Arthur Dimmesdale In The Scarlet Letter, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is considered a very honorable person by almost everyone in the Puritan town. ... Adversely to the common opinion of the townspeople, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is not very honorable and does not deserve any praise whatsoever. ... Arthur Dimmesdale is also a masochist. ... Furthermore, Arthur Dimmesdale seems to believe that the injuring of his body is supposed to purify himself from the sin he committed, without the punishment of other townspeople muttering about him and using him as an example of what ...

• Word Count: 676
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter, Arthur Dimmesdale struggles to overcome sin, guilt, and public shame in Puritan society. Arthur Dimmesdale reveals his guilt and shame towards the end of the novel when Hester and Pearl stand with him on the scaffold while he confesses his sin to the townspeople. ... Dimmesdale's mentality is affected severely by shame. ... Chillingworth begins questioning Dimmesdale, but Dimmesdale refused to confess any of his sins and got angry. ... Dimmesdale needed to confess his sins to the townspeople on the scaffold, and the end result of con...

• Word Count: 939
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School