Reverend Dimmesdales Guilt in Nathaniel Hawthornes The...

The Guilt of Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter nbsp; God does not like the sin of adultery. He does not like lying. He does not like hypocrisy. There are two roads that one can choose. In the end, what may seem like the easy way may have far greater consequences than the hard way. Arthur Dimmesdale chose the easy path and learned that the pain of guilt is far greater than the pain of shame. nbsp; From the start, Dimmesdale did not want to live with the consequence of his sin. To begin with, he must of told Hester not to tell anyone about his sin, because on the scaffold, she will not tell anyone (pg. 64). Clearly, Dimmesdale was afraid of the justice and the shame that would follow. He thought that if no one knew, he could†¦show more content†¦63). Here he says that it would be better for him to come down and stand on the scaffold than to keep in hiding. He even calls himself a hypocrite, but his concern for his reputation keeps him from doing the right thing. When Dimmesdale goes up on the scaffold, he must do it at night for fear of someone seeing him (pg. 136). This shows that his fear is still greater than the pain inside. Consequently, it will be too late when he finally does confess. More than once, Mr. Dimmesdale had gone into the pulpit, with a purpose never to come down the steps until he should have spoken words like the above. More than once, he had cleare d his throat, and drawn in the long, deep, and tremulous breath, which, when sent forth again, would come burdened with the black secret of his soul. (pg. 132). This again emphasizes that he wanted to change, but he is just too afraid of losing his reputation of a Godly pastor. Hester was able to bear the shame, and she is a better person for it, but Dimmesdale holds back because he does not see the big picture. It all boils down to his fear of losing his reputation. nbsp; Dimmesdale finally realizes that he has to change, but the sin had already done its damage. Referring to the dead man and the weeds on his grave, Chillingworth says, They grew out of his heart, and typify, it may be, some hideous secret that was buried with him, and which he had done better to confess during his lifetime. (pg. 120). He isShow MoreRelated Greatest Sinner in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter Essay1267 Words   |  6 PagesThe Greatest Sinner in The Scarlet Letter      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mankind is prone to some degree of sin. A question that has always plagued mankind is how one can achieve redemption from sin. Any sin becomes compounded when the perpetrator does not take responsibility for it. In the book The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, perhaps the greatest sinner was Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale.    Many of Hawthornes works center around what is right or wrong, and the consequences of breaking the basicRead MoreVerbal Irony In Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter741 Words   |  3 Pagesdownward upon his fearful client. 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