Arthur Dimmesdale
Arthur Dimmesdale, fictional character, a tormented Boston minister in The Scarlet Letter (1850) by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Having fathered Hester Prynneβs illegitimate child, the bachelor Dimmesdale vacillates between the hunger for cleansing confession and the Puritan zeal fueled by his secret sin.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.
Citation Information
Article Title:
Arthur Dimmesdale
Website Name:
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher:
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published:
07 May 2010
Access Date:
November 14, 2026