ar the scarlet letter openly upon your bosom!” (188). Dimmesdale wishes he could stir up enough courage within him to confess, so he can face the proper punishment. For seven years, Dimmesdale withers in his own cowardice while wearing a mask of purity. By being the highly acclaimed preacher of his community, Dimmesdale feels it is his duty to represent the model of a good citizen. His high position only invests higher quantities of dread and fear within, digging Dimmesdale farther into a hole of shame and failure. Dimmesdale inflicts torment on himself, including long periods of fasting. In addition to hours of staring at himself in the mirror, he could also be caught numerous times in his closet, whipping himself and burning the letter “A” on his chest, or at the scaffold in the wee hours of the morning, practicing how he is going to confess the next day. Dimmesdale is deluding himself by pretending that his private punishment is adequate. Similarly, there are also some things that go on that are out of Dimmesdale's control. For example, bizarre thoughts and hallucinations take over him. His outward appearance also reflects this. “His cheek was paler and thinner, and his voice more tremulous than before-when it had now become a constant habit…to press his hand over his heart”(118). “He thus typified the constant introspection wherewith he tortured, but could not purify, himself”(141). Proving, once again, that no good came out of his self-inflicted punishment. Even though he was privately repentant at home, his ministerial duties were carried out, attempting to keep his personal life out of the church. Dimmesdale desperately tries to punish himself to beg the forgiveness of God, but will not be able to get God’s forgiveness until he is brave and admits his sin. The minister’s meager attempt to admit his part of the sin seven years after it has occurred is yet another rep...
