What is the punishment that Dimmesdale is suffering?
Dimmesdale does not confess that he has committed a sin with Hester, and for a brutal seven whole years, he withholds his guilt inside of him. Throughout all of that time, he reverts to self-punishment in the form of fasting, consecutive, sleepless vigils, and relentless studying of the Bible.
What does Dimmesdale do to himself?
Unable to unburden himself of the guilt deriving from his sin, he begins to believe that “the whole universe is false, . . . it shrinks to nothing within his grasp.” Dimmesdale begins to torture himself physically: he scourges himself with a whip, he fasts, and he holds extended vigils, during which he stays awake …
What did Dimmesdale confess?
She, as the sin, is stopping him from going peacefully, because he must go in truth and honesty because he is a well nurtured man. Dimmesdale confesses his sin in the only way that he knows to be true, in front of all the people he was dishonest to and through the influence of God.
How does Dimmesdale show guilt?
His guilt was mentally torturing him and drove him to despair. The uncontrollable helpless feeling of despair brought Dimmesdale immense suffering to the point where he almost lost his mind. Dimmesdale, unlike Hester, had an undying guilt that would forever torture him until his death.
What is keeping Dimmesdale alive?
Chillingworth is actually keeping dimmesdale alive as.
How does Dimmesdale react to Chillingworth?
The Scarlet Letter Feeling that he is in full possession of Dimmesdale’s secret, Chillingworth begins his unrelenting torture of the minister, subtly tormenting him with comments designed to trigger fear and agony. Dimmesdale does not realize Chillingworth’s motives, but he nonetheless comes to fear and abhor him.
What does Dimmesdale say to the community?
This is the third scene on the scaffold. Dimmesdale has gone from denial to secret confession to public confession. On the scaffold, Dimmesdale turns to Hester and says: “Is this not better than what we dreamed of in the forest?” He tells her God is merciful, and begs her to let him take responsibility for his shame.
Why did Chillingworth stop Dimmesdale?
Why does Chillingworth try to stop Dimmesdale’s confession? Dimmesdale’s acknowledgement of that sin has freed her and made her a full human being. The one place that Dimmesdale is safe from Chillingworth is. The scaffold, because that’s the one place that Chillingworth can’t use the secret against him.
What are the three scaffold scenes in Scarlet Letter?
The three scaffold scenes presented by the author in his novel The Scarlet Letter are interrelated and affect the overall perception of the literary work by the reader. The second scene is advancement over the first scene, and the third scene is the advancement over the second scene.