Throughout the course of the book, Hawthorne uses Hester, Pearl, and Arthur Dimmesdale to signify and contrast both the Puritanical and Romantic philosophies. ... Puritanism puts all of its stock in the religious leader of the community; Arthur Dimmesdale was the Religious leader of the community where the story takes place. ... To Dimmesdale, it is bad that Hester is shown publicly as a sinner, but what is far worse than public shame is Dimmesdale's own cruel inner shame. Knowing what only he and Hester know, the secret of theirs eats away at Dimmesdale's weakening and slowly killi...

• Word Count: 2043
• Approx Pages: 8

Pearl also notices that Arthur Dimmesdale is holding his hand above his heart whenever she refuses to listen to her mother's call. ... The letter "A- appears in two different instances on Dimmesdale's chest. Roger Chillingsworth, Hester's husband from England discovered the first instance of the manifestation of the letter "A- on Dimmesdale's chest while Dimmesdale was asleep. ... Dimmesdale shuddered, and slightly stirred. ... Dimmesdale sees it as a sign from God that his confession was not enough. ...

• Word Count: 1529
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School