Arthur Dimmesdale: Evil Or Not?

Arthur Dimmesdale is a character portrayed in both the light and the dark by having passion for helping people yet by hiding his sin by holding “his hand over his heart” (Hawthorne 110). Even as a minister he struggled with the conflict of evil

The third example of Dimmesdale is the worst sinner than Chillingworth is because he doesn’t have responsibility for what he has done. After Hester is out of prison, she is punished and she takes all the blame and their shared sin while Dimmesdale chooses to hide behind her. Dimmesdale let Hester and Pearl go through hash criticizing, disparaging, and insulting from everyone in the towns. People disparaging Hester by saying “This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die. Is there not law

Because Arthur possessed such a wise and loving tutor who showed him the good and decent side of human nature, he himself grew up "...kind, simple, and upright" (White OAFK 387) Merlyn taught him through the use of animals that were much more peaceful and serene than humans could ever hope to be. Because Arthur possessed such a kind and moral heart, he could not find it in his heart to hate his best friend, his wife, or anyone for betraying him, and his forgiving nature and naivete eventually led to his downfall. If Merlyn had only showed him that all men possessed a streak of evil in them, Arthur would not have been so quick to assume that all men were good "...for if there was such a thing as original sin, if man was on the whole a villain, if the bible was right in saying that the hearts of men were deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, then the purpose of his life had been a vain one" (White OAFK 629).In the end, Arthur lost his battle with might and failed to create a stable, peaceful, and progressive society.

Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale takes the easy way out and does not tell the community that he is the one that committed adultery with Hester Prynne, which led to more pain than he saved. Him and Hester Prynne committed adultery together and as a result of that, they have a

Arthur Dimmesdale uses the strategies of ethos and pathos, as well as devices such as rhetorical questions in order to provoke emotion in his audience: Mr. Wilson, Governor Bellingham, and Roger Chillingworth. While the group of men, Mr. Wilson, Governor Bellingham, Roger Chillingworth, and Arthur Dimmesdale are walking in Governor Bellingham’s garden, Hester Prynne and her child Pearl are walking to Governor Bellingham's mansion. There was a rumour spreading, and one that was becoming quite popular among the townspeople, that Pearl, a child of sin, should be taken from her mother. Hester had come to discuss this situation with governor Bellingham and try to persuade him to not take her light away, but he would not listen. In an act of desperation,

Once Roger is aware of this information he becomes close to the minister, and in all his might for revenge does whatever it takes to make Dimmesdale suffer even more: “it came to be widely believed that the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale…was haunted either by Satan himself or by Satan’s messenger in the person of old Roger Chillingworth” (Hawthorne 201). Throughout the book it refers to Dimmesdale as the devil, simply because of the harsh acts he commits are truly evil. Most often it is seen how Roger mentally tortures Dimmesdale in many different ways without Dimmesdale knowing that Roger is aware of his secret. During the progression of the story, it is most obvious to note the progression, or more appropriately the decline in Dimmesdale physical health. Often to punish himself for his sin he would inflict pain or suffering by whip himself, or even fast for much too long of a time that would lead to serious harm: “He looked thinner and more worn down with worry...Either from his failing health or for some other reason, his large dark eyes had a world of pain in their troubled and melancholy depths” (Hawthorne 177). Through the progression of the story Dimmesdale 's health, or the lack thereof, is directly shown from his physical appearance. The physical suffering of Dimmesdale is one that is most apparent as the man begins struggling to walk to collapsing in the arms of Hester right before he dies. Arthur

Whether he meant to or not, Arthur was very convincing in his speech, which leads one to believe that he was being pulled in two completely opposite directions. A part of him wanted more than anything to have the weight of this secret sin lifted from his conscience; another part of him, arguably the practical part, knew that he could never let the people know the truth. His facade and image were much too important not only to him, but to the entire community. If he had admitted to everyone what he had done, then he would have been seen, not only as a hypocrite, but a betrayer of everyone's trust. Some people in the community might have even started doubting the religion because, if this man who they considered holy and righteous, could not live a life without sin, then how could they? Clearly, Arthur was asking these questions as well, and the world in which he had lived and had served so faithfully was beginning to close in on him. It was because of this that his health began to fail and his body could, at the end, no longer handle the weight and sadness of his soul. His spirit had been lost long before his body gave out.

