The Sinful Minister In The Scarlet Letter

The Sinful Minister
In the 17th century, religion was a major principal that consumed people's lives. In this particular community, there was a young, handsome man that was highly worshipped due to his passionate feelings toward the Puritan faith. Everyone gazed upon this greatly respected reverend named Arthur Dimmesdale, aspiring to be him. Little did they know that the entire time that they idolized him, he was hiding a sinful secret that would relentlessly haunt his soul for the rest of his mortal life. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Arthur Dimmesdale's cowardice, misery, and faith are what ultimately led to his unfortunate demise.
Arthur Dimmesdale was not in any sense brave; in fact, he was a major coward. After committing
If it was not for his strong religious beliefs in the Puritan faith he most likely would not have tortured himself as much for his sin. He, as an ordained minister, dedicates his life to God and the Puritan religion. The congregation cherished him and the townspeople sought his advice and guidance. In their oblivious, biased eyes they believed that a man of his status in the religious aspect of life could never be capable of such an unforgiving crime. Puritans believe that God had predetermined the life that they were destined to live. Therefore, anything you did would not decide your pathway into heaven. Although they believed life was already planned out, they still did not sin because it was also believed that if one person would sin, God could release his wrath on the whole community. So, punishing sinners, like Hester, is a way for the colony to cleanse the wrongdoings a way. Hester, not being a Puritan, believes that doing deeds such as sewing clothes for the elderly, could cleanse their souls and make them eligible for heaven. When she tells Dimmesdale that his good deeds for the community make up for his adultery sin he proclaims, " What can a ruined soul, like mine, effect towards the redemption of other souls—or a polluted soul, towards their purification?," which displays the idea that being a reverend in the community serves no comfort because his soiled soul could not help others(Hawthorne
When Hawthorne mentions that The Scarlet Letter is a "tale of human frailty and sorrow," he speaking of Dimmesdale (Hawthorne 34). As the novel progressed, Dimmesdale's guilty conscience ate him alive inside and out, leaving him in a fragile and weak state. The Scarlet Letter reveals how Arthur Dimmesdale was in deep distress due to his sin and how it resulted in him appearing like a disease had physically altered his body. He became the personified form of human frailty and sorrow. If the minister would have admitted his sin early on, forgave himself, and not dwell on his actions in relation with his beliefs he may have not died. Dimmesdale's life could have been significantly different if it had not been for his cowardice, misery, and