Corruption of the Inner Self Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is an American masterpiece that delves into the lifestyle and ideologies of Puritan society and exposes its fundamental atrocities through the internal struggles of two of its central characters: Arthur Dimmesdale and Hester Prynne. Ultimately, Hawthorne shows that the suppression of human instinct necessary to conform to the foundations of the restrictive Puritan society leads only to corruption, perpetual sorrow, and inner turmoil. Those who defied the unnatural laws of Puritanism, such as Hester and Dimmesdale, are actually given the opportunity to understand how flawed the foundations of Puritanism are. By being outcast because of her sin, Hester is able to see society from the …show more content…
whole new romantic perspective in which, as Hawthorne puts it, “Human nature…loves more readily than it hates” (Hawthorne 140). Hester reaches this conclusion from the response of her interpretation of her sin. She does not regret her sin and, in fact, wholly embraces it by taking her punishment without rebuke: “She never battled with the public, but submitted uncomplainingly to its worst usage… it could only be a genuine regard for virtue that had brought back the poor wanderer to its paths” (Hawthorne 140). As a result of this commitment to her sin and her gratuitous charity, the people could not truly condemn her; soon the Scarlet A was no longer a symbol of adultery, but one of sympathy and helpfulness. She realizes that these people who were taught to hate and despise her by their Puritan forefathers cannot bear to abide by this constant stream of hate just as she cannot bear to suppress her feelings of love nor find wrongdoing in her sin because these ideals go against human nature. By sticking to her true character, Hester can be accepted by even the harshest of people, such as the Puritans, since this quality of Hester resonates in some deep dwelling of the soul of each citizen. Juxtaposed to Hester is Dimmesdale, who also disobeys Puritan traditions in a fit of passion and natural instinct, but instead of accepting and embracing the terms that come with his sin as Hester has done, he buries his sin under a thick layer deceit and lives in constant fear of its exposure. It is evident that Dimmesdale also knows that the persistent suppression that is prevalent in Puritan culture goes against the human heart and soul, or he would not have committed his sin of passion. Unlike Hester, he plays a role in Puritan society in which, “his eloquence and religious fervor had already given earnest of high eminence in his profession” (Hawthorne 61). Dimmesdale is in the prime of his life and within this close-knit and even more close- minded town, he has a respect and adulation that most people spend their lives trying to earn. Due his indulgence of this aspect of Puritanism, Dimmesdale is too weak to break from his reign as minister, but his inner self knows that by revealing himself, he will be free just as Hester is. This inner torment and inability to commit to the life he knows is morally right corrupts Dimmesdale’s soul as he looks for ways to justify his misdoings. To aid the illusion that Dimmesdale sets forth on himself, he implements his ability of double talk onto the people.
As Kenneth D. Pimple discusses in his evaluation of Dimmesdale, Dimmesdale has a gift of double talk, a strategy which, “plays literal meaning of his words off against the context in which he speaks them” (257). What makes this gift so effective is the emotional manner in which he speaks which conveys a product that appeals more to the power of his voice than its literal interpretation. Dimmesdale knows the power that he wields and actually it uses on his congregation. Pimple points out that all his seemingly blatant confessions are just façades, “But he knows full well that his people, in ignorance of his adultery, will interpret this not as a confession, but as an example, even a proof, of the minister's humility and piety” (260). While he uses his ability on his congregation, he is also tacitly using on it on himself. What would be the reason to give a confession sermon if he knows that it will end in his congregation misinterpreting it? The reason is that Dimmesdale wants to trick himself into believing that he is doing his best to confess his sins, but the people would never believe him. By using double talk to manipulate the crowd’s thoughts, Dimmesdale is trying to prove to himself that revealing himself was not meant to happen and perhaps it is better off if he were to keep his position as a minister where he could live his life in comfort. Dimmesdale …show more content…
is trying his best to convince his inner soul that he should remain hidden, but desperation to estrange this part of him only leads to more corruption. By practicing repression within himself, Dimmesdale soon starts to embody the ideologies of suppression and manipulation seen in Puritanism.
