Preview

Arthur Dimmesdale's Redemption In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
929 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Arthur Dimmesdale's Redemption In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne
Both the Bible and Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter, redemption from sin is a prominent theme. Hawthorne and the Bible recognize that sin is inevitable - humans, as a part of life, sin. However, it is accepting and growing from these sins that allow peace of mind. The experience of Arthur Dimmesdale parallels that of the Bible's story of King David and Bathsheba and demonstrates that sin is a natural, unavoidable part of human life, but having committed a sin without confession leads to a life of internal turmoil and guilt. Hawthorne pushes the parallel between Dimmesdale's experience and the scriptural story of David and Bathsheba with the description of the tapestries decorating Dimmesdale's study (112). In doing so, he gives Dimmesdale a larger-than-life role. Dimmesdale is no longer …show more content…
Coyly innocent, Pearl states that the sun will not shine on her mother because of the badge of sin that her mother wears, but that the sunlight still loves Pearl because she does not yet have her own sinful marker. Her mother, rightfully protective, says that she hopes Pearl will never have to bear a burden like the scarlet letter she carries. ‘"And why not, mother?" asked Pearl… "Will not it come of its own accord when I am a woman grown?"' (166). Intuitively, Pearl makes the assumption that sin is natural, and that all people encounter it in their journey to and during adulthood, an assumption directly countering the ideals of the puritan society that condemns her mother and herself. Hawthorne's use of Pearl to convey this message is extremely important. Pearl is a child born in passion, living in the forest away from societal norms. She embraces all things natural and free, very opposite from the puritans. He uses Pearl to stress that sin is a natural element of life; it should not be shunned and pushed out of society, because the only way to truly triumph over it is to confront
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Who Is Dimmesdale's Sins In The Scarlet Letter
    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Who Is Dimmesdale's Sins In The Scarlet Letter

    Hester Prynne’s sin in the Scarlet Letter, was adultery. She committed adultery with Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. This sin in particular was one of the more frowned upon of the Puritan faith. In result of this sin, she became pregnant and gave birth to Pearl, who becomes the highlight of Hester’s life. Dimmesdale’s sin as recently explained was adultery as well. He as the priest was looked upon as the most honorable man in the community and was supposed to be considered sinless.…

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Symbolism Of Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale In 'The Scarlet Letter'
    • 175 Words
    • 1 Page

    The Symbolism Of Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale In 'The Scarlet Letter'

    Dimmesdale’s symbol changes throughout the entire book. It starts off by him symbolizing a holy figure since he is the reverend so the Puritan society looks up to him and they don’t expect him to commit a sin. For the most part, he symbolises hypocrisy, in chapter 3, he states “What can thy silence do for him, except to tempt him---yea, compel him, as it were---to add hypocrisy to sin?” (page 65). He knows what what will happen to him if he keeps his sin to himself, but at that point in the book he’s already afraid to let the townspeople know. He goes to preach every week on how bad his sin is and how bad of a person he is but he still keeps it to himself. Since the townspeople don’t know about his sin, they still look up to him as if he were…

    • 175 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Dimmesdale And Tawdry In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'
    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Dimmesdale And Tawdry In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'

    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
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Who Is Dimmesdale's Suffering In The Scarlet Letter
    • 1373 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Who Is Dimmesdale's Suffering In The Scarlet Letter

    How can one be assigned the title of suffering the most? This is a complicated question presented in the book, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Scarlet Letter is a book that revolves around a sinner named Hester Prynne, a minister, Arthur Dimmesdale, a physician, Roger Chillingworth, and a little girl named Pearl. Hester and Dimmesdale are both who has committed adultery; however, the story starts with Hester being a woman who is branded with a Scarlet Letter A, that represents adulterous, while Dimmesdale is not shown to be the person who Hester had an affair with. Throughout the story, Hester, Dimmesdale, Pearl, and Chillingworth are all in the midst of a troubling situation, while…

    • 1373 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Dimmesdale Scarlet Letter
    • 131 Words
    • 1 Page

    Dimmesdale Scarlet Letter

    There are a lot of characters that change throughout the story; one of them is Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale engaged in doing a big sin in the puritan society he lived in, Dimmesdale slept with another man’s wife, Hester Prynne and she became pregnant. Hester got punished for doing this sin but Dimmesdale did not admit to committing the sin, so instead he lives with guild and it builds up which makes it worse for him because he is a puritan minister. Since Dimmesdale does not commit to the sin to the public, he instead inflicts humiliation upon himself in private because he isn't punished by the public for committing the sin of adultery. The place where Dimmesdale transforms most throughout the story seems to always be at the same place; The Scaffold.…

