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How does Arthur Dimmesdale’s story end in The Scarlet Letter?

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A son of Salem — Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne's ancestors in Salem, Massachusetts, were Puritans named Hathorne. He added a w to his name when he began writing.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic novel The Scarlet Letter, the story of the minister Arthur Dimmesdale concludes with his ultimate release from the psychological torment of his hidden sin.

Throughout the narrative, Dimmesdale is physically and mentally broken by the guilt of his secret adultery with Hester Prynne and the relentless torment inflicted upon him by her husband, Roger Chillingworth. In the novel's final act, Dimmesdale finds the strength to break free from his internal repression and the hypocrisy of his social position. He publicly confesses his adultery before the community and dies in Hester’s arms. Years later, he is buried beside Hester, and their shared tombstone is marked with the letter "A," symbolizing their enduring connection and the complex legacy of their transgression.1