How Does Arthur Dimmesdale Use Self-Harm In The Scarlet Letter

Dimmesdale. Ye have both been here before, but i was not with you. Come up, hither once again, and we will stand all three together!” She silently ascended the steps, and stood on the platform, holding little pearl by the hand. The minister felt for the child's other hand and took it “ (Hawthorne 143) From here they are starting to become closer and you notice the closeness that they have bythe way that they all stood together under the moon holding hands. Pearl feels liberated because even though it's night you are still able to see people around. It also implies that they are able to get through the struggles but does not affect them all that much because sooner than later Dimmesdale admits that he is the father of Pearl and Hester kisses Dimmesdale immediately “Partly supported by Hester Prynne, and holding one hand of little Pearl’s the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale turned to dignified the venerable rulers; to the holy ministers, who were his brethren; to the people, whose great heart was thoroughly appalled yet overflowing with tearful sympathy” (Hawthorne 379) It’s able to explain how truthful he was to share out his family and how Pearl accepted to grab his hand in front of all the people. Since she’s been truthful the whole time she was blessed with good fortune after Dimmesdale had died. She met a man who she married and

Arthur Dimmesdale can be identified as the priest of a small town in Boston Massachusetts. The townspeople admire Dimmesdale and think of him as one of the purest members of their small puritan community. Contradicting these assumptions made by the Puritans, Dimmesdale commits sexual acts with a woman named Hester Prynne. To others, they committed adultery because even though Hester’s husband has disappeared, they still classify as married because they never filed a divorce, therefore a married woman. As he did this, he became prey to the moral consequences that followed. Pearl, or

Dimmesdale will not even be seen in public with Hester and Pearl. He wants to be able to be with his daughter and the love of his life but then people would know that he committed adultery with Hester. Pearl asks, “Wilt thou stand here with Mother and me, tomorrow noontide?” to only hear, “Not so, my child.” from Dimmesdale in return (Hawthorne page 144). Dimmesdale not being able to be with whom he loves is is a struggle.

While he was wronged by Chillingworth, he is to blame for perpetuating his cycle of guilt and despair. He had the opportunity to stop his cycle of dismay in the seven years of pearl’s birth and his death. I know “more than once, Dimmesdale had gone into the pulpit, with a purpose to never come down from its steps” and if her had confessed it would have relived his guilt and lessen his blame (99). His guilty conscience led to his own demise. This moral battle prevents him from revealing his sins causing an “A” to imprint on his chest, hidden from the world, while mine was out for the world to judge. While he tried to repent he never fully came to terms like I did. However, he has forgiveness unlike Chillingworth. During the conversation I had with Dimmesdale I revealed to him that Chillingworth is my husband and Dimmesdale told me “I do forgive you Hester” (135). Dimmesdale has goodness in his heart and knows the wrong he has done so the blame placed upon him is inadvertent due to his character. Even when Dimmesdale died he knew both had to pay for the sin that was “so awfully revealed” upon his death, he had fate he now could be

The number one reason people harm themselves is to get the release of pain. “It’s like when you see the blood flowing out, the pain and fear are flowing with it.” (Malikow) a 16 year old girl is quoted as saying. Dimmesdale probably feels relief from the pain of his sins when he carves the ‘A’ into his chest and when he whips himself. Even so the primary reason why Dimmesdale harms himself is to feel like he is being punished for his sins, which is not something people usually harm for.

In the novel, “The Scarlet Letter”, a woman named Hester Prynne commits a sin. She commits the sin of adultery which results in the birth of her daughter Pearl. Hester now has to wear a scarlet letter on her chest for the rest of her life. Unbeknownst to everyone else except Hester, Dimmesdale, is the father of Pearl. Hester’s husband, Roger Chillingworth, now seeks revenge for what Hester has done to him. He learns that Dimmesdale is the father but tells no one because he wants to have something over Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale reveals his sin to the public of Boston and dies. Pearl and Hester leave to make a life for themselves.

...ye that have loved me!—ye that have deemed me holy!—behold me here, the one sinner of the world! At last!—at last!" (p.239) At this moment Dimmesdale falls to the ground and there he dies having finally cleared his conscience. Dimmesdale is a character that changes quite a bit in the novel; perhaps even more than Prynne. He is also persecuted and tempted. He also must find a way to live day to day with an enormous guilt that leads to his death. It is a tremendous oversight to not see that he truly is a protagonist in "The Scarlet Letter" and to not see that he is just as important of a character as Hester Prynne.

