Andrew Goncalves
AP English – Mr. George
1/12/09
Scarlet Letter Essay
Sin and Redemption
From the outset, the fate of Arthur Dimmesdale was to hang from the gallows, with his weight bearing down on his neck. As an adulterer, Dimmesdale was entitled to such a fate, and he was aware of this. Dimmesdale resorted to internally bearing his sin, since he knew that death would be his immediate fate should his secret act of adultery leak. Failure to reach heaven was inevitable, if Dimmesdale did not make amends, with God, himself, and his society.
Dimmesdale, like any human being, possessed a capacity for sin. Yet, his expression of that sin and his search for redemption was quite unique, since his life was at stake. He attempted to conceal his sin as best he could, to little avail. Having done this for seven years, he endured a roller coaster ride of emotions. In the words of Shakespeare from his play, “Measure for Measure,” “Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall” (Shakespeare 2.1.). Dimmesdale is viewed by the people as high and mighty, but sulks when he looks to his virtuous side that screams for the admittance of his sinful deed. Dimmesdale sentenced himself to self-torture and was also indirectly punished by a fellow doctor known as Chillingworth. Dimmesdale’s punishment was especially poignant in his case, since he committed the sin of adultery; he felt remorse for his actions, and because he ultimately perceived his condition to be a blessing from God himself.
Dimmesdale’s punishment was fitting since he committed the grave sin of adultery. The sin of adultery was punishable by death at the time: “a penalty, which, in our days, would infer a degree of mocking infamy and ridicule, might then be invested with almost as stern a dignity as the punishment of death itself” (Hawthorne 47). Unfortunately for Dimmesdale, his youth and high position made him more susceptible to this kind of temptation. Choosing to bear his sin in secret took a tough toll on Dimmesdale’s emotions. Dimmesdale would constantly place his hand over his heart, when speaking of personal matters.
Dimmesdale’s daughter, Pearl, also served as a constant reminder of his actions. The narrator constantly described her as being “of demon origin,” (91) which is true, since she was conceived by the wayward sin of adultery. Pearl is comfortable around Hester because she was raised by her. While around Dimmesdale, she is distrusting: “‘What a strange, sad man is he!’ […] ‘In the dark night-time he calls us to him, and holds thy hand and mine, as when we stood with him on the scaffold yonder. And in the deep forest, where only the old trees can hear, and the strip of sky see it, he talks with thee, sitting on a heap of moss!’” (205). Pearl was able to figure out that there was something odd about Dimmesdale’s disposition, for he always avoided contact with her in public. Pearl was not alone in her discovery.
Dimmesdale sought to keep his sin away from the eyes of his parishioners, yet, there would always be someone who knew. Roger Chillingworth, Hester’s original husband and a comrade of Dimmesdale, was also aware that he was hiding something within. When Chillingworth initially discovered that Hester had cheated on him, he called for immediate action to be taken, revenge: “‘I shall seek this man, as I have sought truth in books; as I have sought gold in alchemy. There is a sympathy that will make me conscious of him. I shall see him tremble. I shall feel myself shudder, suddenly and unawares. Sooner or later, he must needs be mine!’” (70). Chillingworth eventually discovered that Dimmesdale was the guilty one, after relentless interrogation. The physician then began to constantly torment him. Chillingworth claimed numerous times that Dimmesdale would not be admitted into heaven upon his death because of his sin.
The argument between Chillingworth and Dimmesdale about weeds in the graveyard was noteworthy. One day, Chillingworth observed weeds growing out of a grave, and said, “‘Wherefore not; since all the powers of nature call so earnestly for the confession of sin, that these black weeds have sprung up out of a buried heart, to make manifest an outspoken crime?’” (119). This is an example of the kind of torture Chillingworth delivered to Dimmesdale. Chillingworth professed a diatribe against Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale feared that his grave would be consumed by weeds because of his sin, which added to his mounting depression.
Dimmesdale attempted to hide himself and his shameful actions, but he was not safe so long as Chillingworth kept tabs on the minister. Sometimes, Dimmesdale sought refuge simply by being alone, inflicting physical pain on himself to tame the deeper pangs within. Hester and Dimmesdale met in the dark, shady forest occasionally, giving them a sense of privacy. Dimmesdale and Hester conversed about their lives and planned to escape to Europe later on. However, Dimmesdale’s failure to bear his sin and his decision to live forever with the woman he committed adultery, nagged at him:
“The wretched minister! He had made a bargain very like it! Tempted by a dream of happiness, he had yielded himself, with deliberate choice, as he had never done before, to what he knew was deadly sin. And the infectious poison of that sin had been thus rapidly diffused throughout his moral system” (199).
The regrets ran high, and so did the magnitude of the act. Dimmesdale was forever doomed for having committed the capital crime of adultery, even if he attempted to make amends. This is because he would be with the woman who led him to sin in the first place, and she might lead him to sin further.
