The Scarlet Letter: The Transformation of Rev. Dimmesdale"Life is hard, but accepting that fact makes it easier." This common phrase clearly states a harsh fact that Rev. Dimmesdale, a character in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, had to face. In this story of deceit and adultery set in the Puritan era, Hawthorne presents Dimmesdale as a weak, cowardly man who refuses to take responsibility for his actions. Rev. Dimmesdale is a transitional character in that at the beginning of the novel he is outwardly good but inwardly deceitful and at the end of the novel he becomes sincere both outwardly and inwardly. At the beginning of the novel, Dimmesdale has established quite a reputation for himself. Discussing individual members of the magistrate, the townspeople describe Dimmesdale as a "God-fearing" gentleman, "but too merciful (49)." Because of his actions all people respect and admire the reverend. Throughout the story, Dimmesdale desperately tries to confess, envying Hester, for her courage, he says, “Happy art thou Hester, who openly wear the scarlet letter upon thy breast” (188)! Even at the end of the novel, when finally attempting to confess, people are compelled by his final sermon, raving that "never had a man spoken with a spirit so wise, so high, and so holy, as he who has spoken this day" (243 ). Proving that he was a much loved and influential man in the small town. In further developing Dimmesdale's character, Hawthorne paints him as a hypocrite. His outward behavior deceives the villagers, appearing as a completely holy man. However, before the action of the novel begins, he stumbles into sin, committing adultery with Hester Pryn... middle of paper... and any character other than Dimmesdale could not have painted such a vivid picture, and a memorable image in one's mind.1. Great thesis statement!!!2. The concluding paragraph should be more detailed. Restate in a few sentences the points you made in your article and what conclusions you drew from those points.3. When quoting, parentheses, which contain the page number, should come after the quotation marks and punctuation should come after the parentheses. An example of a correctly cited quote would be “A spell was broken” (251). Instead of «a spell was broken (251)».4. Also pay attention to repetitive sentences. Let your sentences contain only one or two ideas, not three or four. Don't overuse semicolons or colons, use a period instead.