Preview

Arthur Dimmesdale's Guilt Quotes

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1375 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Arthur Dimmesdale's Guilt Quotes
Arthur Dimmesdale is the pastor of this small puritan town, who has a secret affair with this girl named Hester Prynne. Hester gets pregnant and is publicly shamed in front of everyone in the town. Dimmesdale decides not to come out and tell everyone that he is her lover, by not doing this Dimmesdale causes himself great emotional pain. Most people just inferred that Dimmesdale would never do anything like this and didn't even think to question him. Unlike Ms. Prynne who confronts her guilt and shame early on in the story, Dimmesdale holds onto his guilt secretly until he finally goes through a process of, at first blaming Hester, then realizing that it wasn't all her fault, to having such strong guilt that he starts hurting himself, to doubting that he will ever get better, after which he comes out and shows everyone his scarlet letter, this …show more content…

He is also the person who damns her because she wouldn't say who her lover was when really it was him. Thats when the secret guilt inside of Dimmesdale started. It got so bad to where he started to scourge himself with wips. He eventually becomes very ill because of this overwhelming guilt that he has and breaks down to Hester and tells her that he can’t go one the way he is. Eventually Dimmesdale reveals to everyone the truth about him and Hester and their secret affair. Most people just inferred that Dimmesdale would never do anything like this and didn't even think to question him. Unlike Ms. Prynne who confronts her guilt and shame early on in the story, Dimmesdale holds onto his guilt secretly until he finally goes through a process of, at first blaming Hester, then realizing that it wasn't all her fault, to having such strong guilt that he starts hurting himself, to doubting that he will ever get better, after which he comes out and shows everyone his scarlet letter, this process frees him to come to peace with what he did and accept his guilt and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Hester feels that she is to blame for Dimmesdale’s poor condition because while Dimmesdale has been torturing himself over his secret and slowly killing himself, Hester just sat back and witnessed it all and did not help in comforting him.…

    • 1249 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In chapters seven and eight, Mr. Dimmesdale is characterized as a sympathetic and understanding man. Mr. Dimmesdale is first introduced in chapter eight when he walks in to the mansion along with Mr. Wilson, Mr. Chillingworth, and Mr.Bellingworth to decide whether Hester is allowed to keep Pearl. Mr. Dimmesdale is sympathetic because he was the only one who stood up for Hester and gave reasons as to why she should keep her child. He says,” God gave her the child, and gave her, too, an instinctive knowledge of its nature and requirements,-both seemingly so peculiar,-which no other mortal being can possess. And, moreover, is there not a quality of awful sacredness in the relation between this mother and this child?”(P.86) This quote is Mr. Dimmesdale saying that God gave Hester the child for her to learn a lesson and that it would be wrong for them to take it from her because it’s God’s intentions. Mr. Dimmesdale is also understanding and this can be seen when Hester begs him to plead for her. She says,” Thou wast my pastor, and hadst charge of my soul, and knowest me better than theses men can. I will not lose the child! Speak for me!”(P.86) This is Hester characterizing Dimmesdale as an understanding man because he knows her feelings and her true self better than anyone else and can speak for her as a pastor. It further shows that Dimmesdale is understanding when Master Bellingham and Mr. Wilson agree with his reasons when they say,” Indeed hath he, and hath adduced such arguments, that we will even leave the matter as it now stands; so long, at least, as there shall be no further scandal in the woman.”(P.87) Master Bellingham and Mr. Wilson allow Hester to keep the child from Mr. Dimmesdale’s points of reasoning. Because he is so understanding and sympathetic, Hester got to keep Pearl.…

    • 333 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the first scaffold scene Dimmesdale is aware of his guilt and hypocrisy when he questions Hester but is too cowardly to confess his sin. Hester, while holding her child, stands in front of the public on the scaffold enduring humiliation and trial from the authorities of the town, in which they insist upon her to reveal the child’s father. Even Dimmesdale, as one of the authorities, says to her, “what can thy silence do for him, except… to add hypocrisy to sin?” However, she is unwilling to speak his name. Dimmesdale acts with great dishonesty and cowardice, deceiving the public into believing that he is not in the wrong - that he is a wise and benevolent pastor. He allows Hester to suffer the pain and humiliation alone. With this first stage of guilt, Dimmesdale only falls deeper into the sin he has committed.…

    • 489 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dimmesdale inhabits the shame brought on by religiosity. After sinning twice, first the adultery he commit with Hester and second by lying and hiding the first, Dimmesdale wallows in his own guilt. He begins to have visions of Hester and Pearl pointing out his guilt and of members of the community mocking him. He wishes to stand with Hester and Pearl on the scaffold. He wishes to tell his congregation, "to speak out, from his own pulpit, at the full height of his voice, and tell the people what he was" (125), but he hides this and the guilt gnaws at him. It gnaws at him until…

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    According to Bruce Granger, who quotes, “The beautiful Hester, who has been wandering morally ever since they sinned together, is now more his enemy than the diabolical Chillingworth” (199). This quote is brought upon by the idea that Dimmesdale becomes lacking in will due to his strong affection for Hester, and ultimately causes Dimmesdale to have a moment in which he attempts to run away from his sin. Even though Dimmesdale wants to escape the pain of his sin by being with the woman he loves, Dimmesdale can not run away from his past and suffers from not being able to be with Hester. Another aspect to support this idea is when Dimmesdale proclaims, “Neither can I any longer live without her companionship; so powerful is she to sustain” (Hawthorne 177). This quote from the Scarlet Letter shows how significant Hester is to Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale is admitting to Hester how much he longs for her and how much he has suffered from being away from Hester. Even though Dimmesdale tells Hester of how much he longs to be with her and Pearl, Dimmesdale still feels the sin chasing after him, when he does not hold Hester’s or Pearl’s hand to walk into town. “Will he go back with us, hand in hand, we three together, into the town?” (Hawthorne 185). Hester helps explain to Pearl that Dimmesdale…

    • 1373 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Arthur Dimmesdale Quotes

    • 404 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The quote from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book The Scarlet Letter, “No man, for any considerable length of time, can wear one face to the multitude and another to himself without finally becoming confused as to which is true” (p.170) can be seen throughout the whole novel. The first example is Arthur Dimmesdale. He has to keep the secret that he is Pearl’s father. To the whole town, Dimmesdale is known as being a great minister, but in this mind he was really a sinner.…

    • 404 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Authur Dimmesdale, a puritan reverend in Boston, fell in love with Hester Prynne, a young woman married to Roger Chillingworth. His inability to control his feelings led to an adulterous relationship between himself and Hester, resulting in the birth of Pearl. Both Hester and Authur lived guiltily, and Dimmesdale punished himself for the sin he committed. When Chillingworth arrived in America and realized his wife’s affair, he sought to discover Pearl’s father and take vengeance. Since Dimmesdale felt ill, Chillingworth utilized this opportunity to disguise himself as Dimmesdale’s physician since he has knowledge about medicine. Suspecting Dimmesdale as the father of Pearl, Chillingworth, with a maleficent personality, exploited Dimmesdale and tortured him psychologically. Critics argue about who committed the greater sin since Hester and Dimmesdale committed adultery while Chillingworth took revenge and tortured Dimmesdale.…

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Hester gets pregnant and the townspeople begin to figure out what happened. Even though Hester admitted to her sins, she will not give any information about the father of her baby. “A sickness, a sore place, if we may so call it, in your spirit. Would you, therefore, that your physician heal the bodily evil? How may this be, unless you first lay open to him the wound or trouble in your soul? "No!--not to thee!--not to an earthly physician!" cried Mr. Dimmesdale”. One decision that Dimmesdale makes was not tell anyone his relationship with Hester Prynne. He has become so guilty about his mistake that a scarlet letter “A” has appeared on his chest. At the end of the chapter, Dimmesdale feels so guilty that he stands on the scaffold along with Hester and pearl, and confesses his sin. “With a convulsive motion he tore away the ministerial band from before his breast. It was revealed”. Moments later Dimmesdale passes away from grief he can no longer withstand. Dimmesdale made one wrong choice which eventually lead to his…

