Every society has certain standards and social norms which are acceptable and those which are not. As a result, people often will conform to comply with the standards which are socially acceptable. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, conformity is a central theme demonstrated by several characters. One character in particular who is plagued with guilt and tries to conform is Arthur Dimmesdale. This character experiences tension between conforming outwardly while questioning inwardly. The tension he experiences contributes to the central theme of the novel which is the individual’s conflict with society.
Throughout the novel, Dimmesdale struggles with coping with the sin of the affair he had with Hester Prynne. In the beginning of …show more content…
This plan does not do much to alleviate Dimmesdale’s guilt since the community believes that he is speaking allegorically and has not actually sinned. After Chillingworth discovers Dimmesdale's marking on his chest, Dimmesdale determines that he cannot keep his guilt a secret forever and decides to accept that he is not the religious paragon society has him labeled as but he is actually a sinner. He then goes on to profess his sins one night upon the scaffold with nobody there to hear him. The scaffold is representative of his sin and nonconformity. Another symbol in this scene is the meteor that shoots across the sky looking like the letter “A”. The fact that it shot across the sky for all to see is foreshadowing how Dimmesdale will eventually tell everyone of his sin. Dimmesdale finally reveals his sin toward the end of the story upon the scaffold. Only after finally revealing that it was he who had the affair with Hester is he able to find peace. He finds this peace through a calm and fulfilling death in Hester’s …show more content…
The aforementioned tension contributes to the novel’s message which is that everyone is a sinner and we must confront our sins or the guilt will drive us insane. Dimmesdale is the perfect example of this because he does not reveal his sin and as a result the guilt slowly destroys him internally. He also goes back and forth on whether or not he should tell the community of his affair. At one point, Dimmesdale decides to run away with Hester and escape from the burden of his sin by leaving the community. Not long after that, Dimmesdale refuses to acknowledge Pearl as his own child in public and therefore returns to conforming to
Throughout the novel, Dimmesdale struggles with coping with the sin of the affair he had with Hester Prynne. In the beginning of …show more content…
This plan does not do much to alleviate Dimmesdale’s guilt since the community believes that he is speaking allegorically and has not actually sinned. After Chillingworth discovers Dimmesdale's marking on his chest, Dimmesdale determines that he cannot keep his guilt a secret forever and decides to accept that he is not the religious paragon society has him labeled as but he is actually a sinner. He then goes on to profess his sins one night upon the scaffold with nobody there to hear him. The scaffold is representative of his sin and nonconformity. Another symbol in this scene is the meteor that shoots across the sky looking like the letter “A”. The fact that it shot across the sky for all to see is foreshadowing how Dimmesdale will eventually tell everyone of his sin. Dimmesdale finally reveals his sin toward the end of the story upon the scaffold. Only after finally revealing that it was he who had the affair with Hester is he able to find peace. He finds this peace through a calm and fulfilling death in Hester’s …show more content…
The aforementioned tension contributes to the novel’s message which is that everyone is a sinner and we must confront our sins or the guilt will drive us insane. Dimmesdale is the perfect example of this because he does not reveal his sin and as a result the guilt slowly destroys him internally. He also goes back and forth on whether or not he should tell the community of his affair. At one point, Dimmesdale decides to run away with Hester and escape from the burden of his sin by leaving the community. Not long after that, Dimmesdale refuses to acknowledge Pearl as his own child in public and therefore returns to conforming to