the condemned culprit before his execution?” In other words, why shouldn’t he allow himself a chance at happiness somewhere else, since I he has no chance of finding it here.

But it becomes evident to him that he cannot do so when he walks back into town in a near fit of blasphemous behavior and thoughts: “At every step he was incited to do some strange, wild, wicked thing or other . . .” In deciding to leave Boston and his guilt behind, he has somehow separated himself from his faith. In the end, he cannot live with this result.

So, instead of leaving with Hester, he writes the most moving and impassioned sermon of his career. This sermon is Dimmesdale’s last moment of glory as a clergyman:

The eloquent voice, on which the sounds of the listening audience had been borne aloft as on the swelling waves of the sea, at length came to a pause . . . Then ensued a murmur and half-hushed tumult, as if the auditors [listeners], released from the high spell that had transported them into the region of another’s mind, were returning into themselves, with all their awe and wonder still heavy on them.

From here, Dimmesdale joins Hester and Pearl beside the scaffold, where the story began, and at last confesses his sin to the townspeople. His confession is immediately followed by his death, which leaves Chillingworth with nothing to live for (since avenging himself upon Dimmesdale was his sole reason for living). Chillingworth bequeaths his riches to Pearl. This enables Hester and Pearl to leave Boston and live abroad for a number of years, until Hester finally decides to return to Boston, without Pearl, whose ultimate fate is hinted at but ultimately unknown.

Everything in the final six chapters of the book revolves around and depends upon Dimmesdale’s development and eventual confession. Without it, Hester and Pearl would have continued to live in a kind of guilty limbo, unable to exist apart from the stigma of Hester’s sin of adultery as a young woman.

Check out The Scarlet Letter's study guide here on eNotes. It expands upon a lot of analytical details that will help you find your answers right away.

Hester

The scarlet letter is meant to be a symbol of humiliation, subjugation, and a reminder of the canon of Puritanism. Since Hester was found guilty of being an adulteress, the magistrates feel that they had the right to single her out and render her vulnerable to the insults and judgement of the villagers, who are actually quite ruthless and heartless.

Yet, in their small mind mentality, the villagers grossly miscalculated a very important factor: Hester is an outsider who came to live in the village not that long ago when she was sent there from England by her husband. The latter never made it and was presumed to be dead. Therefore, for all we know, Hester may have come with a completely different set of thoughts and beliefs that distance her completely from the villagers of Boston.

We learn as readers that Hester's husband was taken prisoner by the natives, lived in the wilderness for a while, and then finally came to Boston under the adopted persona of Roger Chillingworth.

[Hester is] the wife of a certain learned man, [who] was minded to cross over and cast in his lot with us of the Massachusetts [so] he sent his wife before him, remaining himself to look after some necessary affairs.

And, from what we know, Hester has only been in Boston for about two years with no news of her husband.

This said, we have to be very careful and not assume that the scarlet letter meant "shame" for Hester. Hester has very little in common with the Bostonians. Otherwise, would a proper Puritan "goodwife" let her desires take a hold of herself to the point of getting pregnant from the saintly man of the village?

On the contrary, the scarlet letter, which meant to put Hester to shame, becomes Hester's very own symbol of individuality. Hester goes as far as designing her very own letter. She embellishes and decorates it to the point that it looked

... fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom. It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and enclosing her in a sphere by herself.

Hester's scarlet letter is a declaration of her individuality, personal independence, and the marked desire to separate herself from a society that will never understand her.

Eventually, Hester works so hard on her own that she makes a name for herself as a seamstress. She creates beautiful garments for people, even for those who shun her and insulted her. The scarlet letter changes into different meanings for many people—some go as far as saying that the "A" stood for "able."

The letter was the symbol of her calling [...] many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said that it meant Able, so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength.

Therefore:

Hester Prynne is aware of what the villagers think about what wearing the scarlet letter will do to her. Yet, Hester sees no shame in her letter, even if she abides by the mandate to wear it as a symbol of shame.

Pearl

According to the book Understanding the Scarlet Letter: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents by Claudia Durst Johnson (1995), Pearl can be seen as the embodiment of the scarlet letter because she and the letter are the visual reminder of the "indiscretions" of Hester Prynne.

