Guilt And Relief In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'

At this point in the chapter, Hawthorne expresses that Dimmesdale was on the verge of true repentance and confession. He even caught a glimpse

Guilt and shame haunt all three of the main characters in The Scarlet Letter, but how they each handle their sin will change their lives forever. Hester Prynne’s guilt is publicly exploited. She has to live with her shame for the rest of her life by wearing a scarlet letter on the breast of her gown. Arthur Dimmesdale, on the other hand, is just as guilty of adultery as Hester, but he allows his guilt to remain a secret. Instead of telling the people of his vile sin, the Reverend allows it to eat away at his rotting soul. The shame of what he has done slowly kills him. The last sinner in this guilty trio is Rodger Chillingworth. This evil man not only hides his true identity as Hester’s husband, but also mentally torments

               The fact that Dimmesdale is a hypocrite causes him to experience increased torment due to his guilt.  Dimmesdale beautifully illustrates Hawthorne’s point, because if he were not such a highly religious man, then he would not care about his crime.  However, he does care, and he inflicts torment on himself, including long periods of fasting. In addition to hours of staring at himself in the mirror, he could also be caught numerous times in his closet, whipping himself and burning the letter "A" on his chest.   Or he could be seen at the scaffold in the wee hours of the morning, practicing how he is going to confess the next day. Deluding himself by pretending that his

The physical state of Reverend Dimmesdale mirrors the deterioration of Dimmesdale’s mental and moral state because of the guilt related to a lack of public confession.

masked mark in his heart. As a result of his concealed sin, Dimmesdale suffers from guilt and

In the very end, Dimmesdale’s guilty conscience allows himself to openly confess, as well as simultaneously atone for his sins on the scaffold. This courage sets him apart from Chillingworth who continually shows no sign of atonement for his

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne paints a picture of two equally guilty sinners, Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale, and shows how both characters deal with their different forms of punishment and feelings of remorse for what they have done. Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale are both guilty of adultery, but have altered ways of performing penance for their actions. While Hester must pay for her sins under the watchful eye of the world around her, Reverend Dimmesdale must endure the heavy weight of his guilt in secret. It may seem easier for Reverend Dimmesdale to live his daily life since he is not surrounded by people who shun

Dimmesdale is not able to openly admit to his sin, he has no choice but to let it burn him. The false expectations of the townspeople kills him inside and he wishes he could openly admit to his sin and talk with someone about it. He was not able to talk to anyone the sin for seven years due to his job, until now when he talks to Hester. The sin is not what is killing Dimmesdale, it is the torture of everyone seeing seeing him as the holy minister knowing he is

Barely under this facade of composure and innocence, unbeknownst to him, was his rapidly expanding feeling of dishonor. Not only had he committed an act so unspeakable for the time, but he had also failed to admit this fault to those who held his holiness above all else. In this way, he felt he had betrayed both the townspeople, though he certainly knew their countless sins, and the only “person” who could ever truly forgive him: God. As a result of committing these crimes, Dimmesdale subjected himself to a torture brought about by his own inability to forgive himself for what he had done. Only a short while into his self-flagellation, the decaying of his physical well-being became apparent to any and all onlookers, as the text states, “he was often observed, on any slight alarm or other sudden accident, to put his hand over his heart, with first a flush and then a paleness, indicative of pain,” (Hawthorne 108). This quotation exemplifies the obvious change in Dimmesdale’s demeanor, while also creating a connection between mind and body. With so much guilt fueling his need to achieve redemption, he turned to pain as a way to “relieve” the incurable ailment he invariably felt. However, this did not achieve anything as his mental state further deteriorated and his physical conditions followed suit, to the point that he was scarcely able to bear his

Throughout the novel, Dimmesdale is portrayed as a weak character and this is exemplified by the end of the book. Dimmesdale inflicts pain onto himself to express the inner turmoil he has about keeping the secret of being an adulterer. His self inflicted torture tells us that being dishonest brings Dimmesdale to the point of insanity. This is seen in line nine, “he thus typified the constant introspection wherewith he tortured, but could not purify, himself.” Dimmesdale desperately wanted to be pure, but he was not because of his dishonesty; Being dishonest leads to nothing good and burying the secret further only makes it come back with a vengeance. Although Dimmesdale might

While Dimmesdale is lost in reflection, Hawthorne writes, “He thus typified the constant introspection wherewith he tortured, but could not purify, himself” (100). Dimmesdale’s job, in a sense, is to purify others, listening to their confessions, telling them how they can repent for their sins, and forgiving and helping them find a way back to morality. While he helps others find relief from guilt, he can’t permit himself that indulgence. Dimmesdale can’t find peace, because the only one who can give it to him is already himself. He desperately wants to confess, but fears the public humiliation that is to come with it.

Dimmesdale struggles with his guilt throughout the whole story,

Dimmesdale wants to find peace with his sin and damages himself emotionally and physically in order to do so. “In Mr. Dimmesdale's secret closet, under lock and key, there was a bloody scourge. Oftentimes, this Protestant and Puritan divine had plied it on his own shoulders; laughing bitterly at himself the while, and smiting so much the more pitilessly, because of that bitter laugh… to purify the body and render it the fitter medium of celestial illumination,--but rigorously, and until his knees trembled beneath him, as an act of penance..” and “kept vigils… night after night, sometimes in utter darkness… He thus typified the constant introspection wherewith he tortured, but could not purify, himself” Dimmesdale atones by punishing himself but he never feels like it’s

As soon as Adam and Eve took a bite of the forbidden fruit, the utopian idea ceased to exist. Because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, society today is full of sinners. However people may not be able to avoid the fate that awaits them, but fortunately, freedom allows people to respond to their sin. Some will respond with guilt and pains, while others will live a life of redemption. Similarly, Nathaniel Hawthorne, in his novel The Scarlet Letter, shows two characters that deal with their sins differently. Though Hester and Dimmesdale both suffer, Dimmesdale suffers more by concealing his sin, his blindness to his companion, Roger Chillingworth, and the pain he feels on his chest.

Often, individuals push aside mistakes in an attempt to traverse life unscathed by consequences. However, most people find that in order to encounter peace and purpose in life, one must first reach salvation. Through Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, Hawthorne emphasizes the use of confession in order to overcome repressed guilt. As Dimmesdale attempts to pass through life without any regard for Hester or Pearl, even though he plays a large role in their suffering and troubles, Dimmesdale accurately reflects the impact of guilt on individuals who attempt to repress it. Eventually, one can no longer avoid the guilt, and thus, Dimmesdale finds himself in a state of psychological unrest, as he feels a need for salvation in accordance to the sudden realization of the burden of his guilt. Through Dimmesdale's realization of guilt,