    • 131 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Scarlet Letter: Arthur Dimmesdale's Sin
    • 535 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Scarlet Letter: Arthur Dimmesdale's Sin

    A shocking story about a young women committing adultery in a such strict community. This event occurred in the seventeenth-century Boston.The young women who committed the sin is Hester Prynne. Hester Prynne had committed this sin with a Puritan minister named Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Hester’s real husband in disguise is Roger Chillingworth. Roger Chillingworth had sent Hester to America while he stayed behind in Europe but was supposed to follow Hester. The result of Chillingworth not following Hester was a baby girl named Pearl.…

    • 535 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Arthur Dimmesdale's Response To Scarlet Letter
    • 231 Words
    • 1 Page

    Arthur Dimmesdale's Response To Scarlet Letter

    The section in which Dimmesdale stood on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl impressed me the most. He conquered his fear and pride, and, as clearly as he could, confessed his crime. He recognized that though he had done an immense amount of penance, of good works, they could not atone for his sin. Only to “show himself to mankind as they would see him at the judgment-seat” would be the true act of penitence.…

    • 231 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Arthur Dimmesdale In Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter
    • 927 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Arthur Dimmesdale In Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter

    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
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How To Reveal Dimmesdale's Central Flaw In The Scarlet Letter
    • 333 Words
    • 2 Pages

    How To Reveal Dimmesdale's Central Flaw In The Scarlet Letter

    Throughout the book, The Scarlet Letter it tells the tale of a woman who committed adultery with a man who she falls desperately in love with, a baby is born out of complete and utter sin. A woman who was outcasted by society, and lived a life of torment but what drives us really insane to where every flaw is cast to those around us. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses characterization to reveal Dimmesdale's central flaw, is selfishness. Hawthorne uses characterization to reveal Dimmesdale's central flaw, selfishness. Selfishness is when you think of completely nothing other than yourself, you do not put others before you, the only thing you are worried about is yourself and how the situation affects you. This flaw is the biggest flaw because…

    • 333 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Rhetorical Strategies In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'
    • 986 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Rhetorical Strategies In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'

    Common throughout religious stories we read today mainly focuses on how the author feels about their faith. However, in Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter it composed a both beautiful and tragic story while still creating a deep impact on the conflicting views of the society and nature in the Puritan society. Hawthorne uses his main characters in this novel to focus on three main rhetorical strategies; symbolism, hypocrisy and maliciousness. While using these strategies Hawthorne is able to create a story of a woman who was condemned and exposed of her sin in the Puritan Society.…

    • 986 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Dimmesdale's Suffering In Scarlet Letter
    • 526 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Dimmesdale's Suffering In Scarlet Letter

    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
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Does Nathaniel Hawthorne Use Irony In The Scarlet Letter
    • 868 Words
    • 4 Pages

    How Does Nathaniel Hawthorne Use Irony In The Scarlet Letter

    Nathaniel Hawthorne promotes the idea of socially on brought guilt through the interactions of characters and Puritan beliefs in The Scarlet Letter. He masterfully depicts a newly settled New England and it's strict religious faith, which is still seen in much of New England today. He uses symbolism, irony and to fully bring out the true potential of his story.…

    • 868 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Dimmesdale's Body And Soul In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne
    • 704 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Dimmesdale's Body And Soul In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

    Dimmesdale’s self-hatred and inability to confess drive him to the practice of flogging himself, fasting and keeping vigils, all of which weaken his body. Describing the self-abuse, Hawthorne writes, “In Mr. Dimmesdale’s secret closet, under lock and key, there was a bloody scourge. Oftentimes this protestant and Puritan divine had plied it on his own shoulders… but could not purify himself” (90-100). The deterioration of the minister’s health certainly must be due, at least in part, to open sores caused by self-flagellation, to starvation, and to sleep…

    • 704 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Sin And Redemption In The Scarlet Letter
    • 971 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Sin And Redemption In The Scarlet Letter

    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
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Dimmesdale In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter
    • 95 Words
    • 1 Page

    Dimmesdale In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

    Although Dimmesdale was the one in which Hester had committed adultery with, he chooses not to come forward and confess his crime to the public. Consequently, he is always full of grief and sorrow and he starts to become sick. Dimmesdale regularly is seen as “pale, and holding his hand over his heart.” (69; Ch. 8) whenever he is distressed or agitated, which is a sign of his heart being sickly and insubstantial. Because of this, he undertakes whipping and fasting himself, which doesn’t assist him but just forces his health down a plundering…

    • 95 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics