The excerpt explains how utterly useless it is for a man to try and be self righteous when there is pain and suffering being caused. Dimmesdale is in love with Hester, and he finally in his dying breath lets it be known to the townspeople.
Is it possible to attain forgiveness in a Puritan society after committing such a heinous sin? Forgiveness is always a possibility in my eyes, though the puritans see black and white. It is either wrong or right, and Dimmesdale is wrong for having relations with Hester. A punishment suitable for such a sin is already been instituted since the day it happened. Dimemsdale is living with this guilt on his conscience for seven years.
One cannot earn their forgiveness without doing some sort of penance, Dimmesdale's penance I believe was living with pearl. Pearl was a message from God, a message of Anguish. As our narrator tells us "Pearl's errand as a messenger of anguish was all fulfilled"(pg175). It is also possible to say that the penance in which Dimmesdale paid was his life, in which at the end of the book he was supposedly struck down after he admitted to the sin.
Dimmesdale's sermon is a joyous occasion in which he revealed the evil that he has done. This sermon is like a slap on the face to the Puritans by showing their unbeknownst hypocrisy where they shuddered at Hester's scarlet letter yet, Dimmesdale's letter received no recognition. "Thou hast escaped me"(pg 175). In this short yet powerful line Dimmesdale yells to the multitudes that his inner demons have finally escaped him, yet with them I believe they carried away his soul as he then later dies. As the crowd breaks out into a dull awe, they have finally realized what a man is capable of doing. They have realized that human beings need to love and need to be loved. We do not choose who we love, and it is not wrong to have love for more than one person, the puritans I know believe have just realized this in this little epiphany.
The article Were the Puritans Puritanical? was a well written piece of writing about puritan life during the 1600's by: Carl N. Degler. Carl N. Degler reveals his opinion on puritan life throughout the article. He says that puritans are not dull, uninteresting, bigoted, and reserved as many people...
"Mass Hysteria" Mass hysteria can be defined as a condition in which a large group of people exhibits similar physical or emotional symptoms, usually stemming from fear or anger. In order for it to be called mass hysteria, the symptoms must be completely pervasive throughout the whole society. ...
Hawthorne's Portrayal of Puritanical Hypocrisy Throughout time, there have been many great American novelists and short story writers. ... From writing several successful novels, and many short stories, Hawthorne has introduced the way of life in Puritanical America to many readers. Along with his views on this culture, Hawthorne uses irony, tales of witchcraft, and the concepts of guilt, confession, and hypocrisy to show his feelings on the Puritanical society and the way they treat other people. ... So, Hawthorne left out many romantic and sexual elements because it was not appropr...
Through the writing of her poetry Bradstreet challenges the ideologies of the Puritanical society by being a female yet writing and publishing her own works. ... Clearly tradition was saying one thing, but Bradstreet was indeed stepping out of the norms that were expected of her and challenging the Puritanical ideals. ... This is evident throughout writings of the Puritanical times. ... Tension arises because Bradstreet was pushing against the framework of Puritanical expectations for women. ... It is clear that Bradstreet was exceeding the boundaries set before her by her Puritanica...
The fact that New England is 3000 miles away from its motherland, a unique puritanical belief in self-importance and the almost universal male franchise made New England very democratic at the time period. ... Second of all, the puritanical belief made the believers think that their direct connection with God made them the equal to any hierarchical officers, such as bishops and even the Pope. ... These elements of democracy are still practiced in the United States of America, which shows that Americans were greatly influenced or rather indoctrinated with the puritanical practices of demo...
Not courageous enough to tell the truth to this Puritanical community, Dimmesdale accepts Hester's plan to escape from Boston. ... PURITANISM IN THE NOVEL Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is set in the seventeenth century New England town of Boston, a staunch Puritanical town. ... Hester's sin, shame, and guilt are clearly heightened by the fact that she lives in a strict Puritanical society, which is unable and unwilling to forgive her sin. The irony of the novel lies in the fact that the most respected member of this Puritanical society, the Reverend Dimmesdale, is...
Because links can be established between the main characters and sinful acts, it is said that this work of Hawthorne is a puritanical allegory, pointing at the sin in everyone. ... Puritanically, only God is allowed to pass judgment and thus Giovanni too plays a role of God that is forbidden, and thus is a sinner. ...
