Since Dimmesdale cannot reveal his secret to anyone, he can not share his pain. All the pent up guilt he has stored with in eats away at him, slowly deteriorating his body and soul. Dimmesdale's masochistic and pious attributes greatly contribute to the extent of his alienation. For the reverend it was "essential to his peace to feel the pressure of a faith about him." This need for punishment coupled with religious devotion gives reason for Dimmesdale's secrecy. Hiding his intimate self from other people bestows Dimmesdale the punishment he so desperately seeks. His mental breakdown stemming from his social alienation is most clearly shown in the chapter the "The Minister's Vigil". His self-torture leads him to walk "under the influence of a species of somnambulism", thinking irrationally in a way not like himself. His pent up agony causes Dimmesdale to act out in ways like this that could reveal his secret.

Dimmesdale's psychological agony partly st

Through his actions, Chillingworth is alienated from everyone including himself. Because of his intellectual nature, Chillingworth is able to distance himself from others to systematically destroy Dimmesdale. He has become a different person as a result for his intent on revenge. The narrator acknowledges this change by saying "A mortal man, with once a human heart, has become a fiend for his especial torment." Chillingworth knows what he is doing is wrong but he is so far gone, he cannot return to what he once was. He has given into his desires because he is no longer in touch with the moral and reasonable part of himself. Roger Chillingworth, a self-proclaimed intellectual, becomes a villain driven by revenge. This revenge separates him so much from other aspects in life that when Dimmesdale dies, Chillingworth soon perishes from the lack of substance in his life.

Hester's self-alienation is perhaps most damaging to her psyche. Through her environment, she is forced to be untrue to her nature. Her passionate nature is suppressed and gives way to the conformity of society. Hester, "lost in the labyrinth of mind", is so detached from herself that she feel that she is not the same person. She is not only alienated from other people but she can not even turn to herself for support. This self-alienation is most damaging to her because she is going through the stage in her life of finding out who she is and the scarlet

Some common words found in the essay are:
Hester's Main, Scarlet Letter, Roger Chillingworth, Minister's Vigil, God Dimmesdale, scarlet letter, characters suffer, main characters, relationship god, nature separates, puritan society, forms alienation, self-alienation damaging, reveal secret, spiritual alienation,
Approximate Word count = 975
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)