The Scarlet Letter 12
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's tale of The Scarlet Letter, Arthur Dimmesdale, a main character, is confronted with a number of circumstances, both in and out of his control, that lead to his ultimate demise. Arthur Dimmesdale, a minister, lives his life for the townspeople of Boston and, as a result, becomes a slave to the public opinion. His sin against Hester and Pearl is that he will not acknowledge them as his lover and daughter in the daylight. He keeps his secret from all the parishioners in the church for seven years for fear that he will be cast out and hated by them. He is too weak to admit his sins openly and in their entirety. Instead, he allows his parishioners to believe that he is a good law abiding citizen.They love him all the more for his honest and modest character, and this is Arthur's intent. Arthur's flaw can be found in the fact that he chooses to value the public view above those of Hester, his love, and God, his master. Arthur, punishing himself for his ugly secret, which his need for public approval will not let him reve
al, gradually kills himself through guilt and masochistic ritual. To truly be a tragic hero, Arthur would have to have been a great and respectable man to begin with. This is not the case. Arthur must have been a weak, dependent man before he ever entangled his life with Hester's. Instead of overcoming his weakness, Arthur lives as a sinner, allowing Hester to be the strong and moral one for them both. Arthur Dimmesdale is not a strong character. His story is tragic of its own accord, but that it brings forth pity for him is questionable. Arthur is aware of his character flaws and does end up destroyed as a man, but that he was ever much of a man to begin with is doubtful. Arthur Dimmesdale cannot, really, be viewed as a tragic hero, for he falls short of the qualifications expected of such a role. In Mr. Dimmesdale's secret closet, under lock and key, there was a bloody rod. He was not fasting to purify himself and reach a higher level of understanding, but to use it as a penance for his sin to Hester. He tries to purify himself through introspection but instead tortures hi
Some common words found in the essay are:
Hester Pearl, People Englandye, Arthur Dimmesdale, Hester's Instead, arthur dimmesdale, Nathaniel Hawthorne's, tragic hero, Scarlet Letter, scarlet letter, sin hester, hester pearl,
Approximate Word count = 737
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