Dimmesdale was constantly described as deteriorating physically: “A bodily disease, which we look upon as whole and entire within itself, may, after all, be but a symptom of some ailment in the spiritual part” (124). This change is symbolic of the toll taken on his body by his decision to remain silent about his sin. Dimmesdale became older, uglier, and more devilish as he concealed his sin. When Dimmesdale decided to leave Boston with Hester and Pearl, his physique improved with his attempt to escape his sins. However, consequences arose with new temptations to preach foul words to children. This is because he feels regret that he is going to continue living with the woman whom he was led to sin with.
Dimmesdale’s punishment of everlasting guilt was a weighty burden, yet it doubled as a source of reconciliation. Dimmesdale was even sorrier for committing adultery since he was supposed to be an example to others. He feared that the clergy would find it appropriate to sin as he did, for he was a representative of God. Dimmesdale sought his deliverance feverishly; however, openly admitting his sin to the masses came along with major repercussions. Therefore, he chose to conceal his sin. Dimmesdale was forced to reveal his secret in the end, for his depression was agonizing.
Dimmesdale is a dim character, as inscribed in his name. He regrets his act of adultery and his decision to conceal it. However, how might he receive any consolation so as to be emancipated if he is not willing to receive such consolation? Seeing Hester publicly bear her sin made him feel doubly guilty. At one point, the people accepted Hester, and the meaning of the “A” on her bosom was viewed as able. Dimmesdale felt as if he exploited Hester, and that he missed out on his chance for salvation. He felt that if he publicly bore his sin now, he would be subjugated to the wrath of a hollow hell. Yet, the suffering Dimmesdale endured as he held onto his guilt made him feel as if he was being punished justly. Hester and Dimmesdale decided to take the easy way out, by leaving Boston entirely. Dimmesdale approves of this idea, since it may help to relieve his aching body: “The excitement of Mr. Dimmesdale's feelings, as he returned from his interview with Hester, lent him unaccustomed physical energy, and hurried him townward at a rapid pace” (194). Dimmesdale would have been devastated if he had known that the diligent Chillingworth discovered his plan. Chillingworth knew that his victim was escaping, so the physician decided to embark on the same journey as Hester and Dimmesdale. The shipmaster willingly accepted Chillingworth, because doctors were needed, “‘Why, know you not,’ cried the shipmaster, ‘that this physician here - Chillingworth, he calls himself - is minded to try my cabin-fare with you? Ay, ay, you must have known it; for he tells me he is of your party, and a close friend to the gentleman you spoke of, - he that is in peril from these sour old Puritan rulers!’” (210). Dimmesdale had no escape. He was left with only one option to oust Chillingworth, and that was to confess his sin and face the wrath of his clergy.
Dimmesdale felt he was fortunate to endure his punishment as he did. According to the principle of utility, silent emotional torture is significantly better than being hanged or burnt, since less lives are lost. Chillingworth leeched upon Dimmesdale, keeping the minister alive to prolong his torture. Hawthorne makes this clear when he points out that “The victim was forever on the rack; it needed only to know the spring that controlled the engine; and the physician knew it well!” (127).
Dimmesdale was also at an emotional loss. Dimmesdale eventually realized that he could quickly relieve himself of the burden by admitting his sin. On the night that Dimmesdale delivered his election sermon, he stood on the scaffold with Hester, as he proclaiming:
“‘ye, that have loved me! - ye, that have deemed me holy! - behold me here, the one sinner of the world! At last - at last! - I stand upon the spot where, seven years since, I should have stood; here, with this woman, whose arm, more than the little strength wherewith I have crept hitherward, sustains me, at this dreadful moment, from grovelling[sic] down upon my face’” (227).
Dimmesdale blew the crowd away. The entire time, it was Dimmesdale, their trusted minister, who was the guilty one. Dimmesdale’s admittance to adultery allowed him to achieve his redemption. Shortly after he made his confession, Dimmesdale breathed his last and died.
In his confession, Dimmesdale’s life is complete. His timely death means but one thing, he was blessed by God. In his confession, God once again accepted Dimmesdale as a person, and did this by taking his soul up to heaven. No longer could he be plagued with the shame he faced on earth. Chillingworth’s torment was a blessing to Dimmesdale, for it led him to heaven. The physician helped to relieve the strain that the minister felt, in some sense. Even if Dimmesdale lived for ten more years, after his death, he would have all of eternity to live as care-free as he wished.
Dimmesdale was a sinner. He willingly committed the sin of adultery, a decisive action that would dictate the pain in which he endured the following seven years. As Dimmesdale’s hand loomed over his heart, he was expressing the pain that he felt within. Yet, he was really experiencing an equilibrium between sin and redemption. Dimmesdale felt badly, and decided to atone by beating himself at first. Afterwards, he decided to do it by letting go of his secret, and telling it freely to his clergy. As the plot unfolded, Shakespeare’s words took on new meaning. Dimmesdale rose up by his unexposed sin, and the clergy accepted him by his external self. On the inside, Dimmesdale was humbled by his sin, for he was not following God’s example. That is how Dimmesdale was blessed by his punishment, and how such a punishment was just.
Works Cited
Thinkexist. 12 January 2009. Thinkexist. 13 January 2009.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam Dell, 2003.
