Dimmesdale cannot bear the hypocrisy of preaching to his congregation after committing such a serious sin, but he cannot reveal himself either, because Hester does not want him to. Forced to keep his sin a secret, his guilt eats him alive, making him ill. … Moments after his confession, he dies in Hester’s arms.
How did Mr Dimmesdale die?
Essays What Does the Ending Mean? At the end of the novel, Dimmesdale makes a speech and exposes his chest to the community gathered around the scaffold, then dies.
Dimmesdale is broken by his own sense of guilt, and he publicly confesses his adultery before dying in Hester’s arms. Only Hester can face the future bravely, as she prepares to begin a new life with her daughter, Pearl, in Europe.
Who killed Arthur Dimmesdale?
But both say physician Roger Chillingworth used poison to murder the Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale, the preacher who fathered a child by adulteress Hester Prynne. Chillingworth was Prynne’s husband.
‘I have no doubt that the Reverend Dimmesdale was surreptitiously poisoned by doses of atropine which Dr. Chillingworth extracted from plants mentioned in the book,” said Dr. … The novel, in brief, tells the tale of an adultress, Hester Prynne, her paramour, Dimmesdale, and her husband, Chillingworth.
How did Dimmesdale get the A on his chest?
Apparently, those who witnessed the minister’s death cannot agree upon what exactly it was that they saw. Most say they saw on his chest a scarlet letter exactly like Hester’s. To their minds, it resulted from Chillingworth’s poisonous magic, from the minister’s self-torture, or from his inner remorse.
What chapter did Dimmesdale die?
Chapter 24 concludes Hawthorne’s novel ”The Scarlet Letter”. This chapter serves as an epilogue, discussing what happens to Chillingworth, Pearl, and Hester Prynne after Dimmesdale dies.
Who is Pearl’s father scarlet letter?
The first clue that Reverend Dimmesdale is Pearl’s father is revealed in Chapter III, The Recognition, when Hester is asked to name the father of her illegitimate child, Pearl. When Hester refuses to name the man, Reverend Dimmesdale clutches his chest and murmurs, “Wondrous strength and generosity of a woman’s heart!
How does Dimmesdale deal with his guilt?
When Dimmesdale ‘walks passionately forward’ he knows that his love for Hester and little Pearl was once real, he has no regret in his sin. Dimmesdale understands and accepts the manner in which he sinned, and finally is ready to redeem his guilt.
How did Dimmesdale punish himself?
Dimmesdale begins to torture himself physically: he scourges himself with a whip, he fasts, and he holds extended vigils, during which he stays awake throughout the night meditating upon his sin.
Is Chillingworth guilty?
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter”, Chillingworth is guilty of Dimmesdale’s death. For one he tries to poison Dimmesdale with some medicine, he makes him suffer mentally, and he tortures him for it all and tries to make him feel guilty for all that he’s done.
Is Dimmesdale poisoned?
It wasn’t guilt that did him in, says Dr. Khan. It was atropine, a poison derived from plants mentioned throughout the book. If so, Nathaniel Hawthorne was a major mystery novelist.
What are Dimmesdale’s last words?
Dimmesdale’s very last words are “Praised be his name! His will be done! Farewell!” These words are significant because they were spoken after his confession, and then he died.
Do Dimmesdale and Hester love each other?
Hester realizes that she still loves Dimmesdale, and she courageously tells him this, even as she reveals her silence concerning Chillingworth. Hawthorne contrasts their love ” “which had a consecration of its own” ” and Chillingworth’s revenge and asks the reader which sin is worse.
How does the minister died in Scarlet Letter?
Dimmesdale, leaving the church after his sermon, sees Hester and Pearl standing before the town scaffold. He impulsively mounts the scaffold with his lover and his daughter, and confesses publicly, exposing a scarlet letter seared into the flesh of his chest. He falls dead, as Pearl kisses him.
Who was Hester Prynne’s lover?
Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale Dimmesdale is a young man who achieved fame in England as a theologian and then emigrated to America. In a moment of weakness, he and Hester became lovers.
What is Dimmesdale’s secret?
Locked away in Mr. Dimmesdale’s secret closet was a bloody whip. This Puritan had often whipped himself with it, laughing bitterly while he did, and then beating himself more brutally for his bitter laughter. He also fasted, as did other pious Puritans.
Why does Dimmesdale hold his heart?
What is Dimmesdale’s idosyncratic gesture? He puts his hand over his heart to “cover” up his guilt and pain for not admitting to the sin he committed. He’s trying to hold himself back from not exposing himself.
What did Dimmesdale tell the townspeople before he died?
What did Mr. Dimmesdale tell the people of New England before he died? He confessed that he was the one who had sinned with Hester, that Pearl was his child. You just studied 6 terms!
What spell was broken when Dimmesdale kisses?
This kiss goes on to release Dimmesdale of all the suffering he was in due to his guilty conscience. By finally bonding with Pearl and admitting his sins, Dimmesdale is released from them and breaks the curse that he has been dealing with.
Why does Dimmesdale finally announce his guilt?
Dimmesdale finally announces his guilt because he felt as though he was dying and that he needed to acknowledge his shame.
Is this not better than we dreamed of in the forest?
What does Hester answer when Dimmesdale says, “Is not this better… than what we dreamed of in the forest?” Hester answers that no, this is not better, because now they will all die. … Dimmesdale asks that Pearl come kiss him.
What is Dimmesdale’s problem?
Dimmesdale faces a problem that is both simple and paradoxical: the knowledge of his sin, his inability to disclose it to Puritan society, and his desire for confession.
How does Chillingworth figure out who Pearl’s father really is?
How does Chillingworth figure out who Pearl’s father really is? Chillingworth becomes Dimmesdale’s doctor & guess the secret.
Why does Pearl burst into a fit of passion?
Pearl “bursts into a fit of passion” when she stands across the brook from her mother because she sees that her mother is not bearing the scarlet letter. 17. Why does Pearl make Hester don the scarlet letter again, and why must Hester pick it up?
Why did Dimmesdale feel guilty?
“All the dread of public exposure, that had so long been the anguish of his life, had returned upon him.” This line reveals the fear that leads to Dimmesdale being unable to take responsibility for his actions, thus leading to his overwhelming guilt.