Reverend Dimmesdale In The Scarlet Letter

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Reverend Dimmesdale is a stereotypical sick character whose traits contribute to the underlying theme of sin and it’s harmful effects on the body. Dimmesdale sinned and he kept it secret which is believed to be killing him. While, in his office Roger Chillingworth says to Dimmesdale, “‘a sickness, a sore place, if we may so call it, in your spirit hath immediately its appropriate manifestation in your bodily frame.”(Hawthorne page). Chillingworth believes that Dimmesdale is physically ill because of a sin that has sickened his soul. By not telling anyone about his sin, Dimmesdale has caused this incurable illness. Hawthorne uses this dialogue to show that a sickness in the soul, sin, contributes to a bodily illness that one may feel. Dimmesdale's

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Moral Ambiguity Of Reverend Dimmesdale In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne brings forth the idea that all sins are not equal, and will not be punished equally by people or by God. Hester Prynne, having a baby during the time her husband had been missing for two years, has clearly committed adultery and is forced to wear a beautifully embroidered letter A on her chest at all times. She is harshly ridiculed by the citizens, yet it makes her a stronger person in the end. However, Prynne repeatedly refuses to reveal the name of her…

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Scarlet Letter Rhetorical Analysis Essay

of the world. The weight of the secret will either weigh them down, or inspire them to support others through the same trials. The Scarlet Letter, a Puritan-period novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, displays this theme through the life of protagonist Arthur Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale works as the Reverend in Boston, Massachusetts, during the time of Puritanism. Dimmesdale fathered an illegitimate child named Pearl with her…

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Essay The Scarlet Letter and Prynne Confess

“People say…that the Reverend Master Dimmesdale, her godly pastor, takes it very grievously to heart that such a scandal should have come upon this congregation.” While Hester is standing in front of the town with Pearl, a woman says this, unaware of the intimate relationship between Reverend Dimmesdale and Hester Prynne. The reader comes to know that Dimmesdale is the one whom Prynne had an affair, and is the father of this illegitimate child. It is complete irony when they call him “godly” for…

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How Is Arthur Dimmesdale Guilty

In the book “The Scarlet Letter” written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a lot of the characters are cruel, ruthless, evil, and convicted sinners. The worst of them all was Arthur Dimmesdale. Through the showing of Pride, Lying, Adultery, being a misleading town reverend, and guilt, Arthur Dimmesdale is the most at fault in the book, “The Scarlet Letter”. The way he was punished for theses brutal sins was his own self-guilt. In the book “The Scarlet Letter”, The main character is a young woman named Hester…

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What Is The Importance Of Faith In The Scarlet Letter

formed. In the Scarlet Letter, Reverend Dimmesdale begins to feel distrust in faith in an agonizing moment. While in the forest Dimmesdale confesses that he’s miserable due to his sin. This promotes ideas of atheism which can be interpreted as a growing distrust between himself and his faith. “Were I an atheist -a man devoid of conscience… I might have found peace long ere now....As concerns the good which I may appear to do, I have no faith in it” (Scarlet Letter 123). The mere utterance of the…

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Book Report Essay

Michaela Williams Mr. Juhasz English IV AP 23 Feb. 2014 The Scarlet Letter Book Report Plot Summary The book, The Scarlet Letter, starts with a 34 page introduction to the origin of how the novel came to be. The narrator, who stays anonymous, was an examiner of the Custom House in Salem, Massachusetts, the city in which the story is set. The narrator states, “But one idle and rainy day, it was my fortune to make a discovery of some little interest.” He had started to go through many of the many collected…

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Comparing The Crucible And The Scarlet Letter

Harrison Hintz Challenged English 11 Mr. Ledvina October 31, 2015 Final Comparison Essay The books The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter are similar in many ways. Both books include many of the same themes and very alike characters. Although both books were written at different times, they follow a certain guideline about the Puritan society. These two books each include characters with issues from within. Every book also uses a little bit of magic. These two books are no exception. One common…

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Theme Of Forgiveness In The Crucible

Between the roles of the characters in the Scarlet Letter vs The crucible, they each demonstrate a big trait of forgiveness and betrayal. The main themes of each story are portrayed by the minds and actions of each individual character. Within the The Scarlet Letter, Hester and Reverend Dimmesdale portray their actions and want of forgiveness with god from the beginning to the end of the story. In the Crucible, John Proctor and Abigail Williams ask for the forgiveness. Forgiveness is used to help…

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False Appearances Essay

Scarlet Letter Essay Appearances are the first thing someone notices about a person. Appearances are the basis to the overall judgment of a person. Social hierarchy and physical appearances are usually the first things someone notices about someone. Throughout the Scarlet Letter, appearances are important to the way society views the characters. In the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne suggests that appearances can conceal one true identity. Reverend Dimmesdale’s image of being a member of…

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scarlet letter Essay

The Scarlet Letter LIT 331 Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote a true American novel that dove into the complexities of Puritan and early American society; it was called The Scarlet Letter. In this novel it discussed the hard times of Hester Prynne, the main character as well as her secret lover Reverend Dimmesdale. The novel addresses their trials and tribulations of their love affair, their child Pearl and multiple symbols used to discuss identity of one’s self, along with the…

Words 1403 - Pages 6