If you think about it, had Hester not become pregnant, she would have never been caught, and she would have never had to wear that pathetic letter on her bosom. Pearl seems to have come to burst the bubble of what once was a passionate, carefree love. She turned the fantasy into punishment. She is the cause of the scarlet letter. The text evidence of this can be found in chapter 7, titled "The Governor's Hall:"

[...] it was a remarkable attribute [...] the child's whole appearance, that it irresistibly and inevitably reminded the beholder of the token which Hester Prynne was doomed to wear upon her bosom. It was the scarlet letter in another form; the scarlet letter endowed with life!

Pearl is also obsessed with the scarlet letter. She teases her mother about it, asking her questions about what it really means. She tries to understand the origin of the letter no differently than she consistently asks about Dimmesdale, as if in aims to understand her very own origin as well.

Dimmesdale

The scarlet letter has a different meaning for Arthur Dimmesdale. He is actually the one who takes the scarlet letter as a symbol of shame. He is, literally, the only one wearing the letter out of pure shame and guilt. To make matters worse, he is wearing the letter in secret and in the worst way possible: carved on his chest. This is done as self-inflicted punishment since he feels the shame and guilt of not daring to tell his parishioners that it was he who impregnated the “adultress” Hester Prynne; that he has been a hypocrite to his people ever since he first dared to point a finger at her on the scaffold accusing her of the very “sin” that he helped her commit.

He punishes himself over and over for this, but the real punishment that he needs to endure is telling the truth. He is unable to do so and, therefore, he continues to suffer.

Chillingworth

Finally, the scarlet letter means a triumph for Roger Chillingworth. Witnessing Hester at the scaffold wearing the letter in shame emboldens him to carry out his revenge against both Hester and Dimmesdale. It is not easy to break Hester, except with threats. Eventually, he needs ultimate proof that Dimmesdale is directly responsible for what happened to Hester: proof to show that “the young divine” is everything but.

Posing as Arthur Dimmesdale’s personal healer under a false name, Roger Chillingworth discovers the carving on the priest’s chest, finally making the ultimate connection. Chillingworth uses the knowledge of the scarlet letter as his personal way to manipulate Dimmesdale into weakness.

It is true that Hester Prynne's actions, as well as those of Arthur Dimmesdales's influenced a number of changes to take place in the novel The Scarlet Letter.

Unquestionably, the most significant change is Hester Prynne's own transformation, from a feeble woman, into a strong one. This is because Hester is the only one of the characters whose own story completes a full circle that goes from pain, to shame, then resignation, acceptance and, finally, closure.

Hester's time in prison made her a stronger woman. She took the scarlet letter, which was meant to be a symbol of humiliation and shame, and transformed it into a token of separation which, later on, is seen as a symbol of distinction. Hester goes as far as stating in Chapter VIII, "The Elf Child and the Minister", that the scarlet letter has actually made her into a better person

...this badge hath taught me,—it daily teaches me,—it is teaching me at this moment,—lessons whereof my child may be the wiser and better, albeit they can profit nothing to myself.

Not only does she try to make the best out of her sad situation, but Hester also keeps her innate talents at the needle quite vivid. So great is her talent, that the people of the village go to her to get fine and beautiful garments. Even more significant is the fact that Hester heals her pain and isolation by altruistically helping others; she becomes the embodiment of a true, Christian, woman during a time when anger, resentment, and self-loathing could have taken the best of  her. Hester comes out as a woman who has grown beyond her difficulties and can survive any future ones.

Contrastingly, however, Dimmesdale- a man who once was the shining star of the village- changes negatively into a sickly, weakened, and ultimately failed man. He is the exact opposite of Hester. While she strengthens despite of ignonimity, Dimmesdale weakens right in front of the clamor of his fanatic crowd. To make matters worse, Dimmesdale enters and leaves the plot without having acquired any higher knowledge about himself, Hester, Pearl, or even the world around him. In fact, he may have ever missed the entire gist of his experience with Hester; in his eyes, he committed a sin with Hester and there is no other way around it but to punish himself, and submit to the Will of God. He does not even give Hester a second chance at love. Dimmedale's character is, in many repects, quite flat.

Similarly, Chillingworth does not suffer from any epiphany. His rage and thirst for revenge drives most of his role, leaving him with very little room to grow or transform. Like Dimmesdale, Chillingworth's small changes are negative. The only thing that surprises the reader is seeing how Chillingworth left his fortune to Pearl, even though she is not his daughter, but the daughter conceived by his wife and another man. Unfortunately, his actions may have been out of guilt, rather than out of a sudden change of heart. Very little suggests that Chillingworth ever puts his rage behind, even on his deathbed.

