Scarlet Letter Compare And Contrast Essay

How alike can two people from two completely different generations be? Arthur Dimmesdale and Melinda Sordino come from totally different worlds but share many of the same traits. Therefore, their similarities go a long way. The character Arthur Dimmesdale comes from the novel The Scarlet Letter. Due to the complexity of being the legitimate father to Hester Prynne’s baby, Dimmesdale reacts in a rather negative way. Melinda Sordino resides in the book Speak, and her equivalent reaction comes from the fact that she was raped, and blames the incident on herself. In both novels, characters Dimmesdale and Melinda relate a great deal as a result of self harm, isolation, and their struggles internally. Melinda and Dimmesdale are both depressed, which eventually leads to self harm. The act of taking their pain out on
Melinda and Dimmesdale each have places to run to when they need a break from reality. While exploring school, Melinda stumbles upon an old, unused janitor’s closet. She says “this closet is abandoned- it has no purpose, no name. It is the perfect place for me” (Anderson 26). This single statement proves that Melinda believes she means nothing. It is the beginning of the making of a safe haven for herself, where she can finally detach from everything around her. In the novel The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne, Dimmesdale’s forbidden lover, awaits him on one of his walks through the mysterious forest, his very own secret closet, or place of refuge. When Hester calls his name, Dimmesdale responds by “gathering himself up quickly, he stood more erect, like a man taken by surprise in a mood to which he was reluctant to have witness” (Hawthorne 127). Dimmesdale was obviously surprised seeing anyone on his walk, since this was one of the only places he could find closure by dividing himself from the world. By isolating themselves from reality, Melinda and Dimmesdale relate