Nathaniel Hawthorne's dramatic novel The Scarlet Letter exposes the hypocrisy of a 17th-century Puritan society through the lives of two sinners, the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and Hester Prynne. Both committed a sin that ended up strengthening them. Although Dimmesdale hides his sin from the public eye for most of his life, he undergoes a significant metamorphosis. Hawthorne uses the three scaffolding scenes throughout the novel in order to manifest Dimmesdale's progression from a cowardly, self-preserving, religiously bound minister to a more outspoken and truly passionate father. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Unfortunately, Dimmesdale's positive change from feelings of weakness and cowardice comes late; thus, he is unable to escape his escalating guilt and prevent his ultimate death. Hawthorne manifests these characteristics of fragility through his descriptions of Dimmesdale during the first scaffolding scene: "...fit to be tremulous, expressing at once a nervous sensitivity and a vast power of restraint" (59). By describing Dimmesdale as a man lacking courage, Hawthorne introduces the disadvantage that Dimmesdale will later face: his inner struggle against hidden sin. His "restraint" comes from the idea of ​​Dimmesdale's concern to maintain his high position in society and, because of this fear, he holds back from confessing. If Dimmesdale had publicly revealed his sin at this point in the novel, it might have avoided a lot of suffering on his part. Additionally, Hawthorne magnifies irony, cowardice, and hypocrisy through Dimmesdale's interrogation of Hester: "...even if he were to come down from a high place and stand there beside you on your pedestal of shame, would it be better if it were this way? hiding a guilty heart throughout life” (59). Ironically, Dimmesdale is the father, so his statements receive different interpretations from Hester, who understands Dimmesdale's true plea, and the hypocritical onlookers, who see him as a morally instructive minister. Additionally, this statement by Dimmesdale also shows how he is indirectly trying to expose his sin. Because he is too afraid to reveal his sin himself, Dimmesdale can be seen as a weak and impartial father. If he truly cared about Hester and her daughter Pearl, then he would have the courage to display his sin outwardly instead of making Hester bear double the burden of their sin. Furthermore, Dimmesdale is a hypocrite because he tells Hester that it is better to discover the sinner than to withhold crucial advice regarding guilt that he himself cannot understand. However, because Dimmesdale is too weak, cowardly, and religiously obligated at this point in the novel, he is unable to implement his own beliefs. However, as change begins in Dimmesdale, he begins to see Pearl and Hester in the eyes of a doting father rather than in the eyes of a religious minister. Between the first two scaffolding scenes, Dimmesdale becomes significantly weakened both physically and spiritually, as his hidden sin breeds increasing guilt as time passes. Dimmesdale will continue to increase this tension since it lacks any viable outlet except Chillingworth. However, Dimmesdale surprisingly builds up his courage during the second scaffold scene when he flees to the scaffold in the middle of the night due to his overwhelming guilt. Even so, he does it at night, which shows that he has not completely changed because it is not a true manifestation »..