Daniel Hawthorn's novel The Scarlet Letter, and his Short story The Ministers Black Veil, are both very similar yet very different in both plot and theme. Both taking place in the mid to late sixteen hundreds and both in small Puritan town. Two characters that show great similarities but even greater differences are Reverend Dimmesdale, from The Scarlet Letter, and Reverend Hooper, from The Minister's black Veil. Both Dimmesdale and Hooper are ministers in their town, meaning both have high power, respect, and expectations.…
Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale In The Scarlet Letter is considered by everyone as a honorable person in the entire Puritan town. Practically nobody would think that he would be able to do any evil, more so doing the sin of adultery. Unexpectedly, Dimmesdale has the feeling that he is an individual who is much terrible for committing such a sin and not letting it be known to the townspeople. He is affected greatly by this sin but increases his popularity unexpectedly through inspiring him give intensifying more sermons. More adversely to the townspeople common opinion, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is not extremely honorable and therefore does not deserve to be praised at all.…
• Dimmesdale decide on going to where Hester was convicted of adultery as a hope to find some relief. • Dimmesdale, during his vigil, begins to fall under an anxiety attack, in which he gave a large shout. • As Dimmesdale expected the town to awake from his screams, but only Governor Billingham and his sister, Mistress Hibbins, awoke to investigate only to find nothing. • Dimmesdale noticed that Mr. Wilson was walking down the street next to him, and even asked him to join him on the stand; but Mr. Wilson did join him not understanding that it was Dimmesdale calling to him.…
Dimmesdale finishes his Election Day sermon, which focuses on the relationship between God and the communities of mankind, “with a special reference to the New England which they [are] here planting in the wilderness.” Dimmesdale has proclaimed that the people of New England will be chosen by God, and the crowd is understandably moved by the sermon. As they file out of the meeting hall, the people murmur to each other that the sermon was the minister’s best, most inspired, and most truthful ever. As they move toward the town hall for the evening feast, Dimmesdale sees Hester and hesitates. Turning toward the scaffold, he calls to Hester and Pearl to join him.…
In the beginning of the story Dimmesdale is sensitive towards the townspeople and his secret family, but as the story progresses Dimmesdale becomes less caring, and more self absorbed with his problems. One night while he was on the scaffold with Pearl and Hester, Pearl asks Dimmesdale, “Will thou stand here with mother and me, to-morrow noontide? inquired Pearl. Nay; not so, my little Pearl, answered the minister” (139). Hester and Pearl both had to stand on the scaffold and be judged in front of the whole town, but Dimmesdale never had and the townspeople have no idea of his sin.…
The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in the 19th century, was set during this time period in Boston, Massachusetts, with strict religious faith and well respected pastors. Hawthorne illustrates the change of Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale physically, emotionally, and mentally throughout The Scarlet Letter, which ultimately reflects on one of…
Sin is an act that would be considered immoral and offensive in the eyes of God and a society. When you sin, you are not only hurting God, but also yourself. Being a sinner will destroy your conscience and character. People Who sin don’t care how it affects them or anyone else, because they have become desensitized to the fact that sinning is a serious matter. In The Scarlet Letter Reverend Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth have both fallen into sin and now they must deal with the consequences.…
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, tells the tale of a Puritan community in Massachusetts, rocked by scandal. Hester Prynne is convicted of adultery after the birth of her daughter and the disappearance of her husband three years prior. Her fellow sinner, the reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, is never discovered after Hester lies to protect him. Dimmesdale is shown under constant duress throughout the story as the guilt of what he committed builds inside of him. The pressure and stress created by Dimmesdale’s knowledge of what he did begins to unravel him until his death.…
For over a hundred years, Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic the Scarlet Letter has allowed readers to be entertained while learning valuable lessons. At the beginning of the story, Dimmesdale is seen as a prestigious church official honored by all. As the story progress, Dimmesdale becomes ill from what the people believe to be his going above and beyond his pastoral duties; however, his illness is truly caused by his hiding of his sin. He is tortured by his deceit until he finally chooses to confess. Dimmesdale’s life of hypocrisy caused him perpetual suffering which eventually led him to true repentance.…
The Scarlett Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, gives the reader a limitless number of differences between Roger Chillingworth and Arthur Dimmesdale. However, Hawthorne also shows similarities between the two main men characters. The two characters show us the evil in the novel, the unfolding sin, and add a special romance to the novel. They are extremely important in the story, and to give two examples of evil and love, evil being Chillingworth, and love being Dimmesdale.…
6. Chillingworth does not want Dimmesdale to confess to his sin for a very simple reason – it ruins his opprtunity for revenge. This is because he knew that if Dimmesdale confessed, his guilt would be free (although he would still remember his past), and thus the townspeople wouldn’t be living with a man whom is hiding something from them. Chillingworth wanted his own opportunity for revenge on Dimmesdale. He wanted the man to suffer, because he would always know someone is ‘on his back’ and could strike revenge at any time.…
The Miserable Minister “Being in a pitiable state of distress or unhappiness (as from want or shame)” (Miserable Definition). Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is in an extreme state of distress and unhappiness. This miserable state can be traced back to his shame from his romantic encounter with Ms. Hester Prynne. Dimmesdale eventually becomes physically and mentally sick from his shame and guilt.…
In the book The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a woman named Hester Prynne commits adultery and has an affair with the the priest of the Boston community named, Arthur Dimmesdale. Roger Chillingworth, seems unaware of his wife’s undoing, until he arrived back from being a captive of the Indians and sees what others can’t in the community. Knowing that his wife cheated on him and had a child, he decides find the man involved and take matters into his own hands. Secrets are kept throughout the story between Hester, Chillingworth, and Dimmesdale , who decides to conceal his sinfulness in order to keep his Holy persona and priesthood alive in the community. Dimmesdale conforms to the community while questioning his moral values throughout the Scarlet Letter.…
How does Hawthorne use Dimmesdale's character to help emphasize the hypocrisy of the puritan society? Puritan society of the 1800s saw the world in black and white, good or bad, right or wrong. In his novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses Dimmesdale’s character, who is a minister in a puritan society, to highlight how this simplistic view of the world is full of hypocrisy. In a society that does not see people for the multiple dimensions they have, individuals are easily painted in a single dimension and expected to conform to society’s expectations or face the consequences of not complying.…
In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, both Dimmesdale and Hester have grievously sinned in the eyes of the Puritan community. However, while Hester lives with her guilt publicly displayed in the form of the scarlet letter and Pearl, Dimmesdale hides his sin from the community and tries to continue as their saintly pastor. Yet, this concealment is not without consequences, as Dimmesdale suffers from horrible guilt as he denies his sin from his community, and thus denies himself forgiveness for his sin. Finally resolving to tell the truth on his deathbed, Dimmesdale dies after triumphantly defeating Chillingworth, his personal tormentor. However, though Dimmesdale manages to overcome Chillingworth, he further succumbs to his own internal…