The Distinguishing between Hester and Dimmesdale in Nathaniel :: essays research papers

Both Hester and Dimmesdale, are characters in the Scarlet earn. They suffer with the immorality of the sin of adultery that they committed. At the time, the Puritans looked down on this type of sin. Hester and Dimmesdale earth-closet be compared and contrast in the personal manner they handled their scarlet letter, their cowardliness, and their belief of what the time to come is. Hester and Dimmesdale two bear out a scarlet letter but the way they handle it is different. Hesters scarlet letter is a piece of clothing, the cerise LETTER, so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom (Hawthorn 51). Dimmesdale on the other hand, has a scarlet letter carved in his chest. This is revealed when Dimmesdale was giving his revelation, in which he tore away the ministerial band from before his breast. It was revealed (Hawthorn 232). Since the Scarlet Letter on Hester is visible to the public, she was criticized and looked down on. This women has brought same upon us all, and ought to die (Hawthorn 49) is tell by a female in the market place talk of the town rough Hester. She becomes a stronger person through living this hard life. Dimmesdale rather has to live a life of cowardly and selfish meanness, that added tenfold lower and ignominy to his original crime (Loring 185). He becomes weaker and weaker by time, neither evolution wiser nor stronger, but, day after day, paler and paler, more and more abject (Loring 186). Their fearlessness is to a fault weak. The courage that those two share is quite similar, in that they have none. They both are afraid of the public and what the public would think of them. Hester refuses to tell anyone about her real husband, Chillingworth, who is still alive, or about her lover, Dimmesdale. Hester and Dimmesdale also try to become the cowardly way out when she has a chance to go to abjure Boston and go to Europe, Her advising them to flee Boston was irresponsible (Granger 7). Hester after talking about leavin g, and while in the forest with Dimmesdale and Pearl, presents the scarlet letter off. She was plan to never wear the scarlet letter again, especially after saying, The mid-ocean shall take it from my hand, and swallow it up forever (Hawthorne 193). This shows that she did not have enough courage to bear the scarlet letter in Europe. Pearl still makes her bear the letter by saying, Come thou and take it up (Hawthorne 193).