Passion is a double edged sword; on one side there is a serendipitous fantasy like rush of delight while on the other, a deadly reality. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynee and Mr. Dimmesdale exemplify the notion of passion being multifaceted; specifically through their ignominious act of adultery and the consequences thereafter. In both cases, the act of adultery proves fatal, but specially for Mr. Dimmesdale, the minister of the Puritan community, it leads to a psychosomatic disorder and masochistic behavior. As a consequence of his adulterous actions and going astray from his religious beliefs, Mr. Dimmesdale shrivels away: becoming merely a shadow of the man whom he once was. Mr. Dimmesdale was not always a sullen
