What do you think of Rev. Dimmesdale? Do you think Chillingworth's doctoring is helping or hindering? What do you think is really wrong with the minister?
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dimmesdale appears to be hiding something. he is said to be becoming ill; his voice is tremulous, and his face is pale and thin. rather than illness i think he has committed a dreadful sin and it is consuming all of his focus. how can he preach to others about forgiveness and such when he has the fear of being outed for his own sin? chillingworth is just making the reverend fidgety. he undoubtedly makes him feel uncomfortable when he joins him in a heated discussion about burying one's sins. along with this the townspeople are beginning to call chillingworth the devil, which probably makes dimmesdale uneasy.
Chillingworth seems to be neither helping nor hurting Rev. Dimmesdale's health, for Chillingworth seems only to give him a companion. In truth, it is likely that what Dimmesdale suffers from is psychological- a sign of some guilt perhaps?- and as such is curable by no physician of the age. Dimmesdale seems to be hiding something, but is it the knowledge of who Pearl's father is? I refrain from guessing at this time, although it is reasonably clear to me that whatever secret he hides, it is dark and vital to fully comprehending the nature of the scarlet letter.
I firmly believe that Mr. Dimmesdale is in a down ward spiral that will not improve unless he comes forth with some information. I think that his ailment is directly linked with some sort of sin that he has taken place. I believe that, to some extent, Rogers' care is helping the clergyman but can never fully heal the man because he is not physically sick. Although Roger is helping him just so that the dr. will have another chance to pry in the ministers life I believe the care is good for the minister except when they bring up the subject of sin. This only serves to weaken the mental state of Mr. Dimmesdale. Obviously there is something wrong with the minister beyond the physical symptoms. It is obvious that the minister has committed some sin and the strain of keeping the secret is wreaking havoc and his physical state. Also I find it ironic that the tapestries that constantly hang over the ministers head portray a story of a Biblical and godly man, David, that commits adulatory and destroys the women's husband. Weird.
I think that Reverand Dimmesdale is struggling with something hindering his mind, not his body. What is bothering him is causing his body to counteract and give him all his symptoms. He is emotionally distressed, and all one can do to help him is be a friend. I believe that what Chillingworth is doing is exactly that. He is being there for him and trying to talk with him about what is going on. When the reverand's "secret sin" is brought up though, Dimmesdale gets super uneasy and it seems that he gets worse. Chillingworth is prying into his life and trying to dig deeper and deeper. He makes the reverand worse and I believe that if he would have continued to push, the reverand could have been in danger. When you put everything together, it makes you a little sad to say, "Courtney might just be right." I didn't want to consider Dimmesdale as a suspect, but I might just have to.
I find him kind of annoying, to be honest. I'm not entirely sure why he annoys me, but he strikes me as a hypocrite. He is a minister, but he appears to have a hidden sin. He definitely is hiding something and I don't think that Chillingworth is helping or hindering. I think Chillingworth is trying to get the truth out of Dimmesdale, but he is not willing. I think his real "sickness" is that he is hiding a secret sin and it is taking over him internally which moves to his outward sickness. I think he is the father of Pearl or he knows exactly who the father of Pearl is. I'm not entirely sure why he is hiding whatever he is hiding, unless it is just to protect himself from eternal condemnation or mortal humilation, but he will not allow it to leave his lips and gets very nervous when he is confronted by Chillingworth.
Hey i bet these two guys are pretty good friends. they both keep secrets. and to help that analogy look at this way chillings worth is her husband and he keeps that a secret. he is also no doctor at all. with this many odds against a person then a person almost has to think that the reason that Dimmesdale is sick is because he is hiding something and his mind is chewing him up. we all know how it feels to have something eat away at you from the inside. i think that one can say that chillingsworth is kind of helping because he is a friend to Dimmsdale. a friend helps out and these two are helping eachother when they speak of hidden sins. this is kind of ironic because we know they are both hiding something. i am almost convinced that the minister has a hidden sin and i almost vote that it was the commiting of adultery. Gee thats just a thought.
