The Scarlet Letter Essay -- Literary Analysis, Nathaniel Hawthorne

The ruby-red Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, portrays the adversities faced by Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale, and their struggles to overcome their the pitss of adultery. Hawthorne depicts the aery Dimmesdale as a troubled minister with an uneasy conscience who struggles to have a go at it with his wrongdoings. Dimmesdale is torn between whether to public every last(predicate)y confess his wrongdoing with Hester and let the untamed Puritans decide his fate, or keep his secret hidden and let the evil derived from his actions, along with the devil in Roger Chillingworth, destroy him some(prenominal) mentally and physically. being divided between his love for Hester and his Puritan ideals, Dimmesdales advancement towards fashioning amends for his sin of adultery is manifested in the three hold up scenes passim the novel. The first scaffold scene depicts Hesters public humiliation of her sin, and Dimmesdales lack of courage and troubled soul. In the first scaff old scene, Dimmesdale acts as Hesters deceptive accuser, letting her stand alone on the scaffold for three hours while being ridiculed by the townspeople for an act they both committed. Dimmesdale charges Hester to speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer. Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him (Hawthorne 64). By directly speaking to Hester, Dimmesdale wants Hester to die his sin to the townspeople of Boston. Dimmesdale does not want Hester to pity him, and take all the blame for their wrongdoing because he does not want to live a sinful life full of hidden sin and guilt. Although Dimmesdale wants Hester to reveal his secret, he is relieved when Hester says I will not speak...And my child must stress a heavenly Father she shall never know an earthly ... ... Dimmesdale, a minister with a troubled soul, regrets his actions and makes amends for his sin, allowing him to finally be free from guilt and suffering. The scaffold, a place of public shame and humiliation, symbolizes Dimmesdales progression towards qualification amends for his actions, and obtaining salvation. Dimmesdale goes from being a religious and futile minister in the first scaffold scene to a minor and lowly individual by the end of the third scaffold scene, dismissal himself from the guilt that has caused so much havoc on his life. Dimmesdales sin, which is manifested passim the three scaffold scenes, symbolizes the major theme of the Scarlet Letter, which states that hidden sin will ultimately kill an individual if left unconfessed, and that the only itinerary to achieve salvation is by publicly confessing ones actions and making atonement with God.