Arthur Dimmesdale's Response In Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a world-renowned novel due to its enthralling themes and characters. The Scarlet Letter centers on the human response to sin. One of the most enrapturing developments of response can be found in the preacher Arthur Dimmesdale. Hawthorne allows his readers to develop an insight into the fate of someone who lives with repressed guilt. Dimmesdale perfectly satisfies the role of a human’s response developing as time elapses; he starts off being pure and untainted before falling into a depression. Arthur Dimmesdale is portrayed as the pure pastor—the apple of everyone’s eye. Dimmesdale, whom is known as the “godly pastor”, is believed to have taken Hester’s sin “grievously to heart” (5). This interpretation of Arthur Dimmesdale gives the readers the idea that Dimmesdale is a man with a pure soul that takes his congregation’s actions straight to his heart. The insight; consequently, raises the reader’s curiosity of Pearl’s father—Dimmesdale being the last character on their mind. Throughout this ordeal, the question is raised whether Dimmesdale feels any remorse for his participation in such a severe sin. The inquiry arises from Dimmesdale’s lack of outward grievance for his actions. …show more content…
As Pearl Prynne grows, so does Dimmesdale’s guilt. His oppression of guilt comes back full force and causes him to slowly plummet into a depression. His inward depression is reflected in his physical appearance “his form grew emaciated” (71) as well as through his voice, which obtained a decaying aspect to it. The commoners began to notice the slow, but steady, loss of grace the pastor was faced with. Arthur Dimmesdale’s decline in health causes the reader to see his response to his guilt change. His reflection upon his guilt forces his response to change from ignorance to the pain he believes Hester was faced