In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, three different reactions to a crisis are presented. The first of these, Roger Chillingworth, upon learning his wife has committed adultery spirals out of control and lets his jealousy consume him in the search for the other adulterer. Reverend Dimmesdale, the adulterer, fares no better slowly wasting away due to his guilt until his final confession and death. While the two men crumble in the face of adversity Hester Prynne is able to overcome her trial and live by her own code. Throughout the Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the characters of Roger Chillingworth and Arthur Dimmesdale to highlight the fragility within the human spirit and contrasts them with the strength of Hester Prynne.
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Unlike Chillingworth, Dimmesdale begins the book as someone greatly revered by society and is a seemingly strong pillar of society. In the first scaffolding scene, he is shown as someone who the people greatly respect and admire. It is not until later in the book and his interactions with Roger Chillingworth that his fragility is exposed. “But how could the young minister say so, when, with every successive sabbath, his cheek paler and thinner, and his voice more tremulous than before…” (107). Even before Chillingworth begins to slowly destroy him, Dimmesdale has begun to consume himself from the inside. His self-harm is due to his guilt as a member of the church and it is this strong allegiance that is the root of his fall. It presents an inner conflict where he justifies keeping silent in order that he may help people rather than clear his conscious and lose everything. “Guilty as they may be, retaining, nevertheless, a zeal for God 's glory and man 's welfare, they shrink from displaying themselves black and filthy in the view of men; because, thenceforward, no good can be achieved by them..” (116). Dimmesdale has convinced himself that the best option is to remain silent so that way he can help more people and punish himself for the crime. While it may seem noble on the surface it is clear further into the book that it is born out of cowardice. This is most clear during the second scaffolding scene where Dimmesdale attempts to confess. The way in which he goes about it gives the impression that he wants to be found but is also extremely afraid of the consequences. By standing on the scaffold in the middle of the night he is concealing himself even during his attempt at a confession. While he does let out a cry in an attempt to be found in the end nothing comes of it. Dimmesdale 's cowardice lasts throughout much of the book until he can
Unlike Chillingworth, Dimmesdale begins the book as someone greatly revered by society and is a seemingly strong pillar of society. In the first scaffolding scene, he is shown as someone who the people greatly respect and admire. It is not until later in the book and his interactions with Roger Chillingworth that his fragility is exposed. “But how could the young minister say so, when, with every successive sabbath, his cheek paler and thinner, and his voice more tremulous than before…” (107). Even before Chillingworth begins to slowly destroy him, Dimmesdale has begun to consume himself from the inside. His self-harm is due to his guilt as a member of the church and it is this strong allegiance that is the root of his fall. It presents an inner conflict where he justifies keeping silent in order that he may help people rather than clear his conscious and lose everything. “Guilty as they may be, retaining, nevertheless, a zeal for God 's glory and man 's welfare, they shrink from displaying themselves black and filthy in the view of men; because, thenceforward, no good can be achieved by them..” (116). Dimmesdale has convinced himself that the best option is to remain silent so that way he can help more people and punish himself for the crime. While it may seem noble on the surface it is clear further into the book that it is born out of cowardice. This is most clear during the second scaffolding scene where Dimmesdale attempts to confess. The way in which he goes about it gives the impression that he wants to be found but is also extremely afraid of the consequences. By standing on the scaffold in the middle of the night he is concealing himself even during his attempt at a confession. While he does let out a cry in an attempt to be found in the end nothing comes of it. Dimmesdale 's cowardice lasts throughout much of the book until he can