What Is Dimmesdale's Role In The Scarlet Letter

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The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a book about the ordeals of Hester Prynne, a Puritan women in the New World. Spirited Away, directed by Hayao Miyazaki, is the story of Chihiro, a young girl who's found herself trapped within the spirit world. Both Spirited Away and The Scarlet Letter feature prominent leaders, Yubaba and Arthur Dimmesdale. Yubaba is a vindictive witch whom runs a bathhouse for the spirits. Dimmesdale is a pious priest who presides over the Puritan “City Upon a Hill”. Even though Yubaba and Dimmesdale both lead people, they achieved their power and kept it through different means. Although these characters portray themselves as vindictive and pious respectively in reality, they are both complex characters filled …show more content…
In the Puritan society Dimmesdale has one of the highest hierarchical leadership roles. As a priest he’s expected to be the model citizen free of sin. Dimmesdale came into power democratically. He’s described as having the “earnest of high eminence in his profession” (Hawthorne 62). He maintains his power by pleasing the Puritan society and completing his job well. As he roams the streets men and women alike come to him seeking guidance. Dimmesdale acts as a role model to citizens, giving them spiritual guidance and moral lessons. As a role model Dimmesdale is expected to be a perfect being incapable of sin. Although Dimmesdale’s outer persona is one of veneration and respect, his inner personality is filled with malice and sin. Eventually the pressure of perfection breaks Dimmesdale, which leads him near insanity. He carves a letter onto his chest to represent his sin as an adulterer and periodically whips himself, while “laughing bitterly” at himself (132). The citizens of the society never witness Dimmesdale’s true personality of a sinner. When he finally admits to his sin and reveals his letter, the society invents an excuse for him. They claim his letter appeared by “magic and poisonous drugs” (230). By tricking the Puritans into believing him to be pure Dimmesdale commits the biggest sin of all. Dimmesdale and Yubaba highlight flaws within societal view of leaders. While they are both leaders, they lead in different ways.The differences of their expectations of leadership create the differences in how Yubaba and Dimmesdale show their personalities. Since Dimmesdale is a leader of the people, he’s expected to be a benevolent man free of sin. Since Yubaba rules for herself, she's expected to be a malevolent ruler, who only cares for herself. The contrasting personalities of similar people arise from the societal pressure to attain impossible
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