Theme Of Suffering In The Scarlet Letter

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Suffering comes in many forms. For some it’s ignominy as a result of a sin, writing a paper at three in the morning, or growing up as an outcast of society; for others, it’s having a scarlet letter burned into their chest. Considering physical, spiritual, and mental struggles throughout the book, Arthur Dimmesdale suffered the most out of all of the characters in Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter. The infamous scarlet letter that is burned into his chest, was but one source of his physical suffering. He not only hurt himself externally by means of self-flagellation, but he was also internally at war with himself and his hypocrisy. Furthermore, he is faced with a dilemma between wanting to be with Hester and maintain his status in the Puritan society as a clergyman, but trying to do both proves to be detrimental to his health.
Dimmesdale has been suffering with the scarlet letter on his chest for longer than seven strenuous years, his habit of placing his hand over his chest is first mentioned very early on in the book, and continues to be mentioned all the way until his tragic demise. The first instance where he endures chest pain, occurs when Hester’s custody over Pearl is called into question, and Dimmesdale is
Dimmesdale’s scarlet letter continued on undisturbed, festering, and untouched by the eyes of bypassers, meanwhile Hester’s scarlet letter was openly displayed on her chest. This contrast is used to express the idea that his scarlet letter is worse than Hester’s because she spent more than seven years living with the scarlet letter, learning how to improve her life, and making herself stronger. Whereas, Dimmesdale spent those years denying its existence, and concealing his scarlet letter from the world, which in turn took its own toll on Dimmesdale’s mental and physical

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