When is dimmesdale introduced

In the crowd that surrounds the scaffold, Hester suddenly spots her husband, who sent her to America but never fulfilled his promise to follow her.

Though he is dressed in a strange combination of traditional European clothing and Native American dress, she is struck by his wise countenance and recognizes his slightly deformed shoulders. The stranger tells him that Hester is the wife of a learned Englishman and had been living with him in Amsterdam when he decided to emigrate to America.

The learned man sent Hester to America first and remained behind to settle his affairs, but he never joined Hester in Boston.

The stranger tells him that Hester refuses to reveal her fellow sinner. As punishment, she has been sentenced to three hours on the scaffold and a lifetime of wearing the scarlet letter on her chest. The narrator then introduces us to the town fathers who sit in judgment of Hester: Governor Bellingham , Reverend Wilson, and Reverend Dimmesdale.

Hester says that her child will seek a heavenly father and will never know an earthly one. Hester bears the sermon patiently, hushing Pearl when she begins to scream. At the conclusion of the sermon, Hester is led back into the prison. Hester and her husband come face to face for the first time when he is called to her prison cell to provide medical assistance. Hester knows his true identity—his gaze makes her shudder—and she initially refuses to drink his potion.

She thinks that Chillingworth might be poisoning her, but he assures her that he wants her to live so that he can have his revenge. Chapter 9. Dimmesdale 's health worsens and he is seen often with his hand over his heart.

Chillingworth treats As Dimmesdale 's health wanes, the locals notice that Chillingworth's has transformed from a kind, elderly, and somewhat Chapter While serving as Dimmesdale 's "leech" a term for a doctor Chillingworth begins to suspect that Dimmesdale 's condition may stem Pearl throws one of the burrs she is carrying toward Dimmesdale.

She tells Hester that they should leave since the Black Man has possessed Dimmesdale and Dimmesdale 's health gets worse. Chillingworth attributes his illness to his secret, but Dimmesdale still refuses to Convinced that Dimmesdale is Pearl's father, Chillingworth embarks on a campaign to make his patient as miserable as Dimmesdale continues to preach and delivers some of his most passionate sermons, which focus mostly on Dimmesdale 's guilt makes him hate himself. He punishes himself physically and emotionally, staying up nights thinking One night, Dimmesdale mounts the town scaffold where Hester and Pearl once stood to be shamed.

He imagines Hester and Pearl, returning from the deathbed of the colony's first governor, do spot Dimmesdale , and join him on the scaffold. Her eyes alive with "witchcraft," Pearl asks Dimmesdale to A meteor lights up the sky in what Dimmesdale thinks is the shape of an "A. Chillingworth, looking like The next day Dimmesdale delivers his most powerful sermon ever.

Afterward, the church sexton returns to Dimmesdale a black Hester decides that she must help Dimmesdale by confessing that Chillingworth was her husband, thereby revealing the vengeful motive behind his harsh Hester tells Chillingworth he holds Dimmesdale 's life in his hands. Chillingworth says he saved Dimmesdale 's life by not revealing his link Hester for his downfall. Hester agrees, pleading with Chillingworth therefore not to blame and abuse Dimmesdale any further.

Hester says she must tell Dimmesdale about Chillingworth. He responds that their fate, a "black flower," is no longer in anyone's Hester plans to intercept Dimmesdale along a forest path as he returns to Boston on his way back from visiting As Hester waits for Dimmesdale , Pearl asks to hear the story of the Black Man, a nickname for the devil Dimmesdale approaches.

He appears weak, and walks with his hand over his heart, where Pearl suspects Hester and Dimmesdale meet in the forest and hold hands. Dimmesdale says life with a scarlet letter would Hester reveals to Dimmesdale that Chillingworth was her husband. Dimmesdale , furious, blames her for his suffering. But he then Knowing that he was Hester's sexual partner and is Pearl's father, the speech that he gives is ripe with double meanings. On one level, he gives a public chastisement of Hester for not naming her lover; on another level, he makes a personal plea to her to name him as her lover and Pearl's father because he is too morally weak to do so himself.

Ironically, what is initially intended to be a speech about Hester becomes more a commentary about his own sinful behavior. In his speech, Dimmesdale asks Hester to recognize his "accountability" in addressing her, and he begs her to do what he cannot do himself. Publicly, he is her spiritual leader, and, as such, he is responsible for her moral behavior.

Privately, however, he was her lover, and he shares the blame of the horrible situation that she is in. He then admonishes her, as her spiritual leader, to name her accomplice so that her soul might find peace on earth and, more important, so that she might better her chance for salvation after her death. When he then goes on to "charge" her with naming the transgressor, we understand that he is privately pleading with her to expose him publicly and thereby help ensure his salvation, for without public repentance salvation is not attainable.

The dichotomy between Dimmesdale's public speech and personal meaning is most evident in the phrase "believe me. It also follows acknowledgment — privately to himself, but through public speech — that it would be better for him to step down "from a high place" and publicly stand beside her on the scaffold. Dimmesdale slowly begin to change.

He holds his hand over his heart as if something there hurts him. He seem to be ailing. Dimmesdale and Dr. Chillingworth strike up a friendship. Chillingworth moves in with Dimmesdale and becomes his personal physician.