Soon, because of his insecurities and weakness to commit a noble life, Dimmesdale becomes so corrupt that while repressing himself he also resorts to suppressing others. This suppression is only in the interests of himself and only serves to further hide his true self. As Hester pleads for her daughter’s custody at Bellingham’s estate, Dimmesdale watches stagnantly while listening to Hester’s plea to save the life of his own daughter, and only decides to help her when she appeals to Dimmesdale, “Thou wast my pastor, and hadst charge of my soul, and knowest me better than these men can. I will not lose the child! Speak for me!” (Hawthorne 100) Once the possible threat of the exposure of his sin is sensed by Dimmesdale, only then does he look to aid the woman who he once shared his most intimate feeling. He only looks to quiet Hester by helping her, not actually try and save his daughter through the goodness of his heart. Due to his fear of his sin, Dimmesdale is becomes cold and only sensitive to himself and those who can impact
him. Dimmesdale’s final speech is the culmination of these despicable attributes that he has gained through this dark path, and ultimately deteriorates his soul. After his encounter with Hester in the forest in where Pimple insists that Dimmesdale manipulated Hester to get what he wanted, Dimmesdale has a whole new confidence and sense of euphoria because, “in the forest his powers of persuasion have allowed him to create a new future for himself, to release himself from his bond…now he has a sense of his own power to control and manipulate people, rather than merely to maintain a façade” (Pimple 267). With this newfound confidence, Dimmesdale rewrites his sermon because he feels he has finally found a way circumvent his guilt: by admitting to his sin in full confidence, he can relieve himself, while also using his newly realized power of manipulation to leave the last thought of him so ambiguous that the people cannot truly admonish him. With his sermon, he no longer needs the Hester to help him escape his guilt, and as a result abandons her. With a certain smugness that is witnessed during his walk towards the church, “He, moving proudly past, enveloped…with the procession of majestic and venerable fathers; he, so unattainable in his worldly position… while she groped darkly, and stretched forth her cold hands, and found him not” (Hawthorne 208) the reader sees that Dimmesdale once again feels he has outwitted his inner self and actually shies away from the one person who looked to help him in his darkest hours. He is led by the misguided and cowardly perception that if he alone knows that he admitted, he will be free of all his guilt. This selfishness is the essence of corruption that has festered throughout the novel, and ultimately leads to his demise. Although he may have died thinking himself a hero, he abandoned all aspects of a truly noble man in his pursuit to clear his guilt, and so it can be said that Dimmesdale died gruesome death in which he was too oblivious to see the monster that he had become. Hawthorne poses questions of introspection and self- acceptance in all his characters. By sticking to her core values in the face of judgement and disdain, Hester transcends the oppression of her peers and is ultimately rewarded with acceptance in the community. Dimmesdale on the other hand, cannot commit to his sin since he is too selfish to relinquish the benefits that come with being a minister in Puritan society. A turmoil and guilt develops within him and his attempts to outwit these feelings only result in the deterioration of his soul. Through The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne accentuates the importance of being committed to one’s true self.
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.
Dimmesdale considers the timing fortunate as it aligns with his Election Day sermon and feels that there could not be a more suitable way to end his career as a minister. He thinks to himself, “At least, they shall say of me, that I leave no public duty unperformed, nor ill performed!’” (Hawthorne 146). Up until the moment of his histrionic confession on the scaffold, Dimmesdale acts to maintain his respected reputation in the Puritan society. Even his final confession is a performance before the town. As analyzed by literary critic Terrence Martin, “...in keeping with the brilliant economy of The Scarlet Letter, the moment at which Dimmesdale commits himself consciously to deadly liberating sin becomes the moment at which he secretly wishes to cap his public life with a final burst of eloquence on the most important occasion the Puritan community can offer.” His death is his final act of hypocrisy, as he declares that he stands with them but leaves Hester and Pearl alone again to face society. His confession, like his silence, was a grandiose facade for an act of
Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne attempted to expose the varying ways in which different people deal with lingering guilt from sins they have perpetrated. The contrasting characters of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale ideally exemplified the differences in thought and behavior people have for guilt. Although they were both guilty of committing the same crime, these two individuals differed in that one punished themselves with physical and mental torture and the other chose to continue on with their life, devoting it to those less fortunate than they.
