But this was only a suspicion until one night, Chillingworth opened Dimmesdale's shirt while he was sleeping and discovers a scarlet A on Dimmesdale's Chest. Chillingworth continue to torture Dimmesdale. .
Hester and Pearl was let out of prison when their term was up. At this point, pearl was a young girl. She was, however, drawn to the A on Hester's chest, a constant reminder of her sin. Dimmesdale, feeling guilty visits Hester and Pearl. Then one night the three of them stand on the Scaffold together and Dimmesdale imagines people mocking him as they should have seven years ago. He apologizes to Pearl and Hester for not being with them on the Scaffold. While they are on the scaffold, a meteor flies through the sky leaving a trail that looked like the letter A, another reminder of the sin. Hester tells Dimmesdale that her real husband is Chillingworth and that he wants revenge, badly. They decide to run away together on a ship on election day. .
On election day, Hester discovers that Chillingworth booked a ticket for the same boat that she and Dimmesdale was going to take. Dimmesdale delivers his election day sermon, one of his best sermons ever spoken, and walks up to the scaffold with Hester and Pearl to reveal his sin to all his congregation. He confesses everything and falls ill and dies soon afterward. Hester leaves with Pearl. A few months later, Chillingworth dies and leaves Pearl a great sum of money. Hester and Pearl move to England where she is looked upon as a wise woman and they go to her for advice. She continues to wear the scarlet letter there.
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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 very essence, Arthur 3 .
Dimmesdale illustrates Hawthorne's theme of a sin-stained conscience and redemption only through truth.