Summary Of Dimmesdale In The Scarlet Letter

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Hawthorne’s later images of Dimmesdale standing on the scaffold alone and then again along with Pearl and Hester evoke a tone of tragedy. This tragic scene allows the reader to understand the pain that Dimmesdale went through when he “shrieked aloud” in the middle of town alone at night (99). His shrieking erupted involuntary and very loud allowing anyone who heard to come out into the darkness and see Mr. Dimmesdale on the scaffold. Later, the minister’s suffering describes him as “overwhelmed with shame” (101). This allusion of shame overtaking Dimmesdale further supports how guilty he felt. Even though Dimmesdale, whom presents himself a man of god, holy, and pure, commits a crime that will take away his soul if anybody happened to find out. He listens to other men’s confessions and helps them deal with their problems while his body and mind deteriorated quickly with the guilt of his own sin. While standing on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl he feels the “dread of public exposure” (102). This further supports the tragic tone because Dimmesdale has still remained silent about his sin and it seems to truly eat him alive. …show more content…
As Dimmesdale gazes at the sky, his “guilty imagination" sees a red letter “A” (103). By using personification, Dimmesdale’s imagination seems ridden with guilt to show how unpleasant he feels with himself. Puritans still continue to think of him as a noble and holy man even after he has burdened himself with sin. A Sexton man found the ministers glove on the scaffold and stated that he did not need a glove to cover “a pure hand” (105). Due to Dimmesdale’s ghastly sin this statement perceived very ironic. Symbolism existed as another technique
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