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Critical analysis of scarlet letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Commentary on scarlet letters by Nathaniel HAWthorne
Character developement of the scarlet letter chapter 2
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The sky is a canvas to the eyes of Arthur Dimmesdale, filled with the faint, twinkling light of the stars. The slight glow is enough spotlight for the guilty man to handle, and the extra light that appears from an approaching town member is too much for the stricken pastor to handle. Cowering over the confession that dwells on the edge of his tongue, he misses the chance to free himself from the inner shame that binds him and sets his degenerating heart apart from the healthily-beating one of his past lover that is free from the weight of a scandalous secret. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne develops the character of Arthur Dimmesdale by way of his ill-defined sermons and public interactions with the Puritan townspeople that contrast with his deep talks with Hester and …show more content…
Unlike the rest of the townsfolk, Pearl is able to make this connection and questions the minister 's intentions. As the reverend of the town, Dimmesdale is seen by the Puritan society as a holy and just man, yet the readers are able to see past the clergyman 's façade to his true, miserable self. Hawthorne creates the noteworthy persona of Arthur Dimmesdale through the characteristics of being dishonest, cowardly, and secretive.
Arthur Dimmesdale proves himself to be an epitome of dishonesty. As he refuses to reveal his troubles to his physician, Roger Chillingworth, he is not properly brought back to full health. Chillingworth senses the pastor 's deep inflictions, and hints to the clergyman that he should disclose the true nature of his deteriorating health. By picking a black plant to put into medication, he suggests to Dimmesdale "I found them growing on a grave... of the dead man... They grew out of his heart, and typify, it may be, some hideous secret that was buried with him, and which he had done better to confess during his lifetime" (Hawthorne 123). The physician words this in a way that heavily implies his knowledge of the
Arthur Dimmesdale is a young Reverend who fell in love with Hester Prynne and is the father to Pearl. Hester refuses to name Pearl's father as the Reverend in order to protect his honor but this guilt eats away at the Reverend and cause him to constantly punish himself for the sin he has committed, he starves and whips himself and stays up praying for hours. This psychological and physical torture he puts himself through causes him to develop a heart condition. The Reverend's biggest obstacle he must overcome is himself; the Reverend lives a very difficult life because he is supposedly a man of god yet he has committed a deadly sin. In order to alleviate his guilt the Reverend writes wonderful sermons, which he delivers, to his followers. The
Dimmesdale is the “wretched minister!” who is tempted by his dream of happiness. This made him yield to what he well knew was a deadly sin. He is a man of faith and it was wrong for him to commit such a sin or leave the town for an evil pursuit. He feels he has dealt his puritan soul to the devil and this makes him have a guilty conscience. He starts changing character and even starts saying things a man of his status would not have said Arthur had been feeling weird since he proposed to Hester, seven years ago. It takes him a completely new light to start feeling free.
A sinful nature is an aspect in man that makes him rebellious against God. Everyone has a sinful nature and it affects every part of us. Sin corrupts the human mind and has consequences for doing wrong in the eyes of the Lord. Every individual on Earth sins, and this is represented in the novel The Scarlet Letter. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale to portray how different people cope with their sin and the consequences of that sin.
The Scarlet Letter involves many characters that go through several changes during the course of the story. In particular, the young minister Dimmesdale, who commits adultery with Hester, greatly changes. He is the moral blossom of the book, the character that makes the most progress for the better. It is true that Dimmesdale, being a minister, should be the role model of the townspeople. He is the last person who should commit such an awful crime and lie about it, but in the end, he confesses to the town. Besides, everybody, including ministers, sin, and the fact that he confesses illustrates his courage and morality.
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.
Arthur Dimmesdale's character is the epitome of hypocrisy as his admirable outward appearance is completely different from the reality of his sinfulness. In Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the development of appearance versus reality through the character Arthur Dimmesdale reveals the theme of the omnipresence of hypocrisy throughout the novel.
