Arthur Dimmesdale.

Carlos Chinchilla

English 11G

Miss Dunbar

April 8,2016

Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale

        Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, or Mr. Arthur Dimmesdale because he is not worthy of the title Reverend. Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of The Scarlet Letter, used Arthur Dimmesdale to represent the hypocrisy in the church and how even the “pure” or the highly studied can sin. Throughout the story Hawthorne shows that Arthur Dimmesdale wants to confess to his congregation about a sin he committed that he felt was weighing him down. In order for Dimmesdale to repent from his sin he had to confess, it was his first step. It took a lot of courage to do this, a thing which clearly he did not have. At the end of the story the Reverend finally collects courage and does his confession publically, but it is not of much help because the guilt had already eaten him up, dying shortly after his confession. We can see Revered Dimmesdale as the “most” guilty character in the story because he is not the typical Reverend. The expectations society has of a Reverend are that they live humbly and are the less hypocrite person. In this case Dimmesdale was a hypocrite, he was living a luxurious life, his house was an impeccable mansion full of crystals, huge gardens, spotless windows, and extravagant gardens. If Dimmesdale lived in a mansion his closet might as well be as big, Dimmesdale was seen dressed with style in public places, with clothes that was expensive. This might be seen as a form of hypocrisy because Puritan culture accustomed to wear dull colors and not only their clothing but their lifestyle and even homes. Dimmesdale being a representation of the church should live according to their culture and live a lifestyle similar to those of the congregation in order to understand the problems they go through everyday an being able to help them.

        The guilt Dimmesdale had in his heart starting affecting his actions and even started to affect his faith and was tempted to blaspheme against it. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale suffered drastic mood changes and apparently only Hester, his secret lover, kept liking him that way. To start off the sin has to be stated. Hester Prynne was a beautiful, black-haired, big-eyed, and red cheeked woman. She was married to a physician who was unknown to the town of Salem. Hester Prynne felt an attraction to Reverend Dimmesdale, and he felt the same way for her. The problem was that being with a married woman was against the doctrine of Dimmesdale and simply sleeping with a woman that is not your wife is against it as well. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale had a tough time but at the end he chose to commit adultery. The book does not state that if by accident or not, Hester Prynne got pregnant of reverend Dimmesdale and gave birth to a beautiful child named Pearl. It is a hypothesis that Pearl was given as a punishment to Hester and Dimmesdale, because one of the purposes Hawthorne gives to Pearl is being the constant reminder to both of them of their sin. The main reason Dimmesdale wants to confess is to start a formal life with his new family, Hester and Pearl, and they even plan out their escape and had planned out their life in Europe, but confession was in the way. Throughout the story the author demonstrates what a man can do for the love of their child. Dimmesdale does much things just to receive affection from his daughter, Pearl has a big influence in his confession.

        Dimondale’s actions started changing according to how much guilt weighed on him. When guilt had taken “control over him” Dimmesdale covered his chest with his hand as if hiding his sin from others. Dimmesdale covered his heart side of the chest, he used this as a defense mechanism and later on the story he covered his chest without even thinking about it. Dimmesdale was tempted to blaspheme against his doctrine, teach bad words to children, and other things mentioned in the book. Dimmesdale was a well-studied man, he graduated from one of the best universities in England, and he had good speaking skills, (Hawthorne 19). Part of why it was so hard for reverend Dimmesdale to confess this sin, was that his reputation was pretty high. In the town he was seen as a pure sinless man, the man you wanted your children to grow up to be. He gave wise life choices and helped people solve their problems through doctrine. Dimmesdale was afraid to lose his reputation so easily he postponed his confession every single time he said he would talk. Sadly, he postponed it too much time and by the time of his confession it was too late, his guilt had already killed him.

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