I'm afraid that i must agree with what Courtney said in class. I think that dimmesdale is the father of pearl. i think that seeing her around town and still holding what has to be a huge weight on his chest. I think that it is not chillingworth who is making the revrend uneasy, but i think he is sure not helping. It is all in the mind. I think he is just sick because of the stress that would come from carrying around such a huge burden for quite some time. I mean come on it has been a couple of years, and if it was him with Hester, then seeing her multiple times is proably not helping his conscience out much. I think that Chillingworth's doctoring is neither helping or hindering, i think its just....there. I think that it is ALL IN HIS HEAD
Well, I must say I agree with what everyone else is saying: Dimmesdale has some secret eating away inside of him. As for Chillingworth, hmm...that's a tough one...I hate the guy, but I think he's helping in a way. It's not his business to be bugging Dimmesdale the way he is, espeacially because he's only doing it for his own benefit of knowledge, but I think having Dimmesdale blow up the way he did is ultimatly a good thing. He needs to get it out of himself sooner or later, and preferably sooner seeing at how ill it's making him. Now, I wasn't in class, so I don't know what Courtney said, but I'm thinking the same as Greg: that Dimmesdale is the father. It's got to be one of the main characters, but we know for sure that it's not Hester (duh!) or Pearl (an even bigger DUH!) and it couldn't have been Chillingworth. Rule out them, and there aren't many main/ important/ known of characters left. Dimmesdale understands Hester so well, it's definatly certain hat he's done some big crime in his past. And I'm also certain that it will be *many* chapters before Hawthorne tells us what -(>.<)-
I thought Courtney was crazy today in class but im going to have to agree with her now. She must have read ahead i think. I believe that he is not sick at all. He has committed a sin and it is begining to get the best of him in more ways than one. Im guessing that him knowing what he has done has kept him from sleeping and he has become "sick" as a result of being run down and tired. I dont think Chillingworth is really doing anything as far as the whole doctor thing goes. When he is around the rev. though he seems to make him very nervous. i think this is because he knows that chillingworth is trying to find out who the fathter of Pearl is.
According to rumors in the class it sounds like Reverend Dimsdale is Pearls father, and the more I read the story the more that theory makes since. I think that he's sick with guilt, and Chillingworth constantly asking about it only reminds him of how terrible his sins were. I definitely don't think he is helping, and if Dimsdale really is Pearls father I don't think they're "friendship" will last to long, resulting in Dimsdale becoming even more sick, he will be publicly scorned (if not executed) and will lose one of his good friends. Overall it just seems odd to me that Chillingworth would have taken up so much interest in Dims dale, unless he too thought Dimsdale was Pearls dad.
I kind of like him, in a way, but at the came time I dont. I am pretty sure he is Pearl's father. It isnt ok that he commited adultry and let Hester take all the blame but it is quite understandable that he did. I think that Chillingworth is helping bring that out into the open.
I’m going to have to agree that it’s completely obvious that Dimmesdale’s illness is due to guilt, and that this guilt comes from committing adultery with Hester and letting her take the blame for it. Hawthorne makes pretty strong hints about this when Dimmesdale is first introduced by the way that Pearl, only an infant then, reacts to him when he is trying to convince Hester to reveal the identity of her ‘partner in iniquity’ as she stands on the pillory. His guilt is also evident when he seems so uncomfortable and uneasy as Chillingworth talks with him about hidden sin. Speaking of Chillingworth, right now it appears that he is trying to help the reverend, but it’s quite possible that he has other motives, and that he might suspect Dimmesdale. This might be one of the reasons why Chillingworth appears more evil, even to the townspeople.
It is pretty much unanimous that Rev. Dimmesdale's condition is not caused by a physical, but a mental or psychological ailment. Also, that he possesses some untold sin. Personally, I believe that the sin deals with Hester (if you know what I mean). I concur with Ben that Chillingworth is doing neither helping nor hindering, but being an observer of what is happening. Courtney may have voiced this earlier than the rest of us, I'm not sure about you guys, but I detected hints about such things in previous chapters. I think that he is just afraid of what might happen if he is found out.
I agree with pretty much everyone that has posted. I think that Rev. Dimmesdale is Pearl's father. I think that he hides a sin, and feels a lot of guilt for it. I think that Chillingworth is suspecting this hidden guilt and wants to figure more information concerning it out, so he is trying to be his friend as well as his doctor.
I think that Dimmesdale isnt really sick. Something is bothering him emotionally. I think that Chillingworths prying into his life is making it worse. Dimmesdale is hiding something and Im guessing its that he is Pearl's father. I believe Courntey called that. I dont like Dimmesdale. He is a hypocrite.
