Many of Hawthorne's works center around what is right or wrong, and the consequences of breaking the basic links between humans by committing acts of sin (Brown). In this book, Reverend Dimmesdale is Hester Prynne's secret lover, with whom he shares his sin, the sin of adultery. It is ironic that dispite Dimmesdale's profession, he commits this sin. For a great amount of time in this book, author Nathaniel Hawthorne shows how this sin is frowned upon by many of the townspeople.

Arthur Dimmesdale is an eminent minister in Boston and also the father of Pearl. He is a tortured man who constantly places his hand over his heart when agitated. His health is quite bad, and

One day, Hester takes Pearl on a walk into the woods because she has heard that Dimmesdale will be walking along the path of the forest. While they are on their walk in the woods, Pearl asks Hester about the Black Man, which is more commonly known as the devil. Pearl asks, "... is there such a Black Man? And didst thou ever meet him? And is this his mark?" (Hawthorne 127). Hester then answers her daughter and says, "Once in my life I have met the Black Man! This scarlet letter is his mark! (127)." Hester's meaning is that the Black Man puts a mark on those who have sinned. It is when Dimmesdale appears walking down the path in the woods when Pearl asks her mother why Dimmesdale does not wear his mark on the outside instead of where no one can see it.

The greatest sinner in The Scarlet Letter is the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Not only for the sin he committed, but also for avoiding the very important and essential confession: owning up to his sin. Because he didn't own up to his sin of adultery, he took no responsibility whatsoever for Hester and their creation, Pearl. The events help us to understand how Hawthorne used criticism and duality to prove a point in this story, the point being that people sin and make mistakes, even in such a strict and religious society as the Puritans had long ago. Sin is a constant in society, and that perhaps will never change. A sin can only become deeper if the perpetrator spends a great deal of his or her own life concealing it, keeping it bottled up inside, until one is ready to burst.

Hawthorne lets us know that Dimmesdale has attempted to reveal his sin to his congregation. However, each time he is unable to succeed because his followers fail to realize that what he is saying is true. Instead, his reputation is so high that many believe he is merely being humble.

Mr. Dimmesdale is so intensely overwhelmed with shame and remorse that he is feeling; he has started to become well known for his sermons. His ability

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Approximate Word count = 1329
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)