n never be redeemed. He feels that he will never be seen the same in the eyes of God, and that no amount ofpenitence can ever return him to Gods good graces. He shows this pessimism to Hesterby scolding her when she tells him that his good deeds will count for something,Dimmesdale exclaims, There is no substance in it! It is cold and dead and can donothing for me! (202). This also shows that Dimmesdale believes his sin has taken themeaning out of his life. His lifes work has been dedicated to God, and now his sin hastainted all of this hard work. He feels that he is a fraud and is not fit to lead the people ofthe town to salvation. The feeling is so oppressive that when he gets the chance to leavehis life and escape with Hester and Pearl to England he almost forgets himself. He walksthrough town with twice as much energy as normal, and he barely stops himself fromswearing to a member of the congregation. When an old lady approaches him he can notremember any scriptures whatsoever to tell her, and the urge to use his power ofpersuasion over a young maiden is so strong that he covers his face with his cloak andruns off (230). The largest cause of Dimmesdales breakdown is the fact that he keepshis sin a secret. As Gods servant, it is his nature to tell the truth, so the years ofpretending are especially hard on him. His secret guilt is such a burden that instead ofgoing with Hester to England and perhaps having a chance to live a normal life, hechooses to confess his sin and die on the scaffold. Ultimately, Chillingworth responds tohis wifes betrayal by sacrificing everything in order to seek revenge on her secret lover. He used to be a scholar who dedicated his best years, to feed the hungry dream ofknowledge, but his new quest becomes finding and punishing the man who seduced hiswife. He soon becomes obsessed with his new mission in life, and when he targetedReverend Dimmesdale as the possible parent, he dedicates all of his...
