Nathaniel Hawthorne creates a complex, morally ambiguous character in The Scarlet Letter. Arthur Dimmesdale is a man who struggles through the course of the novel to come to terms with his sin. He grapples with rectifying himself both to himself and his parishioners. In chapter 1, he is met with Hester and Pearl coming home from the deathbed of Governor Winthrop, in the middle of the night and ironically, at the scaffold, the scene...
Nathaniel Hawthorne creates a complex, morally ambiguous character in The Scarlet Letter. Arthur Dimmesdale is a man who struggles through the course of the novel to come to terms with his sin. He grapples with rectifying himself both to himself and his parishioners. In chapter 1, he is met with Hester and Pearl coming home from the deathbed of Governor Winthrop, in the middle of the night and ironically, at the scaffold, the scene of Hester's public ignominy. Hester is empathetic to Dimmesdale's pain but Pearl is a bit more demanding of his intentions. When asked if he will hold her hand "tomorrow, noontide," he responds with, "Nay, not so my child. I shall, indeed, stand with thy mother and thee, one other day, but not to-morrow."
When pressed by Pearl, he responds that it will not be until Judgement Day that he shall stand with Pearl, and thus reveal his true feelings and his true sins.
Later, in chapter 17, Dimmesdale offers the reader insight to his hesitation to make public his offense. "Else, I should long ago have thrown of these garments of mock holiness, and have shown myself to mankind as they will see me at the judgement-seat." It becomes clear at this point that Dimmesdale has toiled too long under the burden of his offense and he feels he can no longer repent in this world. He has worn his sin too long to feel he could repent and be forgiven by man. It will not be until Judgement Day that he can finally be free as God already knows of his sins. But we now know he will now unburden himself before his fellow man.
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