Arthur Dimmesdale’s sin has made him believe that his ministry at the church has become better. Dimmesdale’s guilt has helped him become more in touch with his feelings which make his sermons more believable and therefore better. Before the guilt, Arthur Dimmesdale was a pretty boring man who spoke almost with no heart or feelings towards human emotions. As a man of the church he was losing people right before his eyes. His sin of adultery helped him feel what he couldn’t’ feel before. Dimmesdale 's words are now far more sensitive and deeper because he has the experience torturing him every day. Even with his fault, Arthur continued his life following Hester helping her the best he could as the guilt slowly sank in. Arthur Dimmesdale has now met Roger Chillingworth an English scholar. Chillingworth is Hester Prynne’s husband but agrees to not tell anyone of this because of the shame that he would get from his wife’s depravity. Roger Chillingworth and Arthur Dimmesdale become friends because of the bond they have with Chillingworth being Dimmesdale’s physician and medical caretaker with his health. Hester is the only one who knows both the identities of the two
letter *A* embroidered on her chest. The A served as a symbol of her crime, was
...y, Dimmesdale suffered constantly from corporal afflictions as well as the internal conflict of coping with his actions. After the initial sin, Mr. Dimmesdale lived a life of endless struggle and underwent the most suffering throughout The Scarlet Letter. Dimmesdale allowed his life to become consumed with guilt and the quest to complete a suitable penance, which brought him sorrow, self-hatred, and the demise of his body and spirit. The outward influence of society played a key role in Arthur’s unvarying anguish by providing him with a constant reminder of his sin and hypocrisy and adding to the growing guilt and shame he kept bottled within him. Combinations of his mental, physical, and emotional struggles ultimately lead Mr. Dimmesdale to his untimely death. In the end, the suffering became too great to bear and Mr. Dimmesdale’s was forced him to succumb to it.
The Scarlet Letter is full of many psychological and moral aspects, and most of them relate very well to things that are going on right now in the world. They all go hand in hand meaning that the aspects that were explained in The Scarlet Letter, can also be explained in the same way as they can be explained now. Although times were very different in the times where The Scarlet Letter took place, they are all relevant for what people have to say about certain things in today's world. The moral aspects of the Scarlet Letter are almost the same as moral aspects of today.
Arthur Dimmesdale has been living with a giant secret for a long time. A secret that has been eating away at him. The main reason why Mr. Dimmesdale comes clean is because of all of the guilt that has built up over the years. When he decides to come clean, he addresses his mistakes and past in front of the public . The way he constructs his speech is full of somber and he pulls at the heartstrings of the people listening. He also structures his speech in the way that it is similar to music, “it breathed passion and pathos” (Hawthorne, 238). He uses emotion and tenderness to express his deep guilt. Likewise his use of pathos reaches out to his audience to make them understand where he is coming from and to ask for sympathy and forgiveness. Hester
Like Hester, Arthur Dimmesdale is constantly hidden by shadows. Dimmesdale lives with a huge secret never revealed just as he is never revealed in light. In the beginning of The Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale is in his study accustoming his eyes to the "shaded light"(61). This indicates that he must also grow accustom to his recent sin and guilt that is to come. In the same scene where Hester is concealed by shadow in Governor Bellingham's mansion, he too is concealed by the same shadow. Not only are they concealed by the same shadow, but also they are concealing the same sin. Dimmesdale's guilt becomes apparent when he is described as being "in a false light"(134).
In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes imagery to convey that Dimmesdale can represent Puritan Society rather than the round character that can be seen on the surface level. This is seen through the imagery and symbolism of hypocrisy, Dimmesdale as a Christ figure, and the scarlet letter.
Arthur Dimmesdale, a character of high reputation, overwhelmed by guilt, torn apart by his own wrongdoing, makes his entrance into history as the tragic hero whose life becomes a montage of pain and agony because of his mistakes. The themes leading to Dimmesdale’s becoming a tragic hero are his guilt from his sin, and his reluctance to tarnish his reputation in the town. Guilt plays a huge role in defining Dimmesdale as a tragic hero. Dimmesdale has understood that by not revealing his sin, he has doomed himself. This also connects with the constant struggle with Chillingworth. The mysteries of Dimmesdale’s guilty heart entice Chillingworth to delve into his soul and reveal what has been hidden, causing Dimmesdale great pain and suffering. His guilt is taking over, causing him to inflict pain upon himself while also experiencing true and meaningful suffering. Guilt is not the only theme in the novel that help to characterize Dimmesdale as a tragic hero, but reputation and authority in the community also help to characterize him as a tragic hero. Arthur Dimmesdale has a grand reputation and authority in his community, which worsens his downfall. The respect he had from his community makes them hurt worse when they see his decline. His excessive pride makes him ignorant to most, until the end when all things go downhill. He also made a life altering decision of whether to stay and face his guilt, or to run away from his mistakes. Arthur Dimmesdale, from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, is an example of a tragic hero because of the downfall brought about by his guilt and necessity to uphold his authority in the town.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's torrid tale of The Scarlet Letter, Arthur Dimmesdale, a main character, is confronted with a number of circumstances, both in and out of his control, that lead to his ultimate demise. While it can be argued that Arthur is a tragic hero, he lacks the underlying goodness and strength essential for him to fulfill this role. Otherwise, it may be demonstrated that Arthur meets all the criteria as a tragic hero, though there are other discrepancies to be noted.