Nathaniel Hawthrone´s Writing Style in The Scarlet Letter

In Dimmesdale's first speech he uses accusatory appeals to further humiliate and set an example to the rest of the community. Dimmesdale publicly put Hester on the scaffold to make a example of her, to show the other citizens what would happen if they sin." If thou feelest it to be for thy soul's peace, and that thy earthly punishment will thereby be made more effectual to salvation"( Hawthorne 57). This quote by Dimmesdale shows that Hester's earthily punishment, by Public humiliation, will be effective in her deliverance from sin. The whole reason for Hester's public punishment is to show her that she could not recover from the sin. The public punishment is more for Hester than for the community. Hester being put on blast at the scaffold insure that she believes she is forever going to be an outcast in society. In Dimmesdale's second speech his appeal changes from accusatory to remorseful. Dimmesdale's use of remorseful appeals in his second speech helps him say his confession. Dimmesdale's confession in the end has people feel bad for him because they saw how keeping the secret was hurting him. " ye, that have loved me!- ye, that have deemed me holy!- behold me here, the one sinner of the world!"( Hawthorne 208). This quote shows that the people of the community loved Dimmesdale and he knew that. So, for Dimmesdale to betray them the way he did, he felt bad. So he confessed publicly to help himself with the

Dimmesdale, on the other hand, was a pastor, a position that was highly esteemed in Puritan society. Dimmesdale had a lot more to lose than did Hester. Also, Dimmesdale believed he could continue to be the mouthpiece of God if he kept his sin hidden. (17-172/173). Being a godly man, Dimmesdale only feels the guilt of his crime

The society of the puritans punished Hester Prynne for a crime that their minister, Dimmesdale, participated in. My question is, why does Hester get punished and not Dimmesdale? It takes two to have a baby, so two people should be punished for the crime. Although the community doesn’t know Dimmesdale participated in the crime, as soon as they find out it was him, they should punish him. Throughout the Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale changes drastically. He starts as a minister who is afraid to admit his sin, and then he changes to a character that is willing to confess the sin that he committed. "If thou feelest it to be for thy soul's peace, and that thy earthly punishment will thereby be made more effectual to salvation, I

Dimmesdale is a priest at the town, he is one of the main priest. He is high viewed by the townspeople, and no one had ever come to question his abilities. He and hester had commit the sin adultery, but only hester suffer in a prison and a on a scaffold (which she has to stand on three hours a day) which was her punishment. While dimmesdale is left to suffer by himself because he had not disclose his sin, unlike hester who proudly wears the scarlet

Although both Hester and Dimmesdale committed the same crime, which was adultery, their scarlet letters are different from one another in many ways. One way they’re different is because Hester’s scarlet letter was an article of clothing. Dimmesdale’s scarlet letter, however is carved into his chest. Since Hester’s is out and into the open for others to see, she is looked down upon. At the time, adultery was a huge sin. Dimmesdale, on the other hand, had to live his life as a coward hiding the truth. He did not tell people of his crime; he kept it to himself. This is another way their scarlet letters are different. The two handled the situations very differently. Hester took the consequences fairly, while Dimmesdale showed no sign of giving in to the townspeople. Since Hester lived a harsh life due to all the attention and hatred she received from others, she grew up to become quite a strong woman. Dimmesdale becomes weaker, even paler, over time. Although the two have their differences, they also had some similarities. Both of them were, in a way, cowards. Yes, Hester took all of the blame while Dimmesdale took none of it, but the two still didn’t want to have the town see the whole situation they were in. hester did not want them to find out about her husband, Chillingworth, or about her true love, Dimmesdale. Of course she took the penalties of committing adultery, however, she does not want the people to know exactly who she committed the crimes with/against. Both

Instead of confessing to the community, Dimmesdale, to try and seek forgiveness in another way than confessing, tortures himself to the brink of death. Whilst talking to Hester in the forest, Dimmesdale says: “Had I one friend, —or were it my worst enemy! —to whom, when sickened with the praises of all other men, I could daily betake myself, and be known as the vilest of all sinners, methinks my soul might keep itself alive thereby. Even thus much of truth would save me! But now, it is all falsehood! —all emptiness! —all death!” (288-289). Dimmesdale is depressed in the way that the only thing keeping him alive is his sin. Hester after seven years, is seen as a sort of hero in the community, which is shown when the town calls her “our Hester” (244). Dimmesdale is not able to confess and be forgiven, in relation to Hester already being forgiven and living a relatively decent life. Dimmesdale also must look to other methods for forgiveness while Hester lives with a static punishment. Dimmesdale physically whips himself to attempt to achieve forgiveness, he also does not have anyone to counsel about his feelings, which leads to much depression. Dimmesdale also must deal with physical and mental pain, while Hester deals with

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne presents the reader with the harsh, life changing conflicts of three Puritan characters during the 17th century. Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Robert Chillingworth must endure their different, yet surprisingly similar struggles as the novel progresses. Despite their similarities, Hawthorne shows these individuals deal with their conflicts differently, and in the end, only one prevails. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s intricately critical diction helps determine his didactic tone; during the course of The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne reveals that happiness can be harnessed through one’s perseverance.

