What kind of sickness does Dimmesdale have?

Reverend Dimmesdale’s illness is psychosomatic, caused by his own shame and self-loathing and by keeping his actions a secret from his community. Over the course of his illness, Reverend Dimmesdale grows emaciated, his voice sounds melancholy, and he often places his hand over his heart.

Why did Dimmesdale get sick?

Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is in an extreme state of distress and unhappiness. This miserable state can be traced back to his shame from his romantic encounter with Ms. Hester Prynne. Dimmesdale eventually becomes physically and mentally sick from his shame and guilt.

How does Dimmesdale suffer in The Scarlet Letter?

His guilt was mentally torturing him and drove him to despair. The uncontrollable helpless feeling of despair brought Dimmesdale immense suffering to the point where he almost lost his mind. Dimmesdale, unlike Hester, had an undying guilt that would forever torture him until his death.

Why do you think Dimmesdale has bad health what is keeping him alive what is killing him?

Dimmesdale speaks these words in the novel’s final scene when he stands on the scaffold next to Hester and Pearl, and finally takes responsibility for his past action. He acknowledges that he has delayed owning his past sin, and implies he has left Hester to suffer alone.

Why does Dimmesdale grow weak and sick?

The doctor acts like a friend to the minister while trying to gain a confession from him. It is also ironic that as Hester grows strong due to her having to openly face her sin and wear the scarlet letter, Dimmesdale has grown weak and sickly from his hidden guilt.

What does the last line of the scarlet letter mean?

A motto carved on the headstone they share ensures that their punishment follows them even into death: “on a field, sable, the letter A, gules.” This motto is a verbal representation of the scarlet letter (“sable” means black and “gules” means reddish). Even after death, the legend of their love continues.

Why is Dimmesdale’s health declining?

The failing health that greatly affects Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is described to have begun around the same time that Hester’s ignonimity began. This, of course, is because the guilt and shame that ate away at his ego were causing his entire esteem to disappear. As a result, he is a weakened, almost broken man.

Is Dimmesdale a coward?

Even though Dimmesdale’s behavior is false and coward, he is a good man with courage and sense of responsibility in his personality that he finally redeems himself in his confession. However, instead of showing his hypocrisy, what Dimmesdale said reveals his ambivalent thoughts and struggle in his mind.

What sin did Dimmesdale commit?

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale falls in love with Hester Prynne and commits adultery.

In what did Chillingworth think the root of Dimmesdale’s illness lay?

Towards the end of chapter 10, Chillingsworth says the source of Dimmesdale’s illness is his soul, not his body.

What does Dimmesdale’s death symbolize?

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. Dimmesdale dies believing that his soul has been saved, but he does not get the chance to enjoy a life with Hester and Pearl.

What is the last sentence of the novel The Scarlet Letter?

A motto carved on the headstone they share ensures that their punishment follows them even into death: “on a field, sable, the letter A, gules.” This motto is a verbal representation of the scarlet letter (“sable” means black and “gules” means reddish). We could interpret this persistent A as a tragic final image.

What are some quotes from the Scarlet Letter?

The Scarlet Letter Quotes. Quote 12: “There was a fire in her [Pearl] and throughout her; she seemed the unpremeditated offshoot of a passionate moment.”. Chapter 7, pg. 93 Quote 13: “‘No, my little Pearl!’ said her mother. ‘Thou must gather thine own sunshine. I have none to give thee!'” Chapter 7, pg.

Does Hester die in the Scarlet Letter?

While Dimmesdale dies after his public confession and Chillingworth dies consumed by his own hatred and revenge, Hester lives on, quietly, and becomes something of a legend in the colony of Boston. The scarlet letter made her what she became, and, in the end, she grew stronger and more at peace through her suffering.

What does Hester Prynne do in the Scarlet Letter?

The Scarlet Letter A-. From the start of the story, Hester Prynne wears the scarlet letter upon her bosom. The scarlet letter “A” symbolizes Hester’s sin of committing adultery and later comes to represent her identity. Hawthorne uses fire, burning diction to describe the “A”.

What is the overall meaning of the Scarlet Letter?

Answer: A “scarlet letter” is a stigma someone bears for a misdeed he or she has committed. The term often refers to an ongoing, public shame forced upon a person as a means of ostracizing him or her. Those branded with a scarlet letter feel the punitive vengeance of an unforgiving society.