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Essay on Arthur Dimmesdale
Arthur Dimmesdale in this novel ‘The Scarlet Letter’ is an eminent minister in Boston and also the father of Pearl. He is a tortured man who constantly places his hand over his hearth when agitated. His health is quite bad, and it is thanks to Roger Chillingworth's potions that he is able to stay alive. Dimmesdale admits to being Pearl's father at the very end of the novel, and reveals that he has a scarlet letter branded into his flesh this is a symbolic moment, there is no proof that he actually has a scarlet letter branded onto his flesh. He dies upon the scaffold while holding Hester's hand.
Now another character in this book is ‘Black Man’ a name for the devil. The legend speaks of a Black Man who inhabits the woods and gets people to write their names in his book, using their own blood as ink. Then there is ‘General Miller’ the Oldest Inhabitant of the Customs House. He has the independent position of Collector, which allows him to avoid political shuffling of positions. As such, he also protects the other men from being fired, and is the reason why many of the employees are old. ‘Governor Bellingham’ the former governor and the man who wants to take Pearl away from Hester. He decides to allow Pearl to stay with her mother after Hester forces Dimmesdale to plead on her behalf.
‘Hester Prynne’ is the main character of The Scarlet Letter. Hester is the mother of Pearl, and is the woman who must wear the scarlet letter. She is the wife of Roger Chillingworth, but Arthur Dimmesdale is Pearl's father. Hester suffers the public humiliation of having to wear the “letter ‘A’ on her chest” (Hawthorne, 1998). She lives in Boston until her death......
