Guilt Until Death
“In all secrets there is a kind of guilt, however beautiful or joyful they may be, or for what good end they may be set to serve. Secrecy means evasion, and evasion means a problem to the moral mind.” Throughout life, each person must face a sin they have committed, but often these sins are left to settle in the soul of the sinner. These sins simmer in the soul, begging the mind and heart to concede them and confess them to the world. This aspect of the soul is portrayed through Arthur Dimmesdale in the novel The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Arthur Dimmesdale is the minister of a quaint little town in Salem, Massachusetts, who appears innocent and almighty, but secretly holds a heavy weight in his heart. …show more content…
This guilt slowly diminishes Dimmesdale’s health, eating away at his mind and soul. Through his actions and thoughts, Dimmesdale reveals his heavy weight of guilt and the effects it puts on his body and mind.
It is often said that actions are louder than words and through these actions the world gains an insight into what a character is like. Throughout the novel, a slow change is seen in the diminishing of Dimmesdale’s health through his actions in town and alone. In the beginning of the novel, Dimmesdale is described more as a healthy young man, innocent and holy. But as the novel goes on, the way he acts shows different. When faced with the job of defending his secret lover, Hester Prynne, and her job of being a mother, Dimmesdale shows his first signs of guilt and nervousness …show more content…
Although Dimmesdale suffers for seven years before finally admitting his sins, a weight is lifted from his heart the very moment he reveals his wrongdoing, his soul finally able to pass on and be released from the consistent suffering. Because of this, Dimmesdale is the embodiment of the consequences humanity must face when a sin goes unpunished and unacknowledged for such a long time. Guilt builds a home in the heart of a sinner, constantly banging the door and slamming the windows, demanding to be acknowledged in order to calm the storm it creates. Therefore leading to the demise of the mind or the cleansing of the heart, depending on the action the sinner chooses to take. Dimmesdale chose to suffer and constantly listen to the guilt in his heart, making noise in the metaphoric house it built. But even though he comes clean to his sins in order to reach for a better life, this reach is cut short by his heart finally destroying the house of guilt and ultimately destroying itself in the process of becoming pure once again. Through Dimmesdale’s major characteristic of guilt, the reader is able to understand how the heart and soul can only handle so much anguish before cleansing it from evil is no longer attainable and the reach for purity and happiness is cut
“In all secrets there is a kind of guilt, however beautiful or joyful they may be, or for what good end they may be set to serve. Secrecy means evasion, and evasion means a problem to the moral mind.” Throughout life, each person must face a sin they have committed, but often these sins are left to settle in the soul of the sinner. These sins simmer in the soul, begging the mind and heart to concede them and confess them to the world. This aspect of the soul is portrayed through Arthur Dimmesdale in the novel The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Arthur Dimmesdale is the minister of a quaint little town in Salem, Massachusetts, who appears innocent and almighty, but secretly holds a heavy weight in his heart. …show more content…
This guilt slowly diminishes Dimmesdale’s health, eating away at his mind and soul. Through his actions and thoughts, Dimmesdale reveals his heavy weight of guilt and the effects it puts on his body and mind.
It is often said that actions are louder than words and through these actions the world gains an insight into what a character is like. Throughout the novel, a slow change is seen in the diminishing of Dimmesdale’s health through his actions in town and alone. In the beginning of the novel, Dimmesdale is described more as a healthy young man, innocent and holy. But as the novel goes on, the way he acts shows different. When faced with the job of defending his secret lover, Hester Prynne, and her job of being a mother, Dimmesdale shows his first signs of guilt and nervousness …show more content…
Although Dimmesdale suffers for seven years before finally admitting his sins, a weight is lifted from his heart the very moment he reveals his wrongdoing, his soul finally able to pass on and be released from the consistent suffering. Because of this, Dimmesdale is the embodiment of the consequences humanity must face when a sin goes unpunished and unacknowledged for such a long time. Guilt builds a home in the heart of a sinner, constantly banging the door and slamming the windows, demanding to be acknowledged in order to calm the storm it creates. Therefore leading to the demise of the mind or the cleansing of the heart, depending on the action the sinner chooses to take. Dimmesdale chose to suffer and constantly listen to the guilt in his heart, making noise in the metaphoric house it built. But even though he comes clean to his sins in order to reach for a better life, this reach is cut short by his heart finally destroying the house of guilt and ultimately destroying itself in the process of becoming pure once again. Through Dimmesdale’s major characteristic of guilt, the reader is able to understand how the heart and soul can only handle so much anguish before cleansing it from evil is no longer attainable and the reach for purity and happiness is cut