Certainly, his action can prove exasperating, but that should not elicit such strong emotions towards him. I theorize that it is because readers subconsciously project themselves on Arthur's character. In today's society, fear of rejection is a strong sensation. Nobody wishes to be the singled-out figure left to be shamed. It stems from lack of hope of being forgiven, leading people to lie and cheat in order to cover up past mistakes to avoid the need for forgiveness. When readers see Dimmesdale stuck in his endless cycle of lies, they are seeing themselves, trapped in their own hole of untruths they dug. Readers want Dimmesdale to break his pattern sooner rather than later, because they recognize how much harder it will be to climb out of the hole the deeper it grows. From another viewpoint, readers empathize with Dimmesdale's want to speak what is right while being too afraid of reputation to do
Certainly, his action can prove exasperating, but that should not elicit such strong emotions towards him. I theorize that it is because readers subconsciously project themselves on Arthur's character. In today's society, fear of rejection is a strong sensation. Nobody wishes to be the singled-out figure left to be shamed. It stems from lack of hope of being forgiven, leading people to lie and cheat in order to cover up past mistakes to avoid the need for forgiveness. When readers see Dimmesdale stuck in his endless cycle of lies, they are seeing themselves, trapped in their own hole of untruths they dug. Readers want Dimmesdale to break his pattern sooner rather than later, because they recognize how much harder it will be to climb out of the hole the deeper it grows. From another viewpoint, readers empathize with Dimmesdale's want to speak what is right while being too afraid of reputation to do