Reverend Dimmesdale In The Scarlet Letter

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“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…

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…

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

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