The third example of Dimmesdale is the worst sinner than Chillingworth is because he doesn’t have responsibility for what he has done. After Hester is out of prison, she is punished and she takes all the blame and their shared sin while Dimmesdale chooses to hide behind her. Dimmesdale let Hester and Pearl go through hash criticizing, disparaging, and insulting for everyone in the towns. People disparaging Hester by saying “This woman has brought shame upon us all, and

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.

Arthur Dimmesdale, a character of high reputation, overwhelmed by guilt, torn apart by his own wrongdoing, makes his entrance into history as the tragic hero whose life becomes a montage of pain and agony because of his mistakes. The themes leading to Dimmesdale’s becoming a tragic hero are his guilt from his sin, and his reluctance to tarnish his reputation in the town. Guilt plays a huge role in defining Dimmesdale as a tragic hero. Dimmesdale has understood that by not revealing his sin, he has doomed himself. This also connects with the constant struggle with Chillingworth. The mysteries of Dimmesdale’s guilty heart entice Chillingworth to delve into his soul and reveal what has been hidden, causing Dimmesdale great pain and

Dimmesdale has a largely different approach to dealing with his sin. Arthur Dimmesdale handles his terrible guilt by concealing it to himself. To overcome it he would whip himself, and take long walks into the forest. Dimmesdale’s act of concealing his guilt shows that he is not brave enough to tell all and there for he must live fearfully and cowardly. This guilt he has chose to endure is much worse than any shame he would have felt had he just confessed his sin of adultery with Hester. Since he was a moral leader in his town he felt an obligation to keep it a secret but like in many cases where guilt is concealed, the sinner eventually reasons enough to confess. Dimmesdale does the same and confesses his sin to the townspeople. “He longed to speak out from his own pulpit, at the full height of his voice, and tell his people who he was.”

Arthur Dimmesdale was the most important figure in the community he lived in, was looked upon by everyone as a role model, and had a very particular set of ideals by which he lived his life. Nathaniel Hawthorne, one of the first great American writers and author of The Scarlet Letter, is credited with saying that “families are always rising and falling in America.” He is saying that families have ups and downs all throughout their lives. This quote applies to The Scarlet Letter on a smaller scale in the sense that people are always rising and falling in Puritan Society. For Dimmesdale, it is the rising and falling of the way he feels about himself as a person. The rises and falls are often shaped by outside influences and can be internalized.

Puritan society is also portrayed in a negative light when observing its effects on Dimmesdale. Arthur Dimmesdale is praised by many in his community as a holy figure and thus a leader, however, he is just as much a sinner as Hester, since together they committed adultery. The fact that he hides this secret in order to preserve this false image of himself shows how much he cares about how he is viewed by society. While many would argue that he does this out of his own free will, there is no doubt that he feels pressure from society to keep his past hidden and maintain this holy facade. Once Dimmesdale dies, some townspeople “affirm that the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale, on the very day when Hester Prynne first wore her ignominious badge, had begun a course of penance … by inflicting a hideous torture on himself” (Hawthorne 230). When they see the letter branded on Dimmesdale, they are shown how he has been tortured by himself and by Chillingworth, as a result of the agony society put him through in hiding his secret of having committed sin. This instance shows how, in a deterministic society, even those viewed as the

Arthur Dimmesdale, a minister, lives his life under the watchful yet admiring eye of 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

The guilt that plagues Arthur Dimmesdale, leads to the climax of the novel, in which Dimmesdale overcomes his inner conflict. Throughout the entire book, Dimmesdale has struggled with trying to reveal what he has done. At first he is to cowardly to do this, but eventually Dimmesdale realizes the only way to redeem himself is to confess his sins and repent. Knowing it is the only way to redemption, Dimmesdale goes before the whole town, with Hester and Pearl, and reveals his sin to the people. Dimmesdale’s