Scarlet Letter Arthur Dimmesdale's Transformation

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, love reshapes the way in which Arthur Dimmesdale, Hester Prynne, and Roger Chillingworth see themselves. In the introductory stage of the novel, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale seemed to be a normal Puritan priest. By looking at Dimmesdale or by hearing his sermons, no one could tell that he was the one who had a daughter with Hester Prynne. Before his act of love with Hester, he had upheld the strict moral codes expected to be upheld in Puritan society. His act of love completely refigured the way in which he saw himself. He no longer saw himself as a good human being but instead as a sinner who could never make up for his sin no matter what actions he took. One night, he went upon the scaffold which Hester Prynne had stood seven years earlier to be publicly humiliated. There he shouted, “A good evening to you, venerable Father …show more content…
Despite his innate ability to give powerful sermons after his sin, he became a miserable person. He could no longer be happy with himself after he did not stand with Hester Prynne upon the scaffold the day she received her scarlet letter. From then on, he loathed himself for not bearing the same punishment Hester had and for avoid God’s punishment. Self-loathing, which is the act of hating yourself to an extreme measure, was exhibited throughout the remainder of Dimmesdale’s after he had committed the aforementioned sin. Overall, the act of passion Dimmesdale committed led to significant misery. When Hester asks Dimmesdale, “Hast thou [found peace]?” he responds, “None! --- nothing but despair!” (pg. 181). This quote shows that despite Dimmesdale’s many attempts at reconciliation, he is still suffering from something that had happened seven years earlier. Eventually, his misery ends once and for all by revealing his scarlet letter at the conclusion of his powerful Election