to a man like Reverend Dimmesdale. Although Wiggins is not religious like the prestigious Dimmesdale, their pessimistic look on life and “finding a way out” is similar. Wiggins wonders in Chapter Eight if he is “reaching them (school children) at all.” or if he’s “doing anything at all” (Gaines 62). Reverend Dimmesdale has a predicament of his own during his time in his labyrinthine mind. In Chapter Fourteen of The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Dimmesdale states, rather grimly,
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North American Literature 2014-2015. Individual Freedom restricted by Puritans. Analysis of Hester, Chillingworth and Dimmesdale. [Nathaniel Hawthorne; The Scarlet Letter] ABSTRACT: The aim of this paper is to analyze how Nathaniel Hawthorne deals with the theme of freedom focusing on the major characters such as Hester, Chillingworth and Dimmesdale. I argue that, there is a sign of individual freedom due to the fact that all the characters have the right to act in the way they do it but they
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seemed so pure and sweet to me. Pearl, in my opinion, really helped Dimmesdale in coming out and confessing her sins with her persuasive actions towards the middle and ending of the story. Dimmesdale, on the other hand, was a character I did not like much either. He was very weak minded and really only focused on his reputation and how people viewed him. He finally gained courage to admit his sins at the end, but it was too late. Dimmesdale died without facing any of the repercussions Hester had to deal
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adultery against her husband Chillingworth, but also had a kid with a minister named Dimmesdale. When Chillingworth finds out that Dimmesdale is the father, and the other participant in the sin, he devotes his life to the torment and death of Dimmesdale. Hester and Dimmesdale committed a sin of love and passion, and they end up hurting themselves more than anyone else. Chillingworth intentionally torments Dimmesdale to the best of his abilities mentally and physically for years, and never once feels
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more sinister character, whose darker complexion is only matched by the devil himself, with his only goal being to pursue Dimmesdale for his (and Hester’s) act of sin. For seven long years he stays, soon becoming dependent and obsessed about Dimmesdale’s suffering and pain, like a leech on a decayed animal. His
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by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a book about a Puritan reaction to adultery. In the novel, the adultery of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale causes Roger Chillingworth, who is the betrayed husband, to react negatively to the events outside of his control, showing that Chillingworth has been removed from his role as the important male figure in his marriage to Hester. Dimmesdale, who is the minister, removes Roger from his legal role as a dominant male figure in Hester’s life by first sleeping with Hester
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Pearl, too, knows this when she asks Dimmesdale if he will “stand [at the scaffold] with [her] mother and [her], to-morrow noon-tide?” (n.b. 158). By refusing Pearl’s request, Dimmesdale declines to be associated with the symbol of immorality and with his own sins. Eventually, Dimmesdale does illustrate his moral decay, confessing in the only place he can, on the scaffold. Similar to the Valley of Ashes, the house that Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth move into is proven to be the
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Journal #4 (Revised) Throughout the course of “The Scarlet Letter,” Hawthorne hints towards the fact that Dimmesdale is Pearl’s father without ever really giving it away. For example, in Dimmesdale’s first description, Hawthorne says “The young pastor's voice was tremulously sweet, rich, deep, and broken. The feeling that it so evidently manifested, rather than the direct purport of the words, caused it to vibrate within all hearts, and brought the listeners into one accord of sympathy. Even the
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Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter includes many profound and important symbols. This device of symbolism is portrayed well in the novel, especially through the scarlet letter "A". The "A" is the best example because of the changes in the meaning throughout the novel. In the beginning of the novel, the scarlet letter "A" is viewed as a symbol of sin. The middle of the novel is a transition period, where the scarlet letter "A" is viewed differently. In
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accomplice, she kept his name unknown. As one may have guessed, from the hints given throughout the novel, Arthur Dimmesdale was also guilty of adultery. However, he did not confess his sin until it was too late. Dimmesdale continued his ministry in the church, as a hypocrite, concealing his sin. Nevertheless, his guilty conscience drove him to a manic-depressive state of mind. Dimmesdale became very ill, because the scarlet letter upon Hester's bosom seemingly burned through his chest, weakening his
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