The Scarlet Letter 9

"A strange, sad man is he, with his hand always over his heart"(205).

Pearl constantly wonders why Dimmesdale is unable to recognize herself and Hester in broad daylight in public. She continuously asks Dimmesdale, as well as Hester, when the day will come where he recognizes Hester and Pearl in public and holds hands with them in front of the people, and the answer is very simple. That day will simply never come until he walks the streets joined together with Hester and Pearl. No matter how far they go or how much they hide, Dimmesdale will never be able to be the person that Pearl so desperately desires him to be. He will never be a father and will be forever tortured, and absolved with his sin until he mounts the scaffold. Although this is quite obvious, one must understand that sinning is sinning, and until you can confront that sin and let go of that sin, it will forever eat away at your soul until there is nothing less to consume. Furthermore, Pearl secretly desires a father figure and Dimmesdale to evolve into that figure, and to her, in order for Dimmesdale to do that he must confess.

"No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself, and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true"(194).

This is a very bold statement made by Hawthorne and a very agreeable one. In relation to Dimmesdale's constant changing, Hawthorne describes how one can develop so many different faces and titles, and become too involved in those titles and faces to the point where they get so caught up in everything they have created, that they lose themselves. This can be seen in some actors and actresses who get so caught up in their character and playing the role, that sometimes they have trouble distinguishing reality from the movies and adopt their characters personality, and use it in real life. This whole chapter is reflected by the title "The Minister in a Maze," which alludes to Dimmesdale's inability to stick with one of the many personalities he has developed throughout the novel.