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.
What is Dimmesdale 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 happens to Dimmesdale at the end?
At the end of the novel,
Dimmesdale makes a speech and exposes his chest to the community gathered around the scaffold, then dies
. … Dimmesdale believes that by finally confessing his secret, he has saved his soul: “Had either of these agonies been wanting, I had been lost for ever!” He dies at peace.
What does Dimmesdale say to the community?
Dimmesdale finishes his Election Day sermon, which focuses on the relationship between God and the communities of mankind, “
with a special reference to the New England which they [are] here planting in the wilderness
.” Dimmesdale has proclaimed that the people of New England will be chosen by God, and the crowd is …
What 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.
Why does Chillingworth hate Dimmesdale?
Chillingworth hates Dimmesdale.
Yet his thirst for revenge means that he can never be free of Dimmesdale
. So bound up is he in Dimmesdale, that he eventually moves in with him, in the guise of caring for him as the kindly physician. … When we seek revenge, we become the reflection of that which we hate.
Did Dimmesdale have an A on his chest?
He discovers that Dimmesdale, out of the guilt and sadness he feels from what occurs with Hester,
has carved a letter “A” on his chest
. This act of self-mutilation is essentially his own way to “share” the pain of Hester's humiliation.
What kills 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.
What is Chillingworth's most serious sin?
Roger Chillingworth's most horrible sin is this:
In seeking revenge
, he sets out to deliberately and methodically destroy another human being, Arthur Dimmesdale .
Why does Dimmesdale confess?
Dimmesdale knew that in order to redeem, he would need to part with the person he ‘violated reverence' with, his guilt could not continue with Hester because he would be corrupt. The manhood he embodied was that of a innocent soul, and confessing his sin for God proved him to
be an honest man
.
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.
What does pearl call Chillingworth?
The Puritans often referred to the Devil as
the Black Man
, referring figuratively to the darkness of sin and evilness of deeds. Thus, when Pearl calls Chillingworth by this appellation, she seems to be identifying his sinfulness and wickedness.
What are 3 ways Dimmesdale deals with his guilt?
To relieve his guilt, Dimmesdale punishes himself in several ways.
He goes without food and sleep for long periods of time
, and he also whips himself on his back, causing cuts and bleeding. These attempts to atone for his sins do not work.
Why didn't Dimmesdale reveal his sin?
Arthur Dimmesdale did not confess his sins for all the wrong reasons. He didn't confess for mostly two reasons those being:
his belief that man did not judge other men but only God can do that
or that he will better serve his people with a sinful heart and not a sinful appearance.
How does Chillingworth get revenge on Dimmesdale?
In addition to provoking Dimmesdale to contemplate leaving Boston with Hester, Chillingworth
exacerbates Dimmesdale's illness by mentally torturing him
, which eventually results in his death.
Does Chillingworth want revenge on Hester?
Chillingworth seeks no vengeance
and plots no evil against Hester because he knows she will have to live with her sin in a very public way, and this is more than enough revenge for him.
