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Chapter 11: The Interior of a Heart

Page history last edited by Lauren 15 years, 2 months ago

Chapter 11: The Interior of a Heart

Go back to Chapter 10                                                                      Go to Chapter 12

 

In this chapter we learn that everybody really loves Dimmesdale even when he told them he was the worst of sinners.  We also learn that he whips himself to try to purify his body.  We find out more about his hidden secret that causes him to feel such guilt and pain when he sees Hester and Pearl in his thoughts with Pearl pointing to the scarlet letter and then to his breast.

In this chapter Chillingworth still messes with Dimmesdale to try and get him to reveal his sin.  Not only is Chillingworth punishing Dimmesdale but Dimmesdale is punishing himself.  He tortures himself physically and emotionally in order to feel less guilt about the sin.  Dimmesdale does discuss sins through his own sermons but he can't bring himself to confess his most important sin.

  • Important symbols: pg. 134 “And pointing her forefinger, first at the scarlet letter on her bosom, and then at the clergyman’s own breast.”

- This statement is one of Dimmesdale’s visions where he is confessing about his sin.  Pearl is first pointing at Hester’s scarlet letter and then she turns to Dimmesdale himself.

 

 

Dimmesdale was a man of inner turmoil ready to burst with anticipation.  Chillingsworth just before found the A which Dimmesdale has put upon himself so not the relationship between the 2 jumps to a whoel new level.  Roger C has found his man.  Now to Dimmesdale; he is a man loved by all.  His words were beloved and worshipped, like he had the "gift" which was given to the chosen disciples.  Everyone preceived him as all good but he touhgt of himself as horrible.  HE longed to tell that he was a pollution and a lie but he just never could.  He gave hints, but every time the poeple sucked it up and loved him even greater.  SO he starts to whip himself to try and rid himself of sin and onne time after a whippeing so harse he hallucinates seeing his mother and father who turn away from him.  THen he sees Hester and Pearl, his cheater and daughter.  Pearl then points at Hesters bosum and then to Dimmes bosum.   

 

Throughout this chapter, Dimmesdale sees himself as the worst and most evil man alive.  However, everyone else sees him as nothing but good and beautiful.  Some parishoners wanted to be buried next to him when they died because of how much they idealized Dimmesdale.  The guilt inside of him is getting so bad that he is beginning to get dillusional and has a dream or a hallucination.

 

Roger Chillingworth and Reverend Dimmesdale become very close friends and move in with eachother. They become eachother's soul confidant. Dimmesdale had put an A on himself and Chillingworth will soon find out. Chillingworth has an inner "devil" that is waiting to explode. All of his anger and curiosity has been building up for so long that once he finds anything out that will tell him who the guy is, that guy is his. Throughout this chapter a series of events happen which leads Dimmesdale to whipping himself and become dillusional. He then sees Hester the one he cheated with and Pearl, his daughter. Dimmesdale sees himself as a bad person because of his secrets and he doesn't want to die with these secrets because he is afraid everyone will know when he is dead because no grass will grow over his tomb. The chapter ends with Dimmesdale walking out his front door in the middle of the night.

 

Dimmesdale sees himself as bad and a sinner, so he tries to hint at his sins and secrets through his sermons, but no one seems to realize it and people only seem to think of him as a greater, more insightful, more god-like person. This is what is making him sick. It is himself, with his burden of guilt; and by whipping himself to be delusional he is only making his condition worse.  

 

Dimmesdale refers to himself as "a viler companion of the vilest, the worst of sinners, an abomination, and thing of unimaginable iniquity."  This obviously shows that him not telling his secret is starting to crumble and destroy him on the inside.  In chapter 12 it also points out how the scafold is symbol; the ironic contrast between Hester's public torment and his inner anguish.  Dimmesdale tries to tell him congregation of this wrong-doings but instead of the people criticizing him, they humble him and make him feel more holy.  This makes Dimmesdale feel more guilty and hyopcritical.

 

After realizing what Dimmesdale's secret was, Chillingworth makes it his priority to become Dimmesdale's sole confidant. 

Dimmesdale tried to give hints during his sermons that he wasn't all he was made out to be, he was a bad person but people didn't catch on and the fact that he talked about the bad sides of people made people believe him and confide in him even more.

 

It is now obvious that Dimmesdale is the father of Pearl and that he has a massive amout of guilt for his sins.  Dimmesdale in a half dream half reality state goes to the scaffold, where Hester stood during punishment, in the middle of the night after whipping himself.  Hester and Pearl show up and join Dimmesdale on the scaffold and when they hold hands an "electric chain" is formed.  During all of this Chillingsworth is watching Dimmesdale and completely realizes who to make suffer now. 

     This chapter displays Dimmesdale's fight within himself.  He questions wether anything except for grass will even grow on his grave because he has sinned so badly he doesn't feel he's worthy. He refers to himself many times as a hypocrite. He even beats himself with a whip and fasts to a point that he is hulicinating. At the end of the chapter Pearl and Hester are walking outside of the governors house and Pearl points to her mothers "A" and then to Dimmesdale's breast.

 

In this chapter Arthur Dimmesdale is in a delusional state of mind. He is having messed up visions (possibly related to the drugs that Chillingsworth has been administering to him).  We find out just how much the guilt of what Dimmesdale has done has been tearing him up inside. The community wants to be barried to him when they die because they all think that Dimmesdale is such a truthful and great person, that even when he dies, all his good virtues will seep through to them.  But his belief is that even when he'll die, everbody will know because others will have green grass growing over them and Dimmesdale will have just dirt over his.  He tries to subtly suggest his guilt during his sermons and even physically punishes himself with a whip. 

 

"so Mr. Dimmesdale, conscious that the poison of one morbid spot was infecting his heart's entire substance, attributed all his presentiments to no other cause. He took himself to task for his bad sympathies in reference to  Roger Chillingworth, disregarded this lesson that he should have drawn from them, and did his best to root them out. Unable to accomplish this, he nevertheless, as a matter of principle, continuted his habits of social familiarity with the old man, and thus gave him constant opportunities for perfectig the purpose to which--..the avenger had devoted himself". we start to see that Chillingworth wants Dimmesdale to have only him as his "confidant". We realize here the Dimmesdale is a changed man, "had he once found power to smile..there would have been no such man!" Dimmesdale is slowly deteriorating, thanks to Chillingworth. He is getting sicker and hallucinating. This sets up Dimmesdale's "craziness" for chapter 12

 

Now that Chillingsworth knows the truth, he tries even harder to get Dimmesdale to admit to his sin.  He uses his knowledge against Dimmesdale, who soons sees the evil in Chillingsworth, but blames it on himself.  Through his sins, Dimmesdale still become very popular within his congregation as they relate to him now more than ever.  This gives Dimmesdale very mixed feelings, as he feels he does not deserve this.  Dimmesdale begins to punish himself, mentally and physically because of his inability to be honest.

 

Dimmesdale's congregation thinks very highly of him and want to be buried near him after death so they will alwayys recieve his goodness. Dimmesdale himself doubts "whether grass will ever grow on it...". It being the ground above where he would be buried. As penance for some sin, Dimmesdale whips himself.

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