Scarlet Letter Description Essay Example For Students

Scarlet Letter Description Essay The Scarlet Letter involves many characters that go through several changesduring the course of the story. In particular, the young minister Dimmesdale,who commits adultery with Hester, greatly changes. He is the moral blossom ofthe book, the character that makes the most progress for the better. It is truethat Dimmesdale, being a minister, should be the role model of the townspeople. He is the last person who should commit such an awful crime and lie about it,but in the end, he confesses to the town. Besides, everybody, includingministers, sin, and the fact that he confesses illustrates his courage andmorality. Hester and Dimmesdales affair goes undiscovered until Hester ispregnant and bears a child without having her husband present. As herpunishment, Hester is forced to stand on the scaffold in the middle of themarket place, with an A on her chest. Dimmesdale has not told a single personthat he is the adulterer. He sits in the balcony with the Governor, a judge, ageneral, and the rest of the ministers, watching the display, without anyexpression or emotion. Hester and Pearl go to the Governors home to deliver apair of gloves, but more importantly to inquire about the possibility of thegovernment taking away her child. Also there with Governor Bellingham are PastorWilson, Reverend Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth. After Mr. Wilson asks Pearla few questions, th e Governor decides that Hester is unfit as a mother and thatthe child would be better off in the hands of the church. Hester begs Dimmesdale,whom she says knows everything about her and has charge of her soul, to speakfor her. Therefore, he does, convincing the Governor to let Hester keep Pearl. This is Dimmesdales first step to becoming the moral blossom. Late at night,a few years after the previous incident, Dimmesdale takes a walk through thetown. He climbs onto the scaffold and pretends to confess; though there is noone out at this time at night. Hester and Pearl, on their way home, passDimmesdale on the scaffold. Dimmesdale calls out to them and they join him,standing hand in hand in the darkness. Dimmesdale has begun the road toconfession by acknowledging Hester and Pearl and by acting out confession. Nowhe feels guiltier than ever. He tortures himself, partly because ofChillingworths actions, by whipping himself and self-inflicting the letter Aon his chest. As a result, Dimmesdale preaches the best sermons of his life andbecomes more involved with the church and its people. His morality hasstrengthened even more because he has a large amount of guilt that can be heardin his voice as pathos and the people connect with it, and he wants salvation. Near the end of the book, Dimmesdale and Hester finally meet in the woods totalk. They decide to flee the town by a ship that is leaving in a few days. After making this choice, Dimmesdale is haunted by bad feelings and strangeurges that make him realize that it is Satan urging him to deny his sin byrunning away. Therefore, Dimmesdale changes his mind and chooses to stay. Afterhis change of heart, Dimmesdale re-writes the Election Day sermon that he is topreach. He successfully gives the sermon and afterwards climbs up onto thescaffold. He then asks Hester and Pearl to join him. Pearl is excited becauseshe has waiting for this moment for a long time. Hester is hesitant, but doesjoin him. Standing hand in hand once again, Dimmesdale confesses to the townthat he is the adulterer, he shows the A on his chest, and he forgivesChillingworth for torturing him. Then, Dimmesdale drops on his knees and diesright there on the scaffold, right in front of everyone. Dimmesdale is a lotlike many people today. We are afraid to admit to wrong doings and we allow theguilt to torment us until we cannot bear it any longer. Dimmesdale is theperfect exam ple of how evil we can become when we let our guilt overcome us, buthe is the moral blossom of the novel because he realizes what he is doing, he isashamed of it, and he confesses and forgives to rid himself of his tormentors.