The Struggle Within :: essays research papers

The Struggle WithinThe Scarlet Letter offers extraordinary perspicacity into the norms and behavior of 17th century puritan society. The basic characteristics and problems of its main characters, however, argon familiar to readers in the present (Encarta 98). In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne develops Rever dismiss Dimmesdales internal struggle through his guilt, his indecision regarding confession, and his final decision to confess.At the beginning of the novel, the Reverend Dimmesdale has committed adultery with Hester Prynne, and he is constantly lush by inescapable guilt. Dimmesdale knows he is a hypocrite and he hates himself for it. He tries m some(prenominal) flairs to pay penance, but nothing seems to relieve him of this irritating guilt. He tries fasting and he tries whipping himself, but nothing feces rid him of his guilt. This guilt causes Dimmesdale to become physically ill. He constantly is memory his hand over his heart. This is because Hester Prynne is f orced to wear the reddish letter A on her breast. He feels connected to her because she was his partner in sin, so he holds his hand over his heart to hide his A, or guilt. At the end of the novel when he does confess, he shows his chest, and reveals his own A. Many people estimate that this was caused by guilt. The Reverend Dimmesdale wants to confess, but he is always too faint to face the consequences of confession. In the first scaffold scene, Dimmesdale tries to confess, but is inefficient to do it. In the second scaffold scene, Dimmesdales purpose is to stand on the scaffold until morning so everyone will see him. He is unable to stop thinking about what might happen to him if he is seen. plot of ground standing on the scaffold, in this vain show of expiation, Mr. Dimmesdale was overcome with a great horror of mind, as if the universe were gazing at a scarlet token on his naked breast, right over his heart. Without any power to restrain himself, he shrieked aloud an outcr y that went peal through the night, and was beaten back from one house to another, and reverberated from the hills in the background signal(Hawthorne 102)This quote shows the anguish felt by Dimmesdale that he had no way to relieve himself of his guilt. Later, when Dimmesdale is still on the scaffold Hester and Pearl walk by. Dimmesdale asks them to gather him on the scaffold.