The Struggle In Dimmesdale's Life

“No man for any considerable period can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true” (203). This aphorism from Hawthorne, conveys that people who have multiple personalities will eventually become confused about which one is their true self. In The Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale’s life is divided into two different personalities, one of an adulterer, and one of a reverend, which ultimately, leads to his untimely demise, since Dimmesdale is torn between his holy life and his life full of sins. In the real world, cops, and federal officers, go through this same phenomena; after they are undercover for a prolonged period of time, living someone else's life, they then struggle to separate themselves from their new life when they return home. …show more content…
This struggle eventually leads to the killing of multiple families, and Dolarhyde’s death, when he is killed by William Graham's wife. Lastly, in the show House of Cards, Frank Underwood has two different selves, one that engages in affairs and kills anyone who gets in his way to the top. This side is contrasted with his public self, who is a politician and happily married. Throughout the show, Frank progressively becomes a darker person, as he comes to power, reaches the presidency, and the line between his public and private selves slowly dwindles, and becomes thinner, to the point where his dark side becomes more and more prevalent. In each case, having multiple personalities leads to a struggle to decipher their own identity, which therefore proves Hawthorne’s