In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne wrote, “Tempted by a dream of happiness, [Dimmesdale] had yielded himself, with deliberate choice, as he had never done before, to what he knew was deadly sin” (445). This statement resonated with me and left me with a feeling of both sympathy and scorn because I experienced a similar situation to Dimmesdale’s, although to a lesser degree of severity. Several weeks ago, I had promised myself that I would resume dieting after having eaten carelessly for a couple of months. However, on the first night of my diet, I indulged myself in junk food while watching television. After I had ate all of the food, I felt angry towards myself and began to scold myself for lacking discipline. Therefore, when I read the passage
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Throughout history, the brains of humans have adapted to develop concept called “social processing” (Geduld). Since we evolved as pack animals, our brains established a method to detect patterns in the behavior of others in order for us to predict what they might do next. Therefore, since I had been accustomed to Dimmesdale’s pious actions throughout the book, his unexpected sacrilegious choices may have encouraged spontaneous emotions of compassion and disdain. Although signs referring to the misery that Dimmesdale was suffering under were evident throughout the entire book, Dimmesdale’s religious devotion mitigated the emotional impact that his suffering conveyed. However, when Hawthorne makes Dimmesdale give in to the torment of his heart, my brain immediately pointed out a deviation from the pattern, allowing me to feel emotions that Dimmesdale’s suffering had not inspired before.
In the end, the carefully crafted statement from The Scarlet Letter allowed me to engage more deeply with Dimmesdale and become more invested in the story. In addition, the similarity between Dimmesdale’s situation and my scenario led to me understand the development of Dimmesdale’s character with a new perspective since I was able to comprehend the conflicts raging inside of
Throughout history, the brains of humans have adapted to develop concept called “social processing” (Geduld). Since we evolved as pack animals, our brains established a method to detect patterns in the behavior of others in order for us to predict what they might do next. Therefore, since I had been accustomed to Dimmesdale’s pious actions throughout the book, his unexpected sacrilegious choices may have encouraged spontaneous emotions of compassion and disdain. Although signs referring to the misery that Dimmesdale was suffering under were evident throughout the entire book, Dimmesdale’s religious devotion mitigated the emotional impact that his suffering conveyed. However, when Hawthorne makes Dimmesdale give in to the torment of his heart, my brain immediately pointed out a deviation from the pattern, allowing me to feel emotions that Dimmesdale’s suffering had not inspired before.
In the end, the carefully crafted statement from The Scarlet Letter allowed me to engage more deeply with Dimmesdale and become more invested in the story. In addition, the similarity between Dimmesdale’s situation and my scenario led to me understand the development of Dimmesdale’s character with a new perspective since I was able to comprehend the conflicts raging inside of