... the issues posed by Hawthorne during the story is that of responsibility. Hawthorne illustrates that the lack of responsibility is harmful and should be held with contempt through the character Arthur Dimmesdale, the unholy minister whose guilt of being an adulterer eventually kills him. Hawthorne's story begins in seventeenth-century Boston, then a Puritan settlement. A young woman, Hester Prynne, is led ... as she has given birth to a child and she will not reveal her lover's identity, which is actually the beloved and eloquent priest Arthur Dimmesdale. The account of Dimmesdale begin...

• Word Count: 1146
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... use literary techniques to emphasize the reconciliations of their characters. The writers use John Proctor and Arthur Dimmesdale as pawns to illustrate the happy endings through moral reconciliation and spiritual reassessment. Arthur Dimmesdale is a pastor for the Puritan church in New England, where Hawthorne sets up the novel. Dimmesdale's situation is one of ultimate situational irony; he is supposed to be an innocent, pure ... minister, yet he hides a sinful secret. He is an adulterer and the father of an illegitimate child. Dimmesdale's sin makes him a better minister, ... but she i...

• Word Count: 835
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... from Hawthorne's portrayal of a venerable and benevolent man to a manipulative and selfish individual. Chillingworth becomes the Reverend's "leech" that uses his intuition to sense a great burden in Dimmesdale's soul. This physician comments on the importance of revealing one's sins in order to accept the blame and rid of a burden that may cause physical damage. Chillingworth affirms that men ... chapter. Hawthorne goes into great depth to describe the change in character of Roger Chillingworth, visible in his appearance and sinister in his descriptions. Hawthorne describes the physicia...

• Word Count: 699
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

"Life is hard, but accepting that fact makes it easier." this common phrase has been proven true in many people's lives, but is also a harsh fact that Boston's Rev. Dimmesdale, a key character in Nathaniel Hawthorne's the Scarlet Letter, had to face. In this twisted story of deception and adultery set in the Puritan era, Hawthorne introduces Dimmesdale as a weak and cowardly man who refuses to take responsibility for his actions. Yet, he transitions to a person who accepts his sins and the consequences, before it is too late, ultimately finding happiness. At the beginning of the novel, Dimmesd...

• Word Count: 882
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... reveal that he is her long lost husband, but swear that he will find and seek revenge on the father of this baby. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and his friend John Wilson are introduced at the scaffold begging Hester to reveal the father of the baby so that he may suffer just ... there. One of the conflicts in The Scarlet Letter is one man's battle against himself. In this novel, an anguished Arthur Dimmesdale struggles to quiet his conscience and withhold the secret of his sin from being known. As his conscience continues to consume all that is his ... as well as of the traits of the human...

• Word Count: 2338
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... A Hero As a main character in Nathaniel Hawthorne's tale of "The Scarlet Letter", the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is confronted with circumstances both in and out of his control, that lead to his demise. Even though it can be argued that Reverend Dimmesdale is a tragic hero, he lacks the strength and underlying goodness essential for him to fulfill this role. With such discrepancies it is ... easier for me to argue that the Reverend is not the tragic hero that some believe. Arthur Dimmesdale, a minister, lives his life under the watchful yet admiring eye of the townspeople of Boston and,...

• Word Count: 2932
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: High School

... the known will of God. Sin in The Scarlet Letter is not only committed by Chillingworth but by Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and also the Puritan society as a whole. Both Dimmesdale and Hester commit the sin of adultery while Chillingworth commits the mortal sin of having anger, hatred, and envy towards ... that Hawthorn intends for us to see so that we regard the Puritan society itself as a character who sinned. What happens to Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth results from the ethics, morals, sterness and the rigidity of the individual Puritans the characters interact with. Th...

• Word Count: 2203
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... not do anything wrong by being born. For that reason Hester believes that Pearl deserves to have beautiful clothing. Another representation of Hester's love for Pearl is when Hester and Arthur Dimmesdale finish their conversation in the forest. Hester takes the scarlet letter off her breast, and throws her ignominy into the dirt. The world of which Hester has dreamed seems to ... Hester reveal the name of the father, but she refuses to say. Believing that Hester's pastor could discover the name of Pearl's father, Reverend Wilson asks the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale to speak with Hester. ...

