The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, describes the adversities faced by Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale and their struggles to overcome the sins of adultery. Hawthorne describes the celestial Dimmesdale as a troubled minister with an uneasy conscience who struggles to cope with his wrongdoings. Dimmesdale is torn between whether to publicly confess his wrongdoings to Hester and let the ruthless Puritans decide his fate, or keep his secret hidden and let the guilt resulting from his actions, along with the devil in Roger Chillingworth, destroy him both mentally and physically. Being torn between his love for Hester and his Puritan ideals, Dimmesdale's progress in making amends for his sin of adultery is manifested in the three scaffolding scenes throughout the novel. The first scaffold scene depicts Hester's public humiliation of her sin and Dimmesdale's lack of courage. and the tormented soul. In the first gallows scene, Dimmesdale acts as Hester's deceptive accuser, letting her stand alone on the gallows for three hours while she is ridiculed by the townspeople for an act they both committed. Dimmesdale accuses Hester “of uttering the name of your fellow sinner and fellow sufferer. Be not silent out of false pity and tenderness towards him” (Hawthorne 64). Speaking directly to Hester, Dimmesdale wants Hester to reveal her sin to the people of Boston. Dimmesdale does not want Hester to pity him and take all the blame for their mistakes because he does not want to live a sinful life full of hidden sins and guilt. Although Dimmesdale wants Hester to reveal her secret, he is relieved when Hester says “I will not speak…And my son must seek a heavenly Father; will never know an earthly world... middle of paper... Dimmesdale, a minister with a tormented soul, regrets his actions and makes amends for his sin, allowing him to finally be free from guilt and suffering The gallows, a place of public shame and humiliation, it symbolizes Dimmesdale's progress towards making amends for his actions and achieving salvation. Dimmesdale goes from being a religious, deceitful minister in the first gallows scene to a lowly and humble individual by the end of the third gallows scene, freeing himself from the guilt that has caused so much chaos in his life. Dimmesdale's sin, which manifests itself in the three gallows scenes, symbolizes the main theme of the Scarlet Letter, which states that hidden sin will ultimately kill an individual if left unconfessed, and that the only way to achieve salvation is publicly confess your actions and make atonement with God.