The story The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a story of sin, redemption, and courage. An article written by Bruce Ingham Granger titled, “Arthur Dimmesdale as Tragic Hero”, refers to one of the characters, Arthur Dimmesdale, as a tragic hero. In this article, it talks about how because of Dimmesdale’s “courage” he is very much a tragic hero, even more so than Hester for many reasons. Two points that I agree with from this article are that Dimmesdale is more of a tragic hero than Hester, and that he’s tragically great because of his confession, although one point that I disagree with is at what point Dimmesdale begins his dark journey. The first reason that I agree with in this article is the claim that Dimmesdale is more of a tragic hero than Hester. In the article Granger writes, “Whereas Dimmesdale’s full revelation on the scaffold is tragic, Hester’s dynamic but lawless behavior in the forest is at best heroically pathetic.” (202). Overall, Hester’s behavior throughout the book is very heroic, which Granger doesn’t show all that …show more content…
The article states, “Conversely, Dimmesdale’s confession is the act of a man who is tragically great.” (Granger 202). Overall, this an extremely valid point and it really supports the fact that when Dimmesdale confesses, it overall makes him a tragic hero. In the story, when Dimmesdale confesses, he suddenly drops dead from relief. Hawthorne writes, “That final word came forth with the minister’s expiring breath. The multitude, silent till then, broke out in a strange, deep voice of awe and wonder, which could not as yet find utterance, save in this murmur that rolled so heavily after the departed spirit.” (176). This quote refers to the audience as the tragic Arthur Dimmesdale drops dead after he confesses his sin, showing that even the crowd is in awe as all of this unfolds in front of