• Word Count: 1429
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... Letter," Nathaniel Hawthorne demonstrates a love that could never be with Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale. Since Hester was shone from a normal life in society after her acts of adultery, she could not be with the man she loved. Since Mr. Dimmesdale was the "saint on earth" (Hawthorne 251) he was also not able to ... way punished her by reminding her of the dreaded sin that she committed. When we start to learn about Arthur Dimmesdale, we learn more about his suffering from the guilt he has carried. When Dimmesdale began to become ill for what seem to be no physical reason; Roger Ch...

• Word Count: 1114
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... and objects and makes them symbolic of events and thoughts. Throughout the course of the book, Hawthorne uses Hester, Pearl, and Arthur Dimmesdale to signify and contrast both the Puritanical and Romantic philosophies. Hester Prynne, as seen by Puritanism is an extreme sinner; she has ... had a knack of fitting in with natural things. Puritanism puts all of its stock in the religious leader of the community; Arthur Dimmesdale was the Religious leader of the community where the story takes place. The reader soon discovers hates himself and must physically inflict pain ... and philosophi...

• Word Count: 2043
• Approx Pages: 8

... Roger Chillingworth had committed the worst sin of all; he basically killed another character, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Everyone has been in a position where they have had the chance of blackmailing or plotting revenge on someone. Chillingworth did exactly that and ended torturing Dimmesdale to his death. Dimmesdale was not the only one affected by Chillingworth's evil doings. Chillingworth had a wife, but ... no one knew of their relationship. Her name was Hester Prynne and she had a daughter named Pearl. The Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale had an affair with Hester, and he is the father...

• Word Count: 576
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... on Hester's already troubled life. Pearl's wit and perception, even at three years old, lead many to believe her father to be the Devil. Only Hester knows the real truth; Arthur Dimmesdale, the reverend, is Pearl's father. Because she committed adultery, Hester represents everything dark and sinful, whereas the young gorgeous Pearl represents everything light and beautiful. Hawthorne uses contrasting symbols of ... the slightest signs of improvement. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne tells the shameful story of Hester Prynne, her affair with the reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, and t...

• Word Count: 803
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... , as well as in many other passages, Hawthorne informs his reader of major plot themes and issues to be considered. "The excitement of Mr. Dimmesdale's feelings as he returned from his interview with Hester, lent him unaccustomed physical energy, and hurried him townward at a rapid pace. The pathway among ... using "unaccustomed physical energy." In this passage, he appears to be an embodiment of his former self, before he and Hester committed their sin. Seeing Dimmesdale in this new light, rejuvenated and full of energy affected me. This sad and pathetic man suddenly, after a conversati...

• Word Count: 1256
• Approx Pages: 5

... adulteress] destroyeth his own soul"(6.32 Bible). This quote plays an important role in this book because the main characters, Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale, are adulteress. Using this, Hawthorne can describe the way Puritans deal with sin. Hawthorne's universal belief that guilt endures until penance is ... that guilt endures until penance is made. Hawthorne portrays the idea that guilt endures until penance is made with the use of Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale has a merciless attitude on himself and humiliates himself until the tip of death because he cannot overcome the guilt that cam...

• Word Count: 1253
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... of the work. In the novel "The Scarlet Letter", the author Nathaniel Hawthorn's depiction of the two male characters, Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth, emphasizes the moral problems of the seventeenth century puritan society. Hence, their different characters contribute vitally to the plot of the ... novel. Arthur Dimmesdale, the Reverent and the protagonists" lover, was not a very powerful character. At his first appearance in the novel, Hawthorne describes ... Hester to confess who the father of her baby was, this caused his constant wounding of heart, which also stresses on ...

• Word Count: 746
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Arthur Dimmesdale has a difficult time finding a way to relieve his sin. The Scarlet Letter's scaffold holds more importance than just somewhere to condemn prisoners, and, for Dimmesdale, it is a place to find peace. It is the one place where Dimmesdale felt liberated to say anything he wished. In Puritan culture, the scaffold is used to humiliate and discipline prisoners ... another- (Hawthorne 142). Being on the scaffold puts oneself in a feeling of spiritual nakedness, where one feels exposed to God, but cleansed by it. It was the one place wher...

• Word Count: 723
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... novel follows the struggles of two sinners in the morally strict Massachusetts Bay Colony in the seventeenth century. A young woman named Hester Prynne and the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale commit adultery. Hester's sin becomes publicly acknowledged when she has a child; she is forced face humiliation by standing on a scaffold in the center of ... guilt is in the open, which works to her benefit. Guilt kept on the inside is the most dangerous. This hidden guilt is seen in Arthur Dimmesdale, whose own visit to the scaffold is covert and in darkness, as though he wants to hide it from God's e...

