The Scarlet Letter: Dimmesdale

A detailed Summary of The Scarlet Letter: Dimmesdale

Many characters go through transformations in The Scarlet Letter, and one of those characters is Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Author Nathaniel Hawthorne writes of a puritan society, and it is the laws of that society, both written and unwritten, that Dimmesdale breaks and which causes the changes to occur. He commits the sin of adultery, and by sleeping with Hester Prynne, breaks the laws that he is supposed to represent. He cannot admit his sin because he is a holy man, and admitting his sin would mean losing the faith of his congregation. Instead he struggles with his sin and tortures himself in an effort to gain forgiveness for what he has done. Dimmesdale is described as the worst of sinners, yet he is seen as the holiest man in his community. Dimmesdale's progression occurs throughout the story, but can be seen in three main parts. He first denies his sin, then he unwillingly accepts it, and finally he overcomes it. The three scaffold scenes can represent these three stages.

In the first scaffold scene, the town is out to witness the punishment of Hester Prynne, and some of the women are suggesting other punishments. The women are also talking about Hester and Dimmesdale. "'People say,' said another, 'that the Reverend Master

"A good evening to you, venerable Father Wilson. Come up hither, I pray you, and pass a pleasant hour with me!" Good Heavens! Had Mr. Dimmesdale actually spoken? For one instant he believed that these words had passed his lips. But they were uttered only within his imagination. The venerable Father Wilson continued to step slowly onward, looking carefully at the muddy pathway before his feet, and never once turning his head towards the guilty platform. When the light of the glimmering lantern had faded quite away, the minister discovered, by the faintness which came over him, that the last few moments had been a crisis of terrible anxiety, although his mind had made an involuntary effort to relieve itself by a kind of lurid playfulness. (147)

"Do I feel joy again!" cried he, wondering at himself. "Methought the germ of it was dead in me! Oh, Hester, thou art my better angel! I seem to have flung myself-sick, sin-stained, and sorrow-blackened-down upon these forest leaves, and to have risen up all made anew, and with new powers to glorify Him that hath been merciful! This is already the better life! Why did we not find it sooner?"(Page 198)

In the final scaffold scene, Dimmesdale finally conquers his sin. He escapes the Devil, who was symbolized by Roger Chillingworth, by saying, "Thy power is not what it was! With God's help, I shall escape thee now!" (248). Dimmesdale's confession saves his soul and frees him from the one secret linking the Devil to him. Next, Dimmesdale tears away the "ministerial band from before his breast", revealing a scarlet letter on his chest (250). By publicly revealing his sin, he rises above it, forgiving himself and officially asking God and the town for forgiveness. However, the forgiveness he seeks most lies in Pearl.

"At the great judgment day," whispered the minister; and, strangely enough, the sense that he was a professional teacher of the truth

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Approximate Word count = 1281
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels