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Arthur Dimmesdale and Self-Reliance
By Nathaniel Voeller
The characters of a novel can serve as efficient conduits for the values and themes
deemed important by authors. In some cases, characters may be so inexorably linked to ideas as
to make one nearly inseparable from the other. Arthur Dimmesdale is one of these characters in
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Apart from a few notable exceptions, it seems as
though Hawthorne crafted the characteristics and actions of Dimmesdale so that he could serve
as a contradiction to the Transcendentalist view of self-reliance as outlined by Ralph Waldo
Emerson. The reasons for Hawthorne’s decision to create such an antithesis to Emerson’s
ideology are impossible to determine with certainty. However, it often seems as though
Dimmesdale’s story provides social commentary suggesting the incompatibility of Puritanism
and Transcendentalist ideals, as Puritan ideology prevents Dimmesdale from ever coming to a
path of self-reliance. In any case, an analysis of the key facets of self-reliance as applied to
Dimmesdale reveals the depth of the differences Hawthorne strives to create between one of his
most important characters and Transcendentalist doctrine.
According to Emerson, one of the main elements that make a man self-reliant is a belief
that he can trust in his own judgment. Emerson writes, “Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that
iron string. Accept the place the divine Providence has found for you; the society of your
contemporaries, the connexion of events” (211). The portrayal of Dimmesdale as a man who
fails to possess self-reliance begins with his inability to believe himself capable of making
important and potentially life-altering decisions. Instead, he places the burden of determining the
best course of action upon others, starting with his very first appearance in The Scarlet Letter.
Though he watches Hester being shamed on the scaffold for her sins and even speaks to her,
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Dimmesdale seems incapable of deciding whether or not to reveal his own part in her adultery.
He says, “If thou feelest it to be for thy soul’s peace, and that thy earthly punishment will thereby
be made more effectual to salvation, I charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and
fellow sufferer! Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him” (Hawthorne 47).
Instead of trusting himself, Dimmesdale forces Hester to determine whether or not he will be
revealed. Puritan society has marked Hester as a sinner, and Dimmesdale seems unable to shame
himself before his parishioners and the general public. It proves too difficult for him to reveal his
breach of Puritan doctrine before others.
Dimmesdale’s failure to trust himself does not end upon the balcony from whence he
watches his lover being shamed; he also appears incapable of trusting his own judgment to
devise a course of action when Hester reveals Chillingworth’s identity as her ex-husband
(Hawthorne 133). He once again calls upon Hester to determine his course. Dimmesdale pleads,
“Be thou strong for me .... Advise me what to do” (Hawthorne 135). Dimmesdale’s repeated
failures to believe in his own ability to formulate and adhere to a plan reveal his lack of selfreliance. Instead, he is dependent. In his weakness, he is forced to search outside himself for
someone of greater strength and resolve who can shoulder his burden along with her own. For
much of the novel, Hester serves as the strong arm of support for the feeble Puritan minister.
Another principle shared by men of self-reliance is the courage to be original thinkers and
actors. Emerson writes, “Insist on yourself; never imitate. Your own gift you can present every
moment with the cumulative force of a whole life’s cultivation; but of the adopted talent of
another, you have only an extemporaneous, half possession” (228). At times, it appears that
Dimmesdale could be considered a man of originality. His sermons are unparalleled
masterpieces of budding glory which are described as “addressing the whole human brotherhood
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in the heart’s native language” (Hawthorne 97). Dimmesdale also takes the initiative to express
his belief that Hester should be allowed to keep and care for Pearl in spite of opinions to the
contrary expressed by Governor Bellingham and Mr. Wilson (Hawthorne 77-79). These
moments portray Dimmesdale as an enlightened man capable of forging his own path through
the medium of courageous originality.
Dimmesdale’s acts of originality, however, are smothered by his adherence to Puritan
doctrine. The Puritans originally view Hester as a horrific sinner who should be thoroughly
punished (Hawthorne 36). Although Dimmesdale is far more sympathetic, he does not stand with
his lover. Hester and Pearl are forced to linger upon the scaffold in shame whilst Dimmesdale
exhorts Hester from a balcony overhead along with his fellow Puritan leaders (Hawthorne 46).
Dimmesdale’s exhortation may contain an invitation for Hester to expose him as a sinner, but his
position as a member of the Puritan elite still separates him from his lover. The position
Dimmesdale holds as an imitator of Puritan customs is maintained until the final few pages of
The Scarlet Letter. Indeed, Dimmesdale is portrayed as marching in procession with Puritan
leaders on the very day of his death (Hawthorne 163). As a Puritan minister, Dimmesdale almost
always adheres to the rituals and customs of the society in which he lives. He imitates the
traditions and conventions of those who came before him instead of forging his own.
The ability to maintain a single identity regardless of social context proves to be another
instrumental trait associated with self-reliance. Emerson writes, “It is easy in the world to live
after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who
in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude” (214).
Taken out of context, Dimmesdale’s revelation prior to his death makes him appear to be one of
these great men. He proclaims, “Ye that have loved me!—ye, that have deemed me holy!—
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behold me here, the one sinner of the world!” (Hawthorne 174). These are the words of an
enlightened man striving to be himself in the midst of a crowd; for a few moments, he is selfreliant.
The majority of The Scarlet Letter, however, serves to suppress the existence of the selfreliant qualities Dimmesdale seems to possess as he dies. Dimmesdale spends a vast majority of
the novel hiding who he truly is from the Puritan community that might condemn him. He
refuses Pearl’s request to stand upon the scaffold with her and Hester due to a “dread of public
exposure” (Hawthorne 105). Dimmesdale speaks of his sins before his parishioners, but he does
so in a way that prevents them from guessing the nature of his trespasses (Hawthorne 99). Until
his final revelation before the people, he only reveals his true self in the presence of Hester.
Hawthorne writes, “Here, seen only by her eyes, Arthur Dimmesdale, false to God and man,
might be, for one moment, true!” (134). Dimmesdale chooses to live most of his life as an adored
Puritan minister instead of revealing who he really is. Only when his death is near or he sits
alone with Hester does his underlying character shine forth. He chooses to live after the world’s
opinion as established by Puritan doctrine instead of revealing the self that he smothers beneath a
façade of unstained purity.
In “Self-Reliance,” Emerson also claims that man has no obligation to the poor and
wanting. He says, “Do not tell me, as a good man did to-day, of my obligation to put all poor
men in good situations” (Emerson 213). Dimmesdale’s adherence to his career objectives
immediately puts him in conflict with the portrayal of a self-reliant man without obligations to
the poor. Instead, he emphasizes his connection to needy parishioners. Hawthorne says, “His
heart vibrated in unison with theirs, and received their pain into itself” (98). Dimmesdale is
doing his duty, but his adherence to Puritan practices leads him ever farther from the ideals of
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self-reliance. More specific examples also indicate the great distance between Dimmesdale and
Emerson’s ideal man who would feel no obligation to the poor and wanting. While struggling
with wicked thoughts, Dimmesdale’s fear is that he will deeply offend an elderly parishioner
who looks to him as her “chief earthly comfort” (Hawthorne 150). He also desperately fears
corrupting the innocence of a youthful parishioner who views him as her religious authority
(Hawthorne 150). These concerns expressed by Dimmesdale illustrate the depths of his
connection to the Puritans he serves. He has made himself an integral part of their lives; they all
supposedly follow Puritan doctrine and therefore favor connections to one another instead of
self-reliance.
The possession of self-reliance also depends upon the commitment to always live in order
to experience the wonders of the present. Emerson writes, “It seems to be a rule of wisdom never
to rely on your memory alone, scarcely even in acts of pure memory, but bring the past for
judgment into the thousand-eyed present, and live ever in a new day” (216). Dimmesdale does
not live in the present but resides nearly entirely in the past. His life is consumed by the painful
remembrance of his sins. Dimmesdale’s masochistic remembrance of the past is so strong that it
manifests itself physically throughout The Scarlet Letter. The minister has a habit of placing his
hand over his heart (Hawthorne 48), over what is hinted to be a letter carved into his breast
(Hawthorne 175). Dimmesdale also scourges himself, fasts according to Puritan practices, and
keeps vigils that greatly impede his ability to function (Hawthorne 99). Dimmesdale lives in a
Puritan society where sins persist, and this is reflected in his inability to move beyond the past.
He cannot bring himself to live in a new day while the burden of his past sins with Hester weighs
upon his conscience.
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The experience that epitomizes Dimmesdale’s inability to forget his past in favor of the
present is his dying revelation. He feels his sins are finally forgiven. Dimmesdale says, “God
knows: and He is merciful! He hath proved his mercy, most of all, in my afflictions. By giving
me this burning torture to bear upon my breast!” (Hawthorne 175). Even in his final moments,
Dimmesdale’s thoughts are focused upon past events and his religious beliefs concerning them.
It seems as though the minister was never truly among the living so much as he was a specter
from the past persisting and enduring in the present.
Although Dimmesdale occasionally appears to be self-reliant, the majority of The Scarlet
Letter portrays him as a personally, socially, and religiously constrained individual. He does not
trust himself, imitates social customs, hides his true self from the people, feels obligated to the
poor and needy, and lives in the past instead of the present. Many of these ideas spring from the
Puritan society of which Dimmesdale is a respected member. Others come from the depth of his
personal character. In the end, Dimmesdale’s lack of self-reliance extracts a horrible price. He is
doomed to a life constrained by Puritan doctrine and twisted by self-loathing. He never obtains
the freedom which may come to those who practice the doctrine of self-reliance.
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Works Cited
Emerson, Ralph W. “Self-Reliance.” The American Transcendentalists: Essential Writings. Ed.
Lawrence Buell. New York: Random House, Inc., 2006. 208-231. Print.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Mineola: Dover Publications, Inc., 1994. Print.