Who is at Fault?
At the beginning of the story Reverend Dimmesdale seems to be at fault for committing adultery with a married woman. Even at the end he is guilty for what he had done. In the first place he had no right to sleep with a married woman when he already knew that she was married. If he had not done that, none of these tragic events would have ever occurred. That one act caused the death of two people including himself, the suffering of Hester, and the rough childhood for innocent Pearl who had nothing to do with any of this. That is why I feel more sympathetic for Roger Chillingworth. Hester and Dimmesdale took advantage that Roger was gone and that is why Dimmesdale is at fault. Even though Chillingworth punished Dimmesdale by tormenting him frequently, he still deserved it. The "A" on his chest was another punishment, but he committed a sin voluntarily knowing that it was a sin.
All of the events that unfolded as the story went on affected Chillingworth negatively as well. He was coming back to her wife to live a normal life, but little did he know what was awaiting him back in Boston. Because of Dimmesdale, he had to live the rest of his life seeking revenge which took a great toll on his health, and eventually he died.
One can not simply just put all the blame on Dimmesdale's shoulders. Hester was just as guilty as he. With the tragic events that occurred, he lived his punishment. Even if he knew he was committing a sin, we are all people and we make mistakes intentionally and unintentionally.
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with most of the points you made in your blog. To begin with, Hester Prynne and Roger Chillingworth were not in love, they had a 30 year difference, and they had an arranged marriage. During the time of Chillingworth's absence Hester and Dimmesdale fell in love and had Pearl. Although it was wrong for Dimmesdale, a priest, to commit adultery and have a child with a married women, I still feel more sympathetic for Dimmesdale. He had to go through more pain and suffering than Chillingworth. He had to live without his loved one and without his daughter for the rest of his life. They were about to leave to Europe and finally start fresh, as a family, but Dimmesdale died and those dreams were crushed too.
ReplyDeleteArek, even though almost all of your statements are true, I still do not believe that you cannot feel a little sympathy towards Dimmesdale. Yes Dimmesdale did commit adultery, but that was his only sin. He never meant to hurt anyone, he never intended for all of those terrible things would happen. He is just a man that made a terrible mistake for which he payed for in the end; even priests are men and make mistakes. I do not believe that it is fair to point a finger on a guilty person because there are many indirect actions that take place, before the actual tragedy happens. For example, if Chillingworth was a better husband, Hester would never think of cheating on him. Or if Chillingworth really had loved her, he would not spend that much time away from her. What was so important that Chillingworth had to leave his wife alone on a different continent? Think about that one the next time you feel like finding someone at fault.
ReplyDeleteIf a couple is not truly in love, that makes both the husband and wife more vulnerable to commit adultery, rather than stay loyal, logic suggests. Hester never really loved Chillingworth and coming into a town all alone, she did what she wanted to all along, and that was to sleep with Dimmesdale. I am not justifying the sin she committed through adultery, but you cannot blame Hester or Dimmesdale as love was truly inseparable between them. As Chillingworth came back and found out about the incident, he could have very easily let the government and God figure out the punishment for Hester and eventually for Dimmesdale. Instead, Chillingworth took on the responsibility to torture a man that had no right to get tortured because he slept with the woman he loves. The way Chillingworth handled himself after he came to Boston makes me not want to feel sympathetic for him, and feel truly sorry for the way Dimmesdale suffered.
ReplyDeleteI am in complete agreement with Adam. Hester's and Chillingworth's marriage was merely out of convenience, and not out of love. The Puritan lifestyle restricted Hester and Dimmesdale, her true lover, from being together. In my opinion, Dimmesdale suffered the most, because he had to keep in a secret that kept him away from both his lover, and his daughter. He lived painfully everyday knowing that Pearl was growing up without a father, not knowing that he was in her presence everyday.
ReplyDeleteAll the statements in this blog are excellent facts that truly show who should gain more sympathy in the story. Dimmesdale being a reverend has to be holly, and him especially should not commit a major sin like adultery. I completely agree with the idea of how none of the tragedies would have happened if Hester and Dimmesdale did not commit that sin. Chillingorth never did anything wrong. He only wanted to protect his marriage by seeking revenge on a person that helped his wife brake that promise of holly matrimony. He was only acting in a way that all men would act towards a man who cheated with his wife, defensive. Would you have done the same if you were in Chillingworth’s shoes, or would you have let someone break the bond between the person you got married to.
ReplyDeleteRoger Chillingworth deserves sympathy, because after a long journey of his trip, all he wanted to do was to return to his wife, Hester Prynne. When he found her on the scaffold as an example of a married woman who committed adultery, the initial response was to figure out who opposed, betrayed, and broke the bond that was shared between Prynne and him. Almost always, the person who has been deceived and taken granted for, wants to take revenge and make that person pay for the trouble, pain, and grief that the individual has caused upon the victim. Roger Chillingworth, a man who was deceived by his own wife, left the Earth to never fully express the pain and fury that Hester and Dimmesdale inflicted upon him.
ReplyDeleteI also felt more sympathetic towards Chillingworth because of the reasons you stated above. Most of your points had been the ones I had also made so obviously I agree with you. Chillingworth sent his wife to Boston in order to work, make money, and provide a better life for her. He comes back, notices his wife has cheated on him, and suddenly his whole life had changed. Dimmesdale should not have had an affair with a woman he knew was married. He knew the rules and being aware of the consequences, continued what he was doing.
ReplyDelete