As stated previously, the contrasting morals of Dimmesdale and Hester result in both of the characters feeling isolated and in pain. In Dimmesdale’s case, his pain is so overwhelming that he no longer has the strength or will to continue living, especially while feeling the guilt and shame of his sin on his shoulders. When his death finally comes, however, it is Hester who is affected by it more than anyone. After living in guilt for so long, all the while watching Dimmesdale gradually fall to pieces, it is agonizing for her to be so helpless at his side, and to be unable to join him in his redemption. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester cries “Shall we not meet again? . . .

First of all, when Dimmesdale became a priest, he took saintly vows. Among these, being the vow to remain celibate for the rest of his life. Not only did he break this holy vow, but Hester Prynne also ended up pregnant as a result. Dishonorable as this is in and of itself, the minister chose to hide his misdeed from the community, allowing Hester to bear her punishment alone. A noble man would not have made the transgression in the first place, but a truly noble man would have admitted his wrongdoing and accepted the repercussions. He would not have

Reverend Dimmesdale is a character foil of Hester Prynne. Whereas she represents repented and forgiven sin he does not. Dimmesdale cannot forgive himself and tortures himself because of it. He does this by holding vigils and famines. This causes him to be weak and frail, whereas Hester is strong and thusly causing her to be the strength of Dimmsdale both mentally and physically. Together Hester and Dimmesdale plan to leave Boston to return to England, but Dimmesdale dies due to his constant torture.

For Dimmesdale however, his sin is easier hidden. Perhaps the best evidence of this contrast is in an exchange between the two characters; Hawthorne writes, ‘“The judgment of God is on me," answered the conscience-stricken priest. "It is too mighty for me to struggle with!" "Heaven would show mercy," rejoined Hester, "hadst thou but the strength to take advantage of it" (Hawthorne 43). The reader can see here that Hester and Dimmesdale have a totally different mindset when it comes to their shared adversity.

Reverend Dimmesdale was a renowned, prideful man stricken with sin and extreme guilt.  From the time Hester and Dimmesdale made love, he was grievous of his sin but he also felt a great love towards her.  Dimmesdale's stubborn pride troubled him greatly, and although he tried many times, he could not confess his sin to his religious followers.  Dimmesdale felt guilt so strongly that he scourged himself on his breast and patterned an “A” into his own flesh, yet he could not confess his sin until his grief grew so great it caused him to perish.  Reverend Dimmesdale's sin was greater than Hester's because he let his pride conflict with his repentance, and let his life be ruined by his anguish.

This concealed sin is the center of his tormented conscience. The pressures on him from society are greater than those on Hester because he is a man in high standing, expected to represent the epitome of the Puritanical ideals. It is ironic that Dimmesdale, who is supposed to be absolutely pure and urges congregation to confess and openly repent their sins, is incapable of doing so himself. He knows the hypocrisy of his actions but cannot bring himself to admit his deed publicly. In resentment of this he punishes himself physically - he is "often observed to put his hand over his heart, with indicative of pain" (ch 9). Dimmesdale's resistance to be true to himself gradually destroys his well being as well as Hester's, and although he eventually declares the truth, his resistance ends him.

Nathaniel Hawthorne, a well-know Dark Romantic, employs the issues prevalent in Dark Romanticism in his novel The Scarlet Letter. These include the concepts of: guilt and sin, good and evil, and madness in the human psyche. Guilt and sin are heavily addressed in the novel, focusing on Hester’s outward versus Dimmesdale’s hidden guilt, and the sins committed by the adulterous couple and the revenge-driven Roger Chillingworth. The idea of what good and evil are is questioned in the novel. For example, the reader is led to question if Hester was right in not revealing Dimmesdale, and in turn if both Dimmesdale and Chillingworth were

In terms of the book, The Scarlet Letter, the theme of morality plays a large role in the sequence of events. The question is, who has stronger morals, Hester or Dimmesdale? Hester was the one to reveal the sin, even though it was not her choice. This means that she has stronger morals because she admits to her sin and deals with the outcome of it. In Dimmesdale’s case, he does not reveal his sin, so his morals are weaker than Hester’s. In her article, “A Critique of Puritan Society”, Alison Easton shares that “These people’s response is both involuntary and at one level based on a misapprehension of the true state of affairs” (119). The only reason that Dimmesdale was seen as morally stronger was because of his position as a priest. They were manipulated to believe that he was not a sinner at all. At the end of the book, Dimmesdale’s morality increased because of his guilty heart, and because of this, he admits to his sin and dies on the scaffold.