At the beginning of the novel, Dimmesdale has established quite a reputation for himself. In discussing individual members of the magistrate, the towns people describe Dimmesdale as a "God fearing" gentleman, "but merciful overmuch (49)". Due to his actions all of the people respect and look up to the Reverend. Throughout the story, Dimmesdale desperately tries to confess, envying Hester, for her courage, he says, "Happy are you Hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly upon your bosom” (188)! Even at the end of the novel, when finally attempting to confess, people are compelled by his final sermon, raving that "never had a man spoken in so wise, so high, and so holy a spirit, as he that spake this day” (243). Proving that he was a very loved and influential man in the small town.
Arthur Dimmesdale's inability to confess is strictly due to his fear of confrontation, thus characterizing him as a coward. The fact that Dimmesdale does not publicly acknowledge or reveal his sin only contributes in denouncing himself as well as his courage. His lack of a confession solely results in the loss of power, self-esteem, and dignity. His great lack of inner strength is easily grasped due to the lies he preaches every week for seven painful years about truth and in the manner in which he avoids confrontation. He spreads the word of holiness and goodness, yet he himself does not abide these simple laws of the Puritan lifestyle. The minister can only extol Hester when she refuses to reveal him as the father by expressing "the wondrous strength and generosity of a woman's heart!"(69), rather than confess his own half of the sin. He can only praise a woman who has more strength and pow...
In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays the strong values of the puritans in the 17th century through the townsmen and women. Religion was a way of life for the puritans. Their values interjected in their emotions, attitudes, actions, and speech. Hester Prynne committed adultery, which defies the puritan’s beliefs. By examining the punishments that were given to Hester, Hawthorne is able to continue to emphasize the puritan beliefs and values. Community was to follow the beliefs of God and to do their duties the best they could; yet they were there to criticize and punish all who disobeyed the religion or laws. Through narrating the tail that is to follow, Hawthorne can better display the puritan beliefs of plainness, aversion to festivities, and the importance of the puritan’s beliefs.
It is evident to the reader that Hester Prynne is no ordinary women because of her clear defiance of what the Puritan society expects. “A community that embodies the qualities of aging public males must necessarily repress those of the young and female,” which has become an unspoken yet understood way of life in Salem, Massachusetts (Baym, “Defiance” 90). All women are required to be submissive and completely abiding of their husbands’ word. They are not to have any self-expression as it is thought to jeopardize the community as a whole. The manifestation of individuality and personal beliefs is seen as both a threat and a sign of insolence, which are responded to with very sev...
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?"
“ ‘Nay; not so, my little Pearl,’ answered the minister; for, with the new energy of the moment, all the dread of public exposure that had so long been the anguish of his life had returned upon him; and he was already trembling at the conjunction in which-with a strange joy, nevertheless -he now found himself.’ Not so, my child. I shall, indeed, stand with thy mother and thee one day, but not tomorrow’ “(Hawthorne 149-150). Pearl now has a connection with Dimmesdale. She wants to be with him, but he still wants to believe he isn’t the father and he can’t be seen with her or people will know what really is. Hester’s life to Dimmesdale is free and open, while he, on the other hand, has a life of misery. His life of misery is causing him to break down and it makes people suspect something is wrong. “ ‘No, Hester, no!’ replied the clergyman. ‘There is no substance in it! It is cold and dead, and can do nothing for me! Of penance, I have had enough! Of penance, there has been none’ “(Hawthorne 188)! This secret is eating at Dimmesdale’s heart and he cannot control
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, there are many moral and social themes develped throughout the novel. Each theme is very important to the overall effect of the novel. In essence, The Scarlet Letter is a story of sin, punishment and the importance of truth. One theme which plays a big role in The Scarlet Letter is that of sin and its effects. Throughout the novel there were many sins committed by various characters. The effects of these sins are different in each character and every character was punished in a unique way. Two characters were perfect examples of this theme in the novel. Hester Prynne and The Reverend Dimmesdale best demonstrated the theme of the effects of sin.
Dimmesdale understands the consequences of remaining silent, but continues to stay silent. He refers to himself in third person, and says, “Be not silent from and mistaken pity...to add hypocrisy to sin?” [ch.3, 134]. Hester already confessed, and now he stays in silence, suffering with physical and mental pain. He chose not to confess, and is now in a figurative “jail” where he is trapped with his pain in a community that greatly frowns upon adultery.
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a novel, based in the Puritan era, about Hester Prynne who commits an act of adultery and has a baby, but the father is unknown. The father is Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Both Hester and Dimmesdale face their sin daily. They are differences in how they go about their sin but there are also similarities. The Puritans also want sin expelled from their community. There are also many different ways they deal with their sin, but the sin can lead to personal growth, sympathy, and understanding of others. Throughout the book, Hester and Dimmesdale face their sin in different ways that lead to personal growth and an increase in good qualities.
Dimmesdale, a lot of times, let his theory of not being accepted, from his life as a role- model type, religious man, take away from what he knew he was called forth to do. By these actions, he shows a yearn to be accepted even if it could effect his churchly values. Dimmesdale struggles greatly with his inner-self and moral sense. This shows that instead of having pure heart, he has a need to conform to the ways of the society around him. Dimmesdale carries his sin so heavily that he isolates himself from society. He experiences paranoia around anyone because he doesn't want anyone to know, and is too afraid to repent. "Trusting no man as his friend, he could not recognize his enemy when the latter actually appeared” (Hawthorne 128). This shows how closed off to the outside world Dimmesdale is and wants to be. Dimmesdale wants to keep away from society because he has seen what Hester has gone through, and he thinks if he comes around, people will call him out for his adultery. Dimmesdale was concealing himself so much because he couldn't bring himself to repent of his sin. Because he didn't have the capability to confess to the people and deal with his punishment, he began to shatter inside as a man. "Beholding Mr. Dimmesdale's frame so feeble while they were themselves so rugged in their infirmity," (pg. 139). The whole time Dimmesdale was keeping his sin to himself, he became very
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter - a story about relationships, love, and sin - takes place in 1640, Puritan Boston. During that time, laws were considerably stricter and punishments were more severe. Two of the principal characters, Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale, have committed adultery with each other, but face the punishments in different ways. Their mutual sin is the main focus of the novel. Society knows about Hester’s act of adultery from the beginning; however, Dimmesdale tries to mask his sin from society, and the internal guilt he faces becomes unbearable. Through the suffering and struggles both these characters face, readers are able to understand the multiple themes of the novel. The themes of individual versus society,
The Scarlet Letter is a fictional novel that begins with an introductory passage titled ‘The Custom-House’. This passage gives a historical background of the novel and conveys the narrator’s purpose for writing about the legend of Hester Prynne even though the narrator envisions his ancestors criticizing him and calling him a “degenerate” because his career was not “glorifying God”, which is very typical of the strict, moralistic Puritans. Also, although Hawthorne is a Romantic writer, he incorporates properties of Realism into his novel by not idealizing the characters and by representing them in a more authentic manner. He does this by using very formal dialogue common to the harsh Puritan society of the seventeenth century and reflecting their ideals through this dialogue. The Puritans held somewhat similar views as the Transcendentalists in that they believed in the unity of God and the world and saw signs and symbols in human events, such as when the citizens related the meteo...