What happens when Dimmesdale confesses his sin?

What happens when Dimmesdale confesses his sin?

He declares that God has led him there. The crowd stares. Dimmesdale leans on Hester for support and begins his confession, calling himself “the one sinner of the world.” After he concludes, he stands upright without Hester’s help and tells everyone to see that he, like Hester, has a red stigma.

What are the consequences of sin in The Scarlet Letter?

Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne shows the moral consequences of sin are being in outcast in society and punishing oneself. Hawthorne tells the reader the only ways for one to be redeemed is to help others or owning up to their own mistakes.

How does Dimmesdale punish himself for his sins?

As a result, his self-probing keeps him up at night, and he even sees visions. Dimmesdale begins to torture himself physically: he scourges himself with a whip, he fasts, and he holds extended vigils, during which he stays awake throughout the night meditating upon his sin.

What does Dimmesdale Cannot recognize?

“Trusting no man as his friend, he could not recognize his enemy when the latter actually appeared.” He can not recognize him as his enemy because, he believes that you can trust no one. So, he believes that the physician is an enemy rather than a healer. What does the physician say about the weeds?

What makes Dimmesdale decide to confess?

It can be said that Dimmesdale confessed in public because there was no other recourse for him. His body had become so physically weakened by the private “letter” that he wore and the shame that had built up in him.

How does Dimmesdale’s rationale for the confessing a hidden sin support he doctrine of salvation by works rather than salvation by faith?

How does Dimmsdale’s rationale for the confessing a hidden sin support he doctrine of salvation by works rather than salvation by faith? Dimmesdale feels that by not confessing his sins and by continuing to do his work, he will earn his salvation. If he confesses, he will not be able to be a preacher.

What makes Dimmesdale a good minister?

Dimmesdale is a good minister because he can speak the “Tongue of Flame” and he speaks words that the townspeople relate to and understand. Dimmesdale has a bloody whip that he keeps in his closet under lock and key, and he whips himself with it. Also, he fasts to the point of self-exertion.

What is the scarlet letter saying about the connection between body and soul?

Her body may be free of the mark of sin (aside from her clothing) but her mind and soul are forever chained to its consequences.

How does Dimmesdale feel about confession?

Dimmesdale says to Chillingworth that “[T]he hearts holding such miserable secrets as you speak of will yield them up, at that last day, not with reluctance, but with a joy unutterable.” What he means by this is that each individual sinner must confess his or her sins before God on the Day of Judgment.