Question

PLEASE HELP ASAP!!

Answer 1

The Problem with Dimmesdale

By Mary Elizabeth Clare

It is easy to judge Reverend Dimmesdale, the cowardly, self-abusing, and oh-so-guilty minister in The Scarlet Letter. He values his position in society more than just about everything there is to value in life: relationships, sanity, peaceful reflection. At times in the novel, he also seems to prize his guilt, bearing it as if it were as gilded as Hester's letter. Dimmesdale is presented as weak, self-absorbed, and guilty. When he climbs the scaffold, following Hester's footprints to make his very feeble attempt to confess, readers see the consequences of this conflict clearly. Dimmesdale's hidden shame becomes, because of his own lack of strength, the ultimate punishment. Because of this, and the stifling restrictions of Puritan society, perhaps Dimmesdale deserves some pity.

Hester lives out her punishment publically and painfully on the scaffold and in her daily life. While Dimmesdale does not suffer this public shame, he is shamed nonetheless. Surely Dimmesdale's self-inflicted punishment is far worse than Hester's scarlet letter. Beating himself with the scourge, and carving his own A in his flesh are manifestations of his sense of guilt. Without an outlet, or a chance to ask forgiveness from the people he's wronged, surely this guilty feeling is amplified. While Hester can't escape the outward display of her shame, she does have quiet moments in which to escape her penance. Dimmesdale, however, can never escape his own inner torment. In the scene in the market place, Dimmesdale, forced to publicly coerce Hester, says "Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so than to hide a guilty heart through life." While guilty of letting Hester bear the public burden, he is fully aware of the consequences of hiding—and even hints at his own ending.

In addition, unlike Hester, Dimmesdale has no source of human comfort. Hester had the public shame, but she also had Pearl. He had no one to confide in, and no one like Pearl to distract him from his own morbid thoughts. Dimmesdale's only companion is Chillingsworth, who only increases his torment. Dimmesdale's isolation is made clear in his interactions with Chillingsworth: "Trusting no man as his friend, he could not recognize his enemy when the latter actually appeared." Hester receives a constant stream of admonitions and moral guidance, but the guidance and nudgings Dimmesdale receives from Chillingsworth are far more sinister and evil. Dimmesdale has to remain constantly on guard. Dimmesdale himself explains this: "Happy are you, Hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly upon your bosom! Mine burns in secret! Thou little knowest what a relief it is, after the torment of a seven years' cheat, to look into an eye that recognises me for what I am!" The lack of meaningful human connection surely adds to Dimmesdale's unhappy burden.

Hester was branded by the letter she wore, but that branding freed her from the constant fear of being found out. Dimmesdale feels not only the shame of his secret but the dread of its discovery. Hawthorne writes, "all the dread of public exposure, that had so long been the anguish of his life, had returned upon him," as Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold and tries, in vain, to do his public confession and penance. This is the moment readers feel the most disdain for Dimmesdale. He lacks the courage that Hester must summon daily. He is pitiful, weak, and pathetic on the scaffold with his meager cries and self-loathing. We hate him as much as he hates himself. Yet, this moment also should give us pause in our condemnation. The consequences of confession for Dimmesdale are dire. Death was not unknown as a punishment for these kinds of transgressions. The fact that Dimmesdale held his tongue for seven years would not have increased the community's willingness to forgive him either. While he fails to receive the forgiveness he so desires, his stance on the scaffold is an act of extreme bravery.

Puritans believed their main purpose in life was to do God's work. They made it their business to make sure every member of the community stayed busy doing this important work. And those who had a misstep were not treated lightly. Public lashings and stockade time were frequent events in the public square. There were even fines for infrequent church attendance. For Hester and Dimmesdale, this culture was everything to them. Their very presence in the new world bespoke a commitment to these rules of behavior made before embarking from England. While it is easy to admire Hester's courage and commitment to both Pearl and Dimmesdale, her strength should not diminish Dimmesdale in our eyes. He is weak—but he does not pretend otherwise. He is guilty—but he honors that guilt daily and does not deny it. He is miserable—and he dies with only scant moments of reprieve from that misery. It is easy to hate Dimmesdale, but it is important to remember he does not exploit Hester, nor does he profit from his transgression. Indeed, he pays with his life.

Read this line from the text:

Answer 2

He is weak—but he does not pretend otherwise. He is guilty—but he honors that guilt daily and does not deny it. He is miserable—and he dies with only scant moments of reprieve from that misery.

Answer 3

1.Which answer best explains the author's point in this text?

A.Dimmesdale sometimes forgets his suffering.

B. Dimmesdale has many faults that are difficult to overlook.

C.Dimmesdale may have redeeming qualities but is still guilty.

D.Dimmesdale never stops suffering for his crimes.

Answer 4

@amistre64 ?

Answer 5

which would you choose and why?

Answer 6

I would say its D, they talk about how although he is guilty and lacks the bravery that hester has, he lives with the suffering and guilt everyday and should be pitied! He constantly lives in fear of someone finding out, he is always on guard, something hester doesnt have to do.

Answer 7

but im not sure...

Answer 8

thats a better explanation than anything I could have drummed up. I cant verify its correctness, but I would be prone to agree.

Answer 9

can you help me with others?

Answer 10

Not really, english is not a strong suit for me. at least not class wise

Answer 11

do you know anyone that can? haha thanks for the medal :)

Answer 12

i have to take something called Monsters in Literature next semester to wrap up my bachelors degree. pretty sure ill get a B in it

Answer 13

None comes to mind

Answer 14

oh thanks anyways :) and good luck with that

Answer 15

thnx :) you too