Members of the town praise the reverend, thinking highly of him and never assuming that he was involved with Hester. While Dimmesdale commits the same sin of adultery as Hester, it is contrastly displayed through his internal guilt and conflict. As Hester serves her punishment publicly, Dimmesdale remains anonymous as the father of Pearl, which creates suffering in itself. He even tells Hester to remain fortunate that her secret known, and that his own scarlet letter “burns in secret” (Hawthorne 147). Even though Reverend Dimmesdale has a better reputation than Hester, his ultimate resulting fate ends up to be worse.

“To sigh, yet not recede; to grieve, yet not repent.” George Crabbe. Everyone agrees that Pearl had a father, while some believe that Dimmesdale should have confessed, but others reckon he should not have confessed. Dimmesdale should have confessed for these three reasons: Chillingworth would know who it was, Dimmesdale would be able to show his face without guilt, and his actions were heinously sinful.

That union resulted in the birth of his daughter, Pearl, but he refused to admit that he was the father choosing instead to keep this information a secret from the town. However, not confessing his guilt was spiritually eating him alive. Dimmesdale should have confessed that Pearl was his illegitimate daughter for three reasons. By acknowledging his sin he should be completely absolved of the guilt of adultery, could be openly involved in Hester and Pearl’s life and would be significantly healthier in body, mind and soul.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter, dimmesdale is a character who changes from guilty to relieved as a result of him confessing. At the beginning of the novel, Dimmesdale is guilty because he knows he is the father of Pearl but won’t confess. “Dimmesdale is incapable of confessing that he was Hester's lover .” Dimmesdale wants to hide his sin because he is a minister and it would make him look bad.

He also let Pearl become a fatherless child because he was too ashamed of what he did and he idly stood by witnessing it all occur. Dimmesdale is very morally weak and unable to confess his hidden sin. Dimmesdale claims his sickness to be “the sickness of the soul” and refuses to tell his secret to anyone. He knows what is right but has not the courage to make himself say so, however with the constant focus put on him from Chillingsworth encourages him to tell

Dimmesdale’s love and agony towards Hester was shown in his physical and mental degeneration, furthermore, his love to Pearl, his daughter, was shown when he was trying to kiss her, but he always got her refusal, and this was the climax of his weakness and deterioration of character. yet, at the end of the novel, Dimmesdale’s health was in it’s worst stages, therefore he had nothing to lose, so he confronts his society and tells them about is adultery crime that he committed with Hester, and after he did that he gives up life, but as a matter of fact his death was not a sad one, for he was relieved from the pain in his heart and also got to kiss his daughter Pearl whom he never got to kiss, hence, at the end of the novel, the latter character musters courage and loses his weakness which was replaced with the powerful character that confronted without fear.

Dimmesdale whips himself to punish himself for his sins, and as his sin grew inside of him and festered there, he became very ill, he started getting very sick, holding his heart even more than usual. Chillingworth one night after Dimmesdale had fallen asleep, sneaks into Dimmesdale’s room, rips open his shirt, and right over his heart, is the Black Man’s mark, the scarlet letter ‘A’. Dimmesdale becomes even more sick as time goes on, Hester and Dimmesdale plan to leave to go to England, but before that happens, Dimmesdale gives his final sermon, which was phenomenal, and as they are leaving the church, Dimmesdale gets onto the scaffold, asks Hester and Pearl to join him “He turned towards the scaffold, and stretched forth his arms. ‘Hester,’ said he, ‘come hither! Come, my little Pearl!’” (Hawthorne 376), as he declares that he is the father and that he loves them. Pearl grants him the kiss he has been wanting/needing from her, and right after, Dimmesdale collapses on the scaffold and dies. Dimmesdale is buried in a tomb and when Hester dies, she is then placed basically beside him, sharing a headstone to mark their love.

Deliberate self-harm is a term that covers a wide range of behaviours some of which are directly related to suicide and some are not. This is a relatively common behaviour that is little understood. This essay provides an overview of the nature and extent of those most at risk of self-harm, including causes and risk factors. Examining some of the stereotyping that surrounds self -harm, and looking at ways in which self-harm can be prevented.