How does dimmesdale seek penitence

He was also not judgmental. What effect does public veneration have upon the Reverend Dimmesdale? He feels guilty that people look up to him so much considering what he did. How does Dimmesdale seek penitence?

He hurts himself, physically and mentally. It was almost exciting for Dimmesdale to almost be caught and known for what he did. Then Hester and Pearl showed up and also stood on the scaffold with him, and Chillingworth saw. What meanings are given to the apparition in the sky? What effect does the midnight vigil have on Hester? He believes that Chillingworth is the worst sinner of them all because he "violated, in cold blood, the sanctity of the human heart," unlike he and she, who "never did so.

Dimmesdale fears Chillingworth's course now that he, no doubt, knows "her purpose to reveal his true character," and he asks Hester to give him courage. Hester's plan is for Dimmesdale to go deeper into the wilderness and live in natural freedom away from the eyes of Puritan society or to return to Europe, where he will be free of "these iron men and their opinions.

While he falters, Hester encourages him, claiming that he can lead a powerful life for good and still fulfill his mission on earth. When the minister says he cannot do this alone, she tells him she will go with him. This chapter is pivotal in many respects: It advances the plot and characters by revealing Hester and Dimmesdale's feelings of the past seven years and the reawakening of their dormant love.

Also in this chapter, Hawthorne reveals his philosophy on punishment and forgiveness: that deliberate, calculated acts of malice are far worse than sins of passion. In this way, Chillingworth is the worst of the three sinners. Finally, the author provides hope that his characters will find an escape, a way out of their earthly torment. He explores the conflict between natural law and Puritan law in their escape plans.

During the past seven years Dimmesdale has been continually tormented by the dichotomy between what he is and what people believe him to be. His parishioners are "hungry for the truth" and listen to his words as if "a tongue of Pentecost were speaking!

He bears his shame alone. Hawthorne contrasts this with Hester's visible sign of her guilt, confession, and hope for redemption. While Hester tries to console the minister and persuade him that he has repented and left his sin behind, Dimmesdale knows that he can go no place without carrying his hidden guilt along. Hester realizes that she still loves Dimmesdale, and she courageously tells him this, even as she reveals her silence concerning Chillingworth.

It shows that no one is exempt from any type of crime in that town. Characters in this novel go through their lives struggling with trying to cope with the guilt and shame associated with actions that lost them their honorable reputation. Particularly, Hawthorne shows the lasting effect that sin and guilt has on two of the main characters in the book: Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale.

Hester Prynne's guilt is the result. Sometimes, guilt can cause a person to suffer so terribly that they end up doing things that they usually would not do. Guilt has an enormous effect on a person, and could change their life forever.

Committing a sin causes the feeling of guilt inside a person. The person usually feels as if they deserve to be punished for what they did.

The punishment for guilt could be shown either privately or publicly. Nathaniel Hawthorne. This element encompasses alienation, exclusion, and isolation, which can be found in the primary characters of Hester, Pearl, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth. These people are ostracized because they have "deviate[d] from others' expectations Williams 3. Home Page Research Mr. Guilt, shame, and penitence are just a few of the emotions that are often associated with a great act of sin.

Arthur Dimmesdale, a highly respected minister of a 17th century Puritan community, is true example of this as he was somehow affected by all of these emotions after committing adultery.