15 comments:
dimmesdale appears to be hiding something. he is said to be becoming ill; his voice is tremulous, and his face is pale and thin. rather than illness i think he has committed a dreadful sin and it is consuming all of his focus. how can he preach to others about forgiveness and such when he has the fear of being outed for his own sin? chillingworth is just making the reverend fidgety. he undoubtedly makes him feel uncomfortable when he joins him in a heated discussion about burying one's sins. along with this the townspeople are beginning to call chillingworth the devil, which probably makes dimmesdale uneasy.
Chillingworth seems to be neither helping nor hurting Rev. Dimmesdale's health, for Chillingworth seems only to give him a companion. In truth, it is likely that what Dimmesdale suffers from is psychological- a sign of some guilt perhaps?- and as such is curable by no physician of the age. Dimmesdale seems to be hiding something, but is it the knowledge of who Pearl's father is? I refrain from guessing at this time, although it is reasonably clear to me that whatever secret he hides, it is dark and vital to fully comprehending the nature of the scarlet letter.
I firmly believe that Mr. Dimmesdale is in a down ward spiral that will not improve unless he comes forth with some information. I think that his ailment is directly linked with some sort of sin that he has taken place. I believe that, to some extent, Rogers' care is helping the clergyman but can never fully heal the man because he is not physically sick. Although Roger is helping him just so that the dr. will have another chance to pry in the ministers life I believe the care is good for the minister except when they bring up the subject of sin. This only serves to weaken the mental state of Mr. Dimmesdale. Obviously there is something wrong with the minister beyond the physical symptoms. It is obvious that the minister has committed some sin and the strain of keeping the secret is wreaking havoc and his physical state. Also I find it ironic that the tapestries that constantly hang over the ministers head portray a story of a Biblical and godly man, David, that commits adulatory and destroys the women's husband. Weird.
I think that Reverand Dimmesdale is struggling with something hindering his mind, not his body. What is bothering him is causing his body to counteract and give him all his symptoms. He is emotionally distressed, and all one can do to help him is be a friend. I believe that what Chillingworth is doing is exactly that. He is being there for him and trying to talk with him about what is going on. When the reverand's "secret sin" is brought up though, Dimmesdale gets super uneasy and it seems that he gets worse. Chillingworth is prying into his life and trying to dig deeper and deeper. He makes the reverand worse and I believe that if he would have continued to push, the reverand could have been in danger. When you put everything together, it makes you a little sad to say, "Courtney might just be right." I didn't want to consider Dimmesdale as a suspect, but I might just have to.
I find him kind of annoying, to be honest. I'm not entirely sure why he annoys me, but he strikes me as a hypocrite. He is a minister, but he appears to have a hidden sin. He definitely is hiding something and I don't think that Chillingworth is helping or hindering. I think Chillingworth is trying to get the truth out of Dimmesdale, but he is not willing. I think his real "sickness" is that he is hiding a secret sin and it is taking over him internally which moves to his outward sickness. I think he is the father of Pearl or he knows exactly who the father of Pearl is. I'm not entirely sure why he is hiding whatever he is hiding, unless it is just to protect himself from eternal condemnation or mortal humilation, but he will not allow it to leave his lips and gets very nervous when he is confronted by Chillingworth.
Hey i bet these two guys are pretty good friends. they both keep secrets. and to help that analogy look at this way chillings worth is her husband and he keeps that a secret. he is also no doctor at all. with this many odds against a person then a person almost has to think that the reason that Dimmesdale is sick is because he is hiding something and his mind is chewing him up. we all know how it feels to have something eat away at you from the inside. i think that one can say that chillingsworth is kind of helping because he is a friend to Dimmsdale. a friend helps out and these two are helping eachother when they speak of hidden sins. this is kind of ironic because we know they are both hiding something. i am almost convinced that the minister has a hidden sin and i almost vote that it was the commiting of adultery. Gee thats just a thought.
