Dimmesdale

            The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a novel which portrays the message of sin and punishment, through the outcome of an adulterous relationship between Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale. Throughout the novel, Hawthorne portrays the tension between Dimmesdale's guilt and the fact that he cannot confess to his sin. Dimmesdale's pain intensifies as his sin corrodes his morale, but he remains steadfast with his belief that his confession to the community would be a detriment to the futures of its members. The conclusion of the novel, however, is a striking deviance from the attitude Dimmesdale has cultivated throughout his internal battle with his guilt. The third scaffold scene shows a drastic change in Dimmesdale's attitude toward his situation, in that he confesses and serves as his own prosecutor, instead of allowing matters to be handled by God as he had up to this point. The conclusion of the novel is a failure in comparison to the rest of the work, in that it undermines the deep-rooted philosophy Dimmesdale has held about his position. Hawthorne does not express a plausible ending to the progression of Dimmesdale's developing emotions, rather, he creates an ending in which Dimmesdale reverses his fundamental principles. .
             At the start of the novel, when Hester emerges from the jail with her daughter, Pearl, Dimmesdale's speech to Hester reveals no indication of his involvement in her situation. He says, "I charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer!" , and continues to describe that it would be better if she revealed her partner because otherwise he would live a life of guilt. The harshness with which Dimmesdale speaks to Hester reinforces his effort to hide that he is the man which he condemns. In the chapters that follow, Dimmesdale's condition is described; he frequently clutches at his chest as though his heart pains him as he deals with his buried sin.