Dimmesdale finally finishes his sermon. Discussing it amongst themselves, his parishioners declare that his was a brilliant speech and that he's the holiest man to ever live in New England. He himself thinks exactly the opposite, and the disproportionate amount of admiration he receives in this scene leads him to at last reveal his secret. He calls Hester and Pearl to his side, ignoring Chillingworth's claim that he's acting like a madman. He climbs to the scaffold, where he declares that Hester is not the only sinner in their midst. He himself bears a scarlet letter, which he reveals in dramatic fashion by tearing open his shirt. There, the entire crowd can see the A carved into his skin.

Weakened by his outburst, Dimmesdale falls down. Hester rushes to him and cradles his head in her arms one last time. Before he dies, he prays that God will forgive Chillingworth's sins, as well as his own. Pearl then kisses her father on the lips, crying over him as he speaks his dying words: that God has shown mercy by forcing them to suffer for their sins in life and that they may still be reunited in the afterlife. With that, he bids her farewell.