I'm afraid that i must agree with what Courtney said in class. I think that dimmesdale is the father of pearl. i think that seeing her around town and still holding what has to be a huge weight on his chest. I think that it is not chillingworth who is making the revrend uneasy, but i think he is sure not helping. It is all in the mind. I think he is just sick because of the stress that would come from carrying around such a huge burden for quite some time. I mean come on it has been a couple of years, and if it was him with Hester, then seeing her multiple times is proably not helping his conscience out much. I think that Chillingworth's doctoring is neither helping or hindering, i think its just....there. I think that it is ALL IN HIS HEAD
Well, I must say I agree with what everyone else is saying: Dimmesdale has some secret eating away inside of him. As for Chillingworth, hmm...that's a tough one...I hate the guy, but I think he's helping in a way. It's not his business to be bugging Dimmesdale the way he is, espeacially because he's only doing it for his own benefit of knowledge, but I think having Dimmesdale blow up the way he did is ultimatly a good thing. He needs to get it out of himself sooner or later, and preferably sooner seeing at how ill it's making him. Now, I wasn't in class, so I don't know what Courtney said, but I'm thinking the same as Greg: that Dimmesdale is the father. It's got to be one of the main characters, but we know for sure that it's not Hester (duh!) or Pearl (an even bigger DUH!) and it couldn't have been Chillingworth. Rule out them, and there aren't many main/ important/ known of characters left. Dimmesdale understands Hester so well, it's definatly certain hat he's done some big crime in his past. And I'm also certain that it will be *many* chapters before Hawthorne tells us what -(>.<)-
I thought Courtney was crazy today in class but im going to have to agree with her now. She must have read ahead i think. I believe that he is not sick at all. He has committed a sin and it is begining to get the best of him in more ways than one. Im guessing that him knowing what he has done has kept him from sleeping and he has become "sick" as a result of being run down and tired. I dont think Chillingworth is really doing anything as far as the whole doctor thing goes. When he is around the rev. though he seems to make him very nervous. i think this is because he knows that chillingworth is trying to find out who the fathter of Pearl is.
According to rumors in the class it sounds like Reverend Dimsdale is Pearls father, and the more I read the story the more that theory makes since. I think that he's sick with guilt, and Chillingworth constantly asking about it only reminds him of how terrible his sins were. I definitely don't think he is helping, and if Dimsdale really is Pearls father I don't think they're "friendship" will last to long, resulting in Dimsdale becoming even more sick, he will be publicly scorned (if not executed) and will lose one of his good friends. Overall it just seems odd to me that Chillingworth would have taken up so much interest in Dims dale, unless he too thought Dimsdale was Pearls dad.
I kind of like him, in a way, but at the came time I dont. I am pretty sure he is Pearl's father. It isnt ok that he commited adultry and let Hester take all the blame but it is quite understandable that he did. I think that Chillingworth is helping bring that out into the open.
I’m going to have to agree that it’s completely obvious that Dimmesdale’s illness is due to guilt, and that this guilt comes from committing adultery with Hester and letting her take the blame for it. Hawthorne makes pretty strong hints about this when Dimmesdale is first introduced by the way that Pearl, only an infant then, reacts to him when he is trying to convince Hester to reveal the identity of her ‘partner in iniquity’ as she stands on the pillory. His guilt is also evident when he seems so uncomfortable and uneasy as Chillingworth talks with him about hidden sin. Speaking of Chillingworth, right now it appears that he is trying to help the reverend, but it’s quite possible that he has other motives, and that he might suspect Dimmesdale. This might be one of the reasons why Chillingworth appears more evil, even to the townspeople.
It is pretty much unanimous that Rev. Dimmesdale's condition is not caused by a physical, but a mental or psychological ailment. Also, that he possesses some untold sin. Personally, I believe that the sin deals with Hester (if you know what I mean). I concur with Ben that Chillingworth is doing neither helping nor hindering, but being an observer of what is happening. Courtney may have voiced this earlier than the rest of us, I'm not sure about you guys, but I detected hints about such things in previous chapters. I think that he is just afraid of what might happen if he is found out.
I agree with pretty much everyone that has posted. I think that Rev. Dimmesdale is Pearl's father. I think that he hides a sin, and feels a lot of guilt for it. I think that Chillingworth is suspecting this hidden guilt and wants to figure more information concerning it out, so he is trying to be his friend as well as his doctor.
I think that Dimmesdale isnt really sick. Something is bothering him emotionally. I think that Chillingworths prying into his life is making it worse. Dimmesdale is hiding something and Im guessing its that he is Pearl's father. I believe Courntey called that. I dont like Dimmesdale. He is a hypocrite.
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