As far as Pearl, she just undergoes the typical changes of a young woman who has finally identified her father and now can move on with her life. She does so, and actually takes care of Hester, sending her money and settling her comfortably in the village. In a way, Pearl's own life comes also into a full circle.

It may serve, let us hope, to symbolize some sweet moral blossom, that may be found along the track, or relieve the darkening of a tale of human frailty and sorrow.

Rather curiously, Hawthorne interposes a lovely rose bush that offers fragrance to the prisoner..."in token that the deep heart of Nature could pity and be kind to him." (Ch.1)

• Hester 

As she stands on the scaffold, Hester faces the somber, gray crowd all the while clutching her baby to her heart, in a sphere by herself. Yet, she is described as similar to Madonna and Child, the picture of Divine Maternity amid her sin. With the scarlet A upon her breast Hester lives with her baby, Pearl, on the edge of the community, apart from others. She tells the governor that Pearl, the incarnation of her sin, acts as a reminder to her of her transgression: Ostracized from society, Hester yet delights in her impish child at times and strives to help others, caring for the sick and elderly until the significance of the A changes to mean Able or Angel, giving blossom to its significance, and "offering fragrance to the prisoner."

• Dimmesdale

Unable to admit in public his guilt, he calls upon Hester on the scaffold with the blood leaving his cheeks and "his lips tremulous" (Ch.3), conveying his nervousness. He bids Hester speak out about her "fellow-sinner," instructing her,

Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for believe me , Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so than to hide a guilty heart through life. (Ch.3)

Lacking the strength, Dimmesdale cannot bring himself to confess.. Because of this weakness, the minister suffers with his concealed sin until he finally confesses before the townspeople as he stands upon the same scaffold as Hester has stood. This victory over himself is his "moral blossom" that frees the minister from his long-held secret sin.

• Pearl

The "airy-sprite" and impish embodiment of quixotic moods, one minute laughing, another teasing her mother, and yet another exhibiting the "bitterest hatred that can be supposed to rankle in a childish bosom." (Ch. 6) Perhaps because of her odd environment in which she is raised, Pearl possesses something "other-worldy" about herself until the minister calls her up to the scaffold as his child, and with a kiss, she becomes fully human and less the forceful symbol that she has been.

Peal kissed his [Dimmesdale] lips. A spell was broken...and she would grow up amid human joy and sorrow.... (Ch.22)

Her evolution into a fully human child because of her father's public recognition of her is the "moral blossom" of Pearl since her "errand as a messenger of anguish was all fulfilled." 

The narrator actually does offer a some information concerning Hester's choice to name her daughter Pearl. He says that Hester choosing the moniker,

not as a name expressive of [Pearl's] aspect, which had nothing of the calm, white unimpassioned lustre that would be indicated by the comparison. But she named the infant "Pearl," as being of great price—purchased with all she had—her mother's only treasure.

In other words, Hester chooses the name because of the high cost of a pearl because her daughter had cost her everything else she had: she went to prison, and she lost her good reputation as well as the chance of ever being able to be with Pearl's father. Also, she treasures Pearl, and so it makes sense to name her after something of great value.

In addition, there is more symbolism to be found in this little girl's name. Pearls are white, and white is often associated with purity and innocence—something with which Hester will not be associated at this point as a result of her extramarital affair—but little Pearl may yet benefit if her name reminds others that though her mother is tainted by her sin, Pearl is innocent of it. Further, a pearl begins as a piece of sand—something neither beautiful nor special—and then, as a result of the work of the oyster into which the grain of sand was taken, it becomes something exceptional and gorgeous and valuable. Perhaps, then, we might look at Pearl's origin of Hester's illegal and unethical affair as her inauspicious beginning (the grain of sand), so that we can look with hope toward her development into something exceptional and beautiful (the pearl which develops from the sand). 

There's also the broader symbolism having to do with nature, and pearls are found in nature. Unlike many female Puritan names that focus on virtue (Prudence, Constance, Charity, and so forth), Pearl's name is derived from something in nature rather than any virtue championed by society. In this way, then, Hester differentiates her child from her community and draws on the beauty and goodwill of nature—something the narrator discusses early on in his description of the rose bush outside the prison and which becomes apparent when Hester removes her cap and letter in the woods, later on.

