Appearance Vs. Reality In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne
are plenty of examples of appearance versus reality in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The most significant one, it seems to me, is the fact that the pious minister, Arthur Dimmesdale, is actually an adulterer who had an illicit affair with a married woman.
Throughout the novel, a war between his soul/spirit and his body rages. He is a sensitive man to begin with, and then the constant conflict between what he knows he should do (public confession and repentance) and what he does (private punishment and condemnation) causes his body to deteriorate.
“I have laughed, in bitterness and agony of heart, at the contrast between what I seem and what I am!”
In chapter twenty, we see an excellent example of the dual life Dimmesdale leads:
No man, for any considerable period, can …show more content…
It is unlikely that anything in town has really changed, so it is probably how he looks at things that has changed--but we are not sure.
A similar impression struck him most remarkably, as he passed under the walls of his own church. The edifice had so very strange, and yet so familiar, an aspect, that Mr. Dimmesdale’s mind vibrated between two ideas; either that he had seen it only in a dream hitherto, or that he was merely dreaming about it now.
Another example of appearance versus reality in the novel is the relationship between Roger Chillingworth and Artur Dimmesdale. The people, of course, are thrilled that their beloved but weakened pastor is now living in such close proximity to a doctor; however, we know that Chillingworth is also Hester's husband and has an agenda of revenge. Eventually the people sense that something is not right, but they do not know why: it truly seemed that this sagacious, experienced, benevolent, old physician, with his concord of paternal and reverential love for the young pastor, was the very man, of all mankind, to be constantly within reach of his
Throughout the novel, a war between his soul/spirit and his body rages. He is a sensitive man to begin with, and then the constant conflict between what he knows he should do (public confession and repentance) and what he does (private punishment and condemnation) causes his body to deteriorate.
“I have laughed, in bitterness and agony of heart, at the contrast between what I seem and what I am!”
In chapter twenty, we see an excellent example of the dual life Dimmesdale leads:
No man, for any considerable period, can …show more content…
It is unlikely that anything in town has really changed, so it is probably how he looks at things that has changed--but we are not sure.
A similar impression struck him most remarkably, as he passed under the walls of his own church. The edifice had so very strange, and yet so familiar, an aspect, that Mr. Dimmesdale’s mind vibrated between two ideas; either that he had seen it only in a dream hitherto, or that he was merely dreaming about it now.
Another example of appearance versus reality in the novel is the relationship between Roger Chillingworth and Artur Dimmesdale. The people, of course, are thrilled that their beloved but weakened pastor is now living in such close proximity to a doctor; however, we know that Chillingworth is also Hester's husband and has an agenda of revenge. Eventually the people sense that something is not right, but they do not know why: it truly seemed that this sagacious, experienced, benevolent, old physician, with his concord of paternal and reverential love for the young pastor, was the very man, of all mankind, to be constantly within reach of his