The character of Dimmesdale in The Scarlet LetterIn Hawthorne's classic, The Scarlet Letter, the pathetic Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is fully aware of the means by which he must free his soul from his grave sin. Yet throughout the story, his confession remains an obstacle, henceforth compelling him to a life of atonement. Reverend Dimmesdale attempts to rid himself of his guilt by revealing it to his parishioners during services, but never succeeds in accomplishing his task. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is clearly both a coward and a hypocrite. Essentially, Dimmesdale's story is that of a lonely man who gave in to temptation and desire. His carnal desire is viewed with ignominy. The matter is further complicated by Hester's marriage and his reluctance to spoil his reputation among the villagers as a faithful and innocent priest. He now finds himself stuck at a crossroads, unsure whether to confess or lead a life of self-punishment. Sin begins to eat away at his reason. As penance, he participates in night vigils, starvation and self-mutilation. His acts of penance were severe and drained him of much of his life force. Finally, tired of his prolonged misery, he staggered to the podium to expose his secret, but his confession was ambiguous and inconclusive, and people thought he was speaking of the sins of humanity. Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale has many opportunities to confess. One of the very first moments Dimmesdale had the opportunity to confess was on the scaffold at the beginning, when Hester was publicly humiliated in front of the townspeople. Dimmesdale had been preaching to him for hours... middle of paper... can be corrected. Some sins are eternal and there are no shortcuts to salvation. Sometimes the weight of sins must penetrate the soul for eternity. Works cited and consulted: Baym, Nina. Introduction. The scarlet letter. By Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. 1986. Clendenning, John. “Nathaniel Hawthorne.” The World Book Encyclopedia. 2000 ed. Griswold, Rufus Wilmot. “The Scarlet Letter.” The Library of Literary Criticism of English and American Authors. Ed. Charles Wells Moulton. Gloucester, Mass.: Peter Smith Publishing, 1959. 341-371. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The scarlet letter. New York: Penguin Books USA Inc., 1986. Smiles, Samuel. “The Scarlet Letter.” The critical temperament. Ed. Martin Tucker. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Company, 1962. 266.