Scarlet Letter 6: page 127-144

Quote 1: "More than once, Mr. Dimmesdale had gone into the pulpit, with a purpose never to come down its steps until he should have spoken words like the above. More than once, he had cleared his throat, and drawn in the long, deep, and tremulous breath, which, when sent forth again, would come burdened with the black secret of his soul" (Hawthorne 131).

Explanation: In the chapter before, Dimmesdale makes it clear that he wants to tell others about his sin. In this quote above the narrator explains that he partially eludes to his sin. He calls himself a, "viler companion of the vilest, the worst of sinners" (131). And yet the community adores this, calling him a saint about saying that he is a sinner. It is clear that Dimmesdale has gained large amount of respect from the community, to such extent that he may nearly be the equivalent of God.

Question: Can this affect whether he tries to admit to his sin completely, and if he does how would it affect the community?

Quote 2: "It was his custom, too, as it has been that of many other pious Purtans, to fast, and - not, however, like them, in order to purify the body and render it the fitter medium of celestial illumination, but rigorously, and until his knees trembled beneath him, as an act of penance" (132).

Explanation: Here, the author explains Dimmesdale's ritual of starving himself. He does this not out of common practice, but from his guilt. He is trying to find away to absolve himself of his sins. He is testing ways to find peace for himself as John Proctor tried to do for his regret. They both tried to find peace from polar oppisites in the beginning of their stories and both did not find the peace they desperately. But John Proctor found peace by looking the oppisite of where he thought he might find peace for himself (instead of lookinig outside for peace, he found it in himself, between him and God).

Question: Where could this inner peace be for Dimmesdale?