    • 731 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sometimes, Dimmesdale seems like a coward. However, all he is trying to do is be an admirable pastor to his people, yet Dimmesdale has his unconfessed sins still burdening him. The reader can understand Dimmesdale’s desolation when Dimmesdale found out who Roger Chillingworth really was. As Hawthorne says in The Scarlet Letter, “ The minister looked at her for an instant, with all that violence of passion, which - intermixed in more shapes than one his higher, purer, softer qualities - was, in fact, the portion of him which the devil claimed, and through which he sought to win the rest.” (Hawthorne 214). In that excerpt of the book, the reader can grasp Dimmesdale’s rage. He feels betrayed by Hester because she did not tell him who Roger Chillingworth really was. Dimmesdale is also very upset that even with all of the torture he has put himself through, that he still does not regret his sin. Hawthorne also adds ,” Of penance, I have had enough! Of penitence, there has been none!” (Hawthorne 212) He feels that he has tortured himself enough, but he feels no guilt for his sins. Even though Dimmesdale knows that telling the people his thoughts are erroneous, he still wants everyone to know. In fact, he feels guilty for not saying anything and letting Hester take the fall for the punishment. Hawthorne includes, “ Else, I should long ago have thrown off these garments of mock holiness, and have…

    • 927 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    >Dimmesdale is a complete hypocrite. He preaches about resisting sin and temptation, while he can’t even do that himself. He is supposed to be a Puritan Society example, but follows a completely different lifestyle from what he preaches. He should have confessed his sin at the scaffold with Hester right from the start. Although it would still have been shameful, he could have, like Hester, redeemed himself in the eyes of the townspeople. Instead, he confesses everything seven years later, and…

    • 501 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Everyone in their life goes through guilt and regret, and may have things in common with Dimmesdale. In the excerpt The Characters Reveal the Story’s Meaning from Hawthorne: A Critical Study by Hyatt H. Waggoner, he states “He first descends from his original position as the saintly guide and inspiration of the novel as very nearly the worst of the sinners in his hypocrisy and cowardice.” (Waggoner 74). Readers can learn from Dimmesdale in many ways. From reading the novel, they can see how much damage regret and guilt causes. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne states the moral of the story, “Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred!” (Hawthorne 286). This quote tells you to be true to yourself and be you. Dimmesdale is a perfect example of this, because he wasn’t true to himself and ended up paying a huge price for his guilt. Everyone knows that lying is a sin, and can have major consequences. Even if you tell your secret, you can still feel guilt after the fact. Dimmesdale is a very relatable character, and readers can understand him the most, as well as learn from him throughout the…

    • 719 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Unfortunately for Dimmesdale, he is unable to escape the unbearable suffering of his shame and does not find it as enlightening as Hester does. Dimmesdale cannot express the truth regarding his actions with Hester and that silence is more shameful than any punishment she receives (Kilborne 473). Hawthorne describes Dimmesdale’s life as:…

    • 526 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hawthorne often places Dimmesdale’s character amongst the shadows, concealing him and the secret. If those surrounding him were to discover his disgraceful act, he could lose everything. By staying hidden in the heavy folds of the curtain, Dimmesdale withholds his actions and emotions while residing out of the sunlight cast upon the floor. Correspondingly, once the first opportunity passed for telling his secret, Dimmesdale took it upon himself to ensure no one uncovered the truth because of his job. His sin suddenly becomes a considerably heavier burden than Hester’s.…

    • 387 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In The Scarlet letter, Dimmesdale was blaming himself and feeling guilty in keeping his secret and making Hester take all the blame for both their sins.…

    • 369 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Physically, his sin caused him to look like “an emaciated figure, his thin cheek, his white, heavy, pain-wrinkled brow” (149); he had become so physically pathetic from the guilt which tore at him internally. Dimmesdale’s method of repentance was much worse than Hester’s, both emotionally and physically. Emotionally, Dimmesdale was deeply torn over his moral responsibilities to himself and his responsibility to the community, ultimately refusing to confront his sin and redeem himself. Instead, he attempts to justify and convince himself that he is refusing to “display [himself] black and filthy in the view of men...because, thenceforward...no evil of the past be redeemed by better service” (91). Dimmesdale refuses to expose his secret in fear of losing the his role and respect in the Puritan community. He laments the relief that he has seen in “sinful brethren...who at last draw free air, after long stifling with his own polluted breath” (90), as he is both physically and emotionally pained by the stifling of his guilt. However, contradicting his own morals--based in the Puritan religion--and those that vest right action and right thought in Hester, Dimmesdale continues to suppress his guilt in an attempt to maintain his prestigious standing within the…

    • 971 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays