Arthur Dimmesdale In The Scarlet Letter

In most works of literary fiction there’s usually a clear protagonist and antagonist, like Peter Pan and Captain Hook or Dorothy and the Wicked Witch of the West. These characters are used to help create conflict and supply a satisfying resolution. However, in the Scarlet Letter, Hester, the protagonist, experiences struggle and conflict from multiple sources. Most apparent, Chillingworth, a revenge seeking lunatic who is hell bent on revenge. Contrastingly, Arthur Dimmesdale could be considered to treat Hester an even worse than Chillingworth. This can be evident through his hypocrisy, weakness, and selfishness that he shows toward Hester and Pearl in the novel. To begin, Dimmesdale is an educated man that attended a prestigious college in …show more content…
He’s a religious leader and works closely with the government to determine what’s best for the city. However, this doesn’t seem appropriate since his most profound feature is his selfishness. His most prominent cases of selfishness can be seen with Hester and Pearl. To illustrate, during the climax, when he’s finally on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl he says,” by bringing me hither, to die this death of triumphant ignominy before the people! Had either of these agonies been wanting, I had been lost forever!” he makes his last dying words about how he has overcome sin and how he is no longer lost. Dimmesdale had finally taken a selfless action of uniting with his family without shame-just to die. He died without giving Pearl a relationship with her father or Hester a proper husband. He left them again, stranded and alone. He ended on a note of his repentance, his forgiveness, and his compassion of his sin that not even Hester had fully felt. Up until his death, Dimmesdale wanted to make sure he was forgiven before judgement. In another incident, he tries to make Hester be thankful for her punishment. He says “Happy are you, Hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly upon your bosom! Mine burns in secret! Thou little knowest what a relief it is, after the torment of a seven years' cheat, to look into an eye that recognizes me for what I am!" Dimmesdale is so envious of the guiltless life that Hester lives. He’s jealous of the fact that Hester was ostracized from Salem and that he wasn’t allowed to reveal his sin. He does nothing to mention of how horrible it must’ve been to of been living alone in society. He does nothing to recognize his flaws of not being a father and leaving the entire responsibility of raising a child to Hester. Instead, he wants to be recognized and valued for his sacrifices of hiding his sin. Finally, Dimmesdale also asks Hester to be quiet about their