Arthur Dimmesdale In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

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Until the conclusion of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, Arthur Dimmesdale’s character is an incongruity: the citizens of the colony view Dimmesdale as a godlike figure, but Dimmesdale regards himself as a sinner who cannot muster the courage to publicly repent for his actions. At the beginning of the novel, Dimmesdale is frequently referred to by the townspeople in admiration; however, the narrator describes him to the reader as being spineless and somewhat nefarious. As Dimmesdale sickens throughout the middle of the novel, the reader observes the effect of Dimmesdale’s inner guilt on himself through his self punishment; whereas the colonists still view Dimmesdale as a divine figure. In the marketplace scene where Dimmesdale
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