the last scaffold scene. Consequently enough, Dimmesdale is trying to convince Hester to reveal the man who has sinned along with her , so the man can be relieved of his guilt, some what ironic because he is the man who has sinned along side with her. "What can thy silence do for him, except it tempt him--yea, compel him, as it were--to add hypocrisy to sin? Heaven hath granted thee an open ignominy, that thereby thou mayest work out an open triumph over the evil within thee and the sorrow without. Take heed how thou deniest to him--who, perchance, hath not the courage to grasp it for himself--the bitter, but wholesome, cup that is now presented to thy lips!" (Page 65) This is the first scaffold scene Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is not showing any signs of guilt at this point, he is still fairly the same and has not began to inflict punishment on himself or so it appears. Dimmesdale in the first scaffold scene seems fairly normal and has not begun to transform himself but by the next time we see him at the scaffold he is taken a turn for the worst.
Instead of humbling himself in front of everyone in the beginning, he chooses his pride and his position of power over God’s merciful grace. In conclusion, with these arguments, it is indisputable that Dimmesdale experiences more guilt than any other character. He attempts every possible way to circumvent the inevitable.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Mr. Dimmesdale’s greatest fear is that the townspeople will find out about his sin of adultery with Hester Prynne. Mr. Dimmesdale fears that his soul could not take the shame of such a disclosure, as he is an important moral figure in society. However, in not confessing his sin to the public, he suffers through the guilt of his sin, a pain which is exacerbated by the tortures of Roger Chillingworth. Though he consistently chooses guilt over shame, Mr. Dimmesdale goes through a much more painful experience than Hester, who endured the public shame of the scarlet letter. Mr. Dimmesdale’s guilt is much more damaging to his soul than any shame that he might have endured.
Guilt, shame, and penitence are just a few of the emotions that are often associated with a great act of sin. Mr. Arthur Dimmesdale, a highly respected minister of a 17th century Puritan community, is true example of this as he was somehow affected by all of these emotions after committing adultery. Due to the seven years of torturous internal struggle that finally resulted in his untimely death, Mr. Dimmesdale is the character who suffered the most throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Mr. Dimmesdale’s ever present guilt and boundless penance cause him an ongoing mental struggle of remorse and his conscience as well as deep physical pain from deprivation and self inflicted wounds. The external influence of the members of his society
In further developing Dimmesdale's character, Hawthorne portrays him as a hypocrite. His outward demeanor deceives the villagers, appearing as a completely holy man. However, before the action of the novel begins, he stumbles into sin, by committing adultery with Hester Pryn...
That man who Hester loves so deeply, Mr. Dimmesdale also undergoes major changes due the sin he bears. In the beginning of the book we see this man’s weakness and unwillingness to confess sin even as he begs Hester the person he committed his sin with to come forth with her other parties name (p56). As The Scarlet Letter progresses we see Dimmesdale become weaker physically and his religious speeches become even stronger so that his congregation begins to revere him. For a large part of the novel Dimmesdale has been on a downward spiral in terms of mental and physical health thanks to a so-called friend who was issued to take care of Mr. Dimmesdale, then because of a talk with Hester he is revitalized and given the power to do something, which he could not for seven long years. At the end of the novel Dimmesdale is finally able to recognize his family in public and confess his sin before all releasing the sin he held so long hidden in his heart (p218, 219).
Through Dimmesdale's entire life, his life has been dedicated to God. He is perfect in performing his duties as the Puritan minister, but his sin affects him in this regard. He feels that he is a fraud and a hypocrite and is not fit to lead the people of the town to salvation which is a sign he is not of the elect. Later, he begins to believe it would be better to lose his place of power in the church than to continue hiding the truth. He tells Hester, "Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life. What can thy silence do for him, except it tempt him--yea, compel him, as it were--to add hypocrisy to sin?"
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
The Reverend Dimmesdale was another character that demonstrated the effects of sin. He committed the same offense that Hester committed, adultery. The difference between Dimmesdale and Hester was that Dimmesdale was not publicly punished for his crime while Hester was. Because of this, Dimmesdale felt extremely guilty. This feeling of guilt was so atrocious that it mentally and physically withered Dimmesdale, as he felt a very strong need to repent and cleanse his soul.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter opens with a studded oak door, which symbolizes the restrictive Puritan ideology that affects the characters in the novel. Consequently, the ideology manifests itself within Hester Prynne and Dimmesdale. However, the way in which the emphasis on sin from society affects each character plays a different role. Though Hester reveals her sin and is initially shunned from the community, she emerges from the ostracization a symbol of redemption.
Dimmesdale knows that he has done wrong. To make himself feel commendable, he uses justification for himself, “shrink from displaying themselves black and filthy in the view of men; because, thenceforward, no good can be achieved by them” (Hawthorne 122). Most upstanding public figures know that their reputation is at risk when they are deemed of doing something improper. In the case of Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, he has committed a major sin. He is a pastor, who is said to be “the saint on earth” with a “white soul” by his congregation (Hawthorne 132). He is supposed to be a man of God. Yet, unbeknownst to the congregation throughout much of the novel, he has committed adultery. His white soul is potentially blackened. His thoughts are most likely to be that the congregation and people would not have trust in him. In Reverend Dimmesdale’s ...
Present day churches can be filled with hypocrites. Some members and religious leaders go to church to look nice and appealing to someone else. They present themselves as holy and perfect and incapable of doing wrong, but they know they are far from that. As hard as they may try to look and act like the perfect being, the truth of their imperfect ways will be revealed for all to know. This is the case with the character or Arthur Dimmesdale from The Scarlet Letter. Dimmesdale appears incorruptible, revered and strong, but in reality he was corrupt, dishonest, and weak.