How Is Dimmesdale Portrayed In The Scarlet Letter

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In the previous chapter Eleven; The Interior of a Heart, Dimmesdale would whip himself for the sin he had committed; adultery. The guilt has been eating him away from what Hester has to go through every single day with the Scarlet Letter. Also, Chillingworth finds out that Dimmesdale is the real father of Pearl and has any intention to use it at his will. Dimmesdale becomes famous for his speeches to the townspeople and countless times tries to tell the townspeople of his act of adultery with Hester but it results in them believing he is only being understated. Dimmesdale also leaves his house at the end of Chapter eleven after whipping himself and starving himself from the guilt, resulting in hallucinations of his parents, dead friends, and a group of shining angels. In the text, page 153 Hawthorne, Dimmesdale shrieks from the scaffold trying to withhold from doing so due to the punishment that had happened seven years ago; when Hester committed adultery and…show more content…
In the quote, Pearl is described as a “bird’ which personifies Pearl’s vivacious personality. Also, leaving patterns on the sea conveys a certain reminiscent of Pearl’s courteous manner. Commentary/Analysis In the first paragraphs of Chapter sixteen, Hawthorne portrays Hester and Pearl entering the forest seeking Dimmesdale, he was on his way to the Apostle Eliot; John Eliot. On the previous chapter, fifteen, Hawthorne reveals that the light established purity and goodness and the dark is full of sin and evil. Hawthorne implies a benevolent tone when describing the “gleam of flickering sunshine” among the path in the forest. The gleamy sunshine describes extreme virtue and righteousness against those of sin from the dark. Using the word “play” also reveals a sense of joy throughout the path.
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