“Guilt is a cognitive or an emotional experience that occurs when a person believes or realizes—accurately or not—that he or she has compromised his or her own standards of conduct or has violated a moral standard and bears significant responsibility for that violation. It is closely related to the concept of remorse.” (Websters Dictionary). Guilt can cause shame and catalyze us into actions we never thought possible. Guilt can force us to make reparations for our wrongs or lead to resentment and depression. In The Scarlet Letter, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is a prominent minister and leader in the community. His character plays a minuscule role in the start of the novel; however over time the reader see’s that he has in fact committed adultery
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He is first guilty of committing adultery with Hester and his second act is his cowardly and hypocritical failure to confess. He is guilty of omission and commission (Pimple, 257). At the time the sin was committed Dimmesdale was allegedly a fully devouted minister, yet he allowed himself to participate in a sinful act with Hester, which resulted in the birth of Pearl. After the birth of Pearl, Dimmesdale allowed Hester to take the complete blame for the sin (Pimple, 257). It is during the first scene that the reader witnesses his lack of courage. Dimmesdale says to Hester “I charge thee to speak ou thy the name of thy fellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer! Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life” (Hawthorne, 84). Dimmesdale is asking Hester to reveal his name to the crowd, rather than revealing it himself he is giving her the decision, knowing whole-hearteldly that her love for him will not allow her to do so. In comparison to Dimmesdale, Hester is a strong woman and Dimmesdale is spineless (Healy, 2014). Although Dimmesdale witnesses Hester’s public punishment he decides to punish himself in silence rather than to be publically punished alongside her. Dimmesdale felt as if his position did not allow him to admit his sin …show more content…
Over the years his lack of courage forces him to continuously suffer while Hester learns and grows from the sin they both committed. Rather than publically admitting his sin, Dimmesdale punishes himself in a number of ways. He continuously replays the act in his mind reliving the sin each time. He speaks of wickedness and unworthiness often during his sermons, yet his words tend to have double meanings, therefore the members of the church do not see his sermons as him confessing to anything (Elbert, 250), “More than once-nay, more than a hundred times,” he described himself to his congregation “that he was altogether vile, a viler companion, of the vilest, the worst of sinners an abomination, a thing of unimaginable iniquity” (Pimple,268 ). Although he described how horrible of a person he was, he never directly admitted to what he had done, these were empty confessions (Pimple, 269). Hinting at the truth displays Dimmesdales weakness. He desperately wants to get rid of the guilt that continuously haunts him, though half confessing in the pulpit does not help with the perpetual amount of guilt that controls him. Dimmesdale also goes without food and sleep for long periods of time “In Mr. Dimmesdale's secret closet, under lock and key, there was a bloody scourge. Oftentimes,
He is first guilty of committing adultery with Hester and his second act is his cowardly and hypocritical failure to confess. He is guilty of omission and commission (Pimple, 257). At the time the sin was committed Dimmesdale was allegedly a fully devouted minister, yet he allowed himself to participate in a sinful act with Hester, which resulted in the birth of Pearl. After the birth of Pearl, Dimmesdale allowed Hester to take the complete blame for the sin (Pimple, 257). It is during the first scene that the reader witnesses his lack of courage. Dimmesdale says to Hester “I charge thee to speak ou thy the name of thy fellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer! Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life” (Hawthorne, 84). Dimmesdale is asking Hester to reveal his name to the crowd, rather than revealing it himself he is giving her the decision, knowing whole-hearteldly that her love for him will not allow her to do so. In comparison to Dimmesdale, Hester is a strong woman and Dimmesdale is spineless (Healy, 2014). Although Dimmesdale witnesses Hester’s public punishment he decides to punish himself in silence rather than to be publically punished alongside her. Dimmesdale felt as if his position did not allow him to admit his sin …show more content…
Over the years his lack of courage forces him to continuously suffer while Hester learns and grows from the sin they both committed. Rather than publically admitting his sin, Dimmesdale punishes himself in a number of ways. He continuously replays the act in his mind reliving the sin each time. He speaks of wickedness and unworthiness often during his sermons, yet his words tend to have double meanings, therefore the members of the church do not see his sermons as him confessing to anything (Elbert, 250), “More than once-nay, more than a hundred times,” he described himself to his congregation “that he was altogether vile, a viler companion, of the vilest, the worst of sinners an abomination, a thing of unimaginable iniquity” (Pimple,268 ). Although he described how horrible of a person he was, he never directly admitted to what he had done, these were empty confessions (Pimple, 269). Hinting at the truth displays Dimmesdales weakness. He desperately wants to get rid of the guilt that continuously haunts him, though half confessing in the pulpit does not help with the perpetual amount of guilt that controls him. Dimmesdale also goes without food and sleep for long periods of time “In Mr. Dimmesdale's secret closet, under lock and key, there was a bloody scourge. Oftentimes,