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Judy Lin
Mrs. Martin
Honors Classics in Literature
2 December 2011
Adamant Digby
A man’s belief in something that is strong is, indeed, wonderful, but when it comes to a
point where he refuses to accept that he is too stern in his belief that it might cause his downfall,
it is not such a good thing anymore. Many characters’ downfall is due to the fact that they see
themselves as purely right and does not accept other people’s thoughts and actions because they
see it as wrong and unjust. Richard Digby, in the short story, “The Man of Adamant”, written by
Nathaniel Hawthorne, holds a strong belief of his salvation and does not seem to see that his
stubborn ways could contain flaws. This stubborn man is sure to fall because he fails to accept
that he has a heart condition, which is merely a mirror image of his destiny, his refusal to cure
his heart disease before it is too late, and his initial demise that derived from all that he has done.
Due to Digby’s adamant self, he is the one who caused his own demise, but once again, does not
accept this either.
Everything that is brought upon Richard Digby that he believes is wrong is dismissed
because, once again, he believes he is the one that is right. Digby does not know at first that he
has a heart disease, but when he does find out by Mary Goffe, he says that his heart is better than
anybody else’s, “’My heart is in better condition than thine own’” (Hawthorne). In the story,
Digby is often referred to as a “stony hearted man” in which stony could be interpreted in several
ways. Stony could mean his heart is physically stony, as in the adamant in him or the calculous
particles in his heart. It could also mean that he is stony in demeanor, a cold hearted man, caring
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not much for others but rather for him. Digby’s heart disease is that he has contracted calculous
particles in his heart,
“And here I am put in mind, that Richard Digby, before he withdrew himself from the
world, was supposed by skilful physicians to have contracted a disease, for which no
remedy was written in their medical books. It was a deposition of calculous particles
within his heart, caused by an obstructed circulation of the blood, and unless a miracle
should be wrought for him, there was danger that the malady might act on the entire
substance of the organ, and change his fleshly heart to stone. Many, indeed, affirmed that
the process was already near its consummation” (Hawthorne).
Refusing to believe this, he turns down the cure for his heart disease because he thinks that he
does not have a disease in the first place.
Mary Goffe tells Digby that she has heard that he has contracted a disease that seems to
be taking its toll on him, and she came to tell him that she has a skill to cure it. He refuses this,
again, showing his stubborn side, and the young woman then tries to convince him to leave the
unholy place,
“’ Come back with me!’ she exclaimed, clasping her hands—‘Come back to thy fellow
men; for they need thee, Richard; and thou hast tenfold need of them. Stay not in this evil
den; for the air is chill, and the damps are fatal; nor will any, that perish within it, ever
find the path to Heaven. Hasten hence, I entreat thee, for thine own soul's sake; for either
the roof will fall upon thy head, or some other speedy destruction is at hand’”
(Hawthorne).
Digby’s absolute refusal to change anything makes him a very stubborn man. His refusal of the
treatment is another sign that he is stubborn in his ways and it is a step closer to his demise, “’I
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pray thee, by thy hope of Heaven, and as thou wouldst not dwell in this tomb forever, drink of
this hallowed water, be it but a single drop!’” (Hawthorne). Digby refuses his last chance to
change and redemption is the last straw to his life.
Digby’s heart disease is not what causes his downfall but rather, it is his own stubborn
ways that did. His arrogance in everything that he did laid out his fate for him, “In other words,
as his creed was like no man's else, and being well pleased that Providence had entrusted him,
alone of mortals with the treasure of a true faith, Richard Digby determined to seclude himself to
the sole and constant enjoyment of his happy fortune” (Hawthorne). His heart is slowly turning
into stone and even his body, “…exclaimed he, still with his marble frown” (Hawthorne). He is
turning into stone by his ways but also the adamant that forms around him. This adamant locks
away the horror that lies behind this stubborn man by the name of Richard Digby.