Who is the guiltiest in the scarlet letter

Arthur Dimmesdale, on the other hand, is just as guilty of adultery as Hester, but he allows his guilt to remain a secret. Instead of telling the people of his vile sin, the Reverend allows it to eat away at his rotting soul. The shame of what he has done slowly kills him. The last sinner in this guilty trio is Rodger Chillingworth. Chillingworth inflicts daily, mental tortures upon Arthur Dimmesdale for seven long years, and he enjoys it. Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth are all connected by their sins and shame, but what they do in regards to those sins is what sets them apart from each other.

When Hester Prynne becomes pregnant without her husband, she is severely punished by having to endure public humiliation and shame for her adulterous actions. She lives as an outcast. At first, Hester displays a defiant attitude by boldly march from prison towards the pillory.

However, as time goes on , the public humiliation of her sin weighs heavily upon her soul. The scarlet letter reminds Hester daily of her guilt, and so does her illegitimate child Pearl. Pearl is fiery, wild, and passionate, just like the sin that caused Hester so much shame.

On the contrary, she shows her child off to the world. Hester fashions gorgeous, scarlet-colored dresses so that Pearl herself seems to be a living scarlet letter. How about to the other characters—to Chillingworth, Dimmesdale, and Pearl?

According to The Scarlet Letter , does redemption require confession? To whom? Cite This Page. Logging out…. Logging out This student essay consists of approximately 3 pages of analysis of Guiltiest Character in the Scarlet Lettter.

Print Word PDF. This section contains words approx. Demonstrates that the character of Dimmesdale, the minister is ,ironically, the biggest sinner in the novel although it is Hester Prynne who is forced to wear the letter A. They all committed greet sins but the answer is quite apparent to who the guiltiet one is. What does Dimmesdale believe he sees when the meteor lights up the night sky? How does Pearl react when she first sees her mother without the scarlet A?

What makes Hester and Reverend Dimmesdale finally feel hope about their future? Why does Hester choose the forest to meet Dimmesdale and Chillingworth? What does the last sentence of the novel mean? Society Empathy.