It could be said that guilt is one of the most powerful emotions a person can feel. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the character Arthur Dimmesdale experiences the extremes of this emotion. Dimmesdale has an obsession with keeping a clean public image, but falls victim to sin which leads to a consequence of suppressing all feelings of guilt, affecting his mental and physical health. This psychoanalysis of Dimmesdale will evaluate why he should confess to his sin and the benefits had he confessed much earlier than he does in the novel. This is true because he is in a position where confessing would leave less of an impact on him then it did for Hester, he is given an opportunity to do so very early on in the book, the build up
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Throughout the course of the novel, he has so many opportunities when it came to confessing, which were not offered to Hester and he never took. Had Dimmesdale confessed to his sin, he would have lived a freer life than Hester did. The townspeople see Dimmesdale as a town father and saintly figure who has the privilege of confessing and being forgiven. Thus, the effects on his life will be less harmful than they are on Hester’s life. In fact, some people do not even believe Dimmesdale when he confesses at the end of the book, which is proven when Hawthorne describes, “Neither, by their report, had his dying words acknowledged, nor even remotely implied, any, the slightest connection, on his part, with the guilt for which Hester Prynne had so long worn the scarlet letter” (241). This quotation demonstrates that despite Dimmesdale confessing to his sin and telling the town he is Pearl’s father, people still do not believe him. Dimmesdale is so wrapped up in his obsession with his id, he is not always realizing how highly the townspeople think of him. This is actually quite saddening considering Dimmesdale psychologically tortures himself for years just with a primary goal of maintaining that reputation in town, which he already has in the first place. Psychologically, thoughts about a clean public image and leading everyone to believe he is free of sin dominate Dimmesdale’s brain. …show more content…
Self harm is often used as a way to relieve one’s emotions they express through words, and in Dimmesdale’s case, the trigger was guilt. This just goes to show how overwhelmingly present guilt is in Dimmesdale’s mind, and what a large impact keeping this kind of secret has on him. However, it is also a source of self punishment for Dimmesdale. The minister whips himself, fasts for extended periods of time, and holds vigils where he forced himself to stay awake through the night, pondering his sin all because the pain of guilt was too much to bear. As Hawthorne explains: He kept vigils, likewise, night after night, sometimes in utter darkness; sometimes with a glittering lamp; and sometimes, viewing his own face in a looking glass, by the most powerful light which he could throw upon it. He thus typified the constant introspection wherewith he tortured, but could not purify, himself.
Throughout the course of the novel, he has so many opportunities when it came to confessing, which were not offered to Hester and he never took. Had Dimmesdale confessed to his sin, he would have lived a freer life than Hester did. The townspeople see Dimmesdale as a town father and saintly figure who has the privilege of confessing and being forgiven. Thus, the effects on his life will be less harmful than they are on Hester’s life. In fact, some people do not even believe Dimmesdale when he confesses at the end of the book, which is proven when Hawthorne describes, “Neither, by their report, had his dying words acknowledged, nor even remotely implied, any, the slightest connection, on his part, with the guilt for which Hester Prynne had so long worn the scarlet letter” (241). This quotation demonstrates that despite Dimmesdale confessing to his sin and telling the town he is Pearl’s father, people still do not believe him. Dimmesdale is so wrapped up in his obsession with his id, he is not always realizing how highly the townspeople think of him. This is actually quite saddening considering Dimmesdale psychologically tortures himself for years just with a primary goal of maintaining that reputation in town, which he already has in the first place. Psychologically, thoughts about a clean public image and leading everyone to believe he is free of sin dominate Dimmesdale’s brain. …show more content…
Self harm is often used as a way to relieve one’s emotions they express through words, and in Dimmesdale’s case, the trigger was guilt. This just goes to show how overwhelmingly present guilt is in Dimmesdale’s mind, and what a large impact keeping this kind of secret has on him. However, it is also a source of self punishment for Dimmesdale. The minister whips himself, fasts for extended periods of time, and holds vigils where he forced himself to stay awake through the night, pondering his sin all because the pain of guilt was too much to bear. As Hawthorne explains: He kept vigils, likewise, night after night, sometimes in utter darkness; sometimes with a glittering lamp; and sometimes, viewing his own face in a looking glass, by the most powerful light which he could throw upon it. He thus typified the constant introspection wherewith he tortured, but could not purify, himself.