Arthur Dimmesdale In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is set in a gloomy, distressed, religious atmosphere in Boston, Massachusetts with multiple main characters known for the sins they have done. One of those being a man named Arthur Dimmesdale, who is known for being a sinful and hypocritical individual. He is part of the Puritan community who are very judgmental people, which sets up the perfect situation for confrontations. Nathaniel Hawthorne illustrates his theme that secrets that are hidden will have its consequences. Dimmesdale is very conflicted with himself and also with the community; he struggles with doing the what is right.
Arthur Dimmesdale is a reverend of the Puritan community. He is very protective of his reputation, because of that; he lets Hester Prynne, the mother of his daughter, take the blame for a sin they both committed. He refuses to let the Puritan townspeople know what he has done. They praise him and the narrator demonstrates that as he states:
“Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale; a young clergyman, who had come from one of the great English universities, bringing all the learning of the age into our wild forest-land. His eloquence and religious fervor had already given the earnest of high eminence in his profession.” (Ch.3)
He is a very intelligent man who is devoted to God and he wants the Puritans to continue viewing him as a role …show more content…
He knew what was the right thing to do, but his selfishness kept him from acting on it. His character is hypocritical because he claims his values are his devotion to God and trustworthiness, yet he does not follow through with what he believes. His desire for a family is his motivation that leads him to the confession of his sin. His reputation no longer mattered to him. The change in the character is drastic from beginning to end of Hawthorne’s novel and shows readers that there would be a consequence for the actions Arthur Dimmesdale had
Arthur Dimmesdale is a reverend of the Puritan community. He is very protective of his reputation, because of that; he lets Hester Prynne, the mother of his daughter, take the blame for a sin they both committed. He refuses to let the Puritan townspeople know what he has done. They praise him and the narrator demonstrates that as he states:
“Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale; a young clergyman, who had come from one of the great English universities, bringing all the learning of the age into our wild forest-land. His eloquence and religious fervor had already given the earnest of high eminence in his profession.” (Ch.3)
He is a very intelligent man who is devoted to God and he wants the Puritans to continue viewing him as a role …show more content…
He knew what was the right thing to do, but his selfishness kept him from acting on it. His character is hypocritical because he claims his values are his devotion to God and trustworthiness, yet he does not follow through with what he believes. His desire for a family is his motivation that leads him to the confession of his sin. His reputation no longer mattered to him. The change in the character is drastic from beginning to end of Hawthorne’s novel and shows readers that there would be a consequence for the actions Arthur Dimmesdale had