• Word Count: 891
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... solitude (Symons 1597). The Scarlet letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne explores sin and its consequences. The focus of attention is Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth. Each of these characters sin in a unique way. Hester sins by committing adultery. Dimmesdale sins by breaking his vow of chastity, and then hiding his deed. Chillingworth sins by acting upon his desire for revenge, and ... by torturing Dimmesdale. Hester and Dimmesdale suffer from shame and guilt throughout the novel. It was a sin for which Hester Prynne was damned by society, and for which Arthur Dimmes...

• Word Count: 1373
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... themselfs as punishment. The harsh rules are apt to bring on sins in the novel The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The sin of adultery affects Hester Prynne, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, as well as the Physician Roger Chillingsworth. After Hester was convicted of adultery, she is forced to wear the scarlet letter "A" upon her breast for everyone to see. This ... -willed person. After many years, she earned the respect of many Puritans through her craftsmen work and sincerity of her silence; unlike her partner, and Pearls father, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Additionally, t...

• Word Count: 462
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... Prynne is condemned to wear the scarlet letter "A" on her breast and to live with her daughter, Pearl: the proof of her adultery with Arthur Dimmesdale. Hawthorne depicts romanticism by using super naturals, mysteries, and intuitions. Hawthorne uses many elements of the supernatural to add to the romanticism of the ... she can detect a certain reaction to the sight of the Scarlet Letter that betrays a sense of guilt. Feeling such guilt as this, Arthur Dimmesdale goes to stand in shame on the platform one night. In the gloomy night sky a "meteor shower in the shape of an A" mysteriously ...

• Word Count: 522
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... that does not condone indulgences. As he uses expounding third-person omniscient perspective, employs the sinister character of Roger Chillingworth, and illustrates the dualistically ironic depictions of Arthur Dimmesdale, Hawthorne arouses the reader to understand the consequences of crime and shame. While using the omniscient third-person perspective, Hawthorne attempts incorporate the audience into the novel ... order to show how indulgence and shame can have affects outside their host. The ironic presentation of Arthur Dimmesdale's seemingly dualistic character provides the foundati...

• Word Count: 855
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... . Authors present various characters possessing dissimilar qualities, to emphasize different aspects of the work. In the novel "The Scarlet Letter", the author Nathaneil Hawthorn's depiction of the two male characters, Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth, emphasizes the moral problems of the seventeenth century puritan society. Hence, their different characters contribute vitally to the plot of the novel ... . Arthur Dimmesdale, the Reverent and the protagonists" lover, was not a very powerful character. At his first appearance in the novel, Hawthorne describes his impressive and sk...

• Word Count: 328
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... than one person. Just like in a corrupted society, the crime will involve both the corrupted and the corrupter to sin. Hawthorne demonstrates, through Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale, that usually a sin involves a number of people. Arthur Dimmesdale is a highly regarded Puritan clergyman in the town of Boston, and he is the person whom Hester commits adultery with. To fulfill Hester's dream of having a relationship ... with love, Dimmesdale is pulled in to sin along with Hester. Since then, he is constantly tortured by his conscience for hiding it from the town. By ... people sin....

• Word Count: 1004
• Approx Pages: 4

... to be rebellious to their way of life but still not be evil. Hester Prynne and Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale both symbolize sinners. On page 41 of The Scarlet Letter, when Rev. Dimmesdale is reflecting on what he has done, Hawthorne writes, "He thus typified the constant introspection wherewith ... he tortured, but could not purify himself." Rev. Dimmesdale is overwhelmed with the weight of the sin on his heart. Also on page 179, when Hester and Rev. Dimmesdale are talking about how Chillinworth (Hester's husband) has been getting his revenge, Hawthorne writes ... , "We are not, Hester, the wor...

• Word Count: 647
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... in the public eye of the Puritan community, he is man well respected and adored for his amazing preaches and admirable morality. Dimmesdale seems to exemplify the Puritans' behavior because he is an individual example of their state of mind. Arthur Dimmesdale is incapable of accepting his loss of innocence, which makes him a lot weaker than Hester. Hester on the other hand, stands ... her ground and strongly fights against a repressive society, despite the torture she must go through. Her sin actually improves Hester as a person because she is able to discover the true depths within her...

• Word Count: 1599
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School