What Is Dimmesdale's Role In The Scarlet Letter

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. Yet, Dimmesdale wallows in his sin, letting it consume him, transforming him both mentally and physically. Thus, the reader sees that there is a stark contrast between the development of the two characters, leading to the inevitable conclusion. In the exposition

His ever-constant presence unnerves Dimmesdale emitting an eerie aura magnified by a conversation between the two men. On the topic of sin and whether to keep it a secret Dimmesdale says, “No good can be achieved by them… So, to their own unutterable torment, they go among their fellow creatures, looking pure as new fallen snow; while their hearts are all speckled and spotted with iniquity of which they cannot rid themselves” (Hawthorne 119). Dimmesdale’s words reveal an unspoken truth in his nature. He hides his sin because he believes, unlike Hester, that he can only do good by God if he keeps his sin a secret. Yet, Hester proves him wrong because she demonstrates that it can be reversed when the town adopts the meaning of her “A” to be able not adultery. Throughout the novel the reader views different viewpoints of Hester and Dimmesdale. In public Dimmesdale is the reverend, a spiritual guide, but within his guilt ascends greater into the forefront of his psyche. On the contrary, Hester transcends her sin and begins to see herself as a woman capable of love and honor. Although, that does not mean she does not have wavering moments in-between like when she considered suicide as an escape from her