Pearl's name is symbolic in that pearls have a luster or radiance about them, just as Hester's daughter does. Hester dresses her in fabrics that reflect the radiance of her soul. Pearl was the product of sin, yet she does not suffer any physical characteristics from the turmoil that resulted in her birth. Pearl is rare as she does not accept the poor treatment she receives from the townsfolk quietly, and her unique (and temperamental) personality is fitting for one named Pearl.

The name Dimmesdale sounds as if one is not bright. And it can be argued that some of his choices were not the smartest he could have made. Dimmesdale allows Hester to bear the brunt of the humiliation for their sin, although he is being eaten away by his secret guilt. Dimmesdale is also to Chillingworth's motives, as well. He does not seem to grasp that the constant prying into his life is not of any medical necessity. Chillingworth was supposed to be helping him medically, not trying to psychologically manipulate him. Dimmesdale does not seem to know what Chillingworth is up to.

Chillingworth's name reflects his cold personality, as well as the frosty reaction to his physical appearance he receives. Coupled with his name, his appearance adds to the perception of his true evil nature, as the novel progresses, he seems to be getting darker.

The older, slightly deformed man who presents himself as Roger Chillingworth is actually Hester's husband, the man who has been missing for two years. He is not actually a physician, but he feels that his past education and the knowledge he has gained from the Native Americans has prepared him to act as a doctor. To this end, he tells Hester,

"My old studies in alchemy [...] and my sojourn, for above a year past, among a people well versed in the kindly properties of simples, have made a better physician of me than many that claim the medical degree."

No one has seen Chillingworth for two years because he has evidently endured a shipwreck (he says "mishaps by sea and land") and was then captured and kept a prisoner ("held in bonds") by the Native Americans who live south of Boston. One of his captors has brought him to Boston in order to "redeem" him out of his captivity. (This was actually a not uncommon practice among Indian tribes; they might kidnap a colonist and then ransom that person back to their community for goods or food.)

The characters change both physically and mentally. Part of Hawthorne's theme relates to the connection between emotion and appearance, as is best viewed in Dimmesdale and Chillingworth. But lets backtrack.

Hester - changes the least. In the second chapter, she is described as having much beauty and a bit of faint heart. Hawthorne describes her long flowing hair and youthful appearance. She trembles on the gallows and fears the townspeople. However, as time passes, the plain clothing she chooses to wear subdues her appearance. She is never described as old, but as plain, as part of the surroundings. She has accepted her world. Only in the forest does she break free of it. SHe has accepted her fate as well, and becomes calm adn collected around the townspeople and the townsleader, accepting the growing role they provide to her.

Dimmesdale, though initially described as youthful, attractive, and energetic, grows slowly older and weaker. His body thins, his shoulders become stooped, his voice falters when he speaks, and he is prone to illness. As his guilt overwhelms him, his body weighs him down and despite one moment after his visit to the forest, he stays weighed down until the moment of his confession and death.

Chillingworth's body is also corrupted by his internal conflict. Though already old, Hawthorne describes him as increasingly gnarled, gaunt, and harsh in appearance. He looks more demonic with each passing day, as his need for vengeneace consumes. His eyes glow with a fiery and malevolent desire as he closes in on his prey, and he changes from the angry, calm man he was in his prison visit with Hester to the obsessed and irrational man determined to exact the most public revenge possible.

Pearl experiences the most positive change. While the deceit perpetrated by her parents lives, she is described by Hawthorne as bordering on the supernatural. She is elf-like, ostracized by the townspeople, and a mystery to her mother. Upon Dimmesdale's confession, however, Hawthorne immediately describes the peaceful and forgiving change that takes over her face. The epilogue lets us know that she went on to lead, not only a successful life, but a life in which she is embraced by society. Quite different from troubled youth!

While Hester Prynne is the protagonist of The Scarlet Letter, the character of Arthur Dimmesdale is in many ways more interesting and complex. Hester pays continually for having committed the sin of adultery, as she visibly displays the scarlet A on her clothes. She not only accepts the necessity for shame and atonement, but also finds comfort and delight in her sweet daughter, Pearl. Dimmesdale, however, does not publicly acknowledge his role. Rather than admit that he committed a sin, he maintains silence. Even worse, he represents himself as a pious, righteous man, and allows the townspeople to admire him as a role model of moral rectitude.

The burden of living a lie eventually becomes too heavy, however. At the end of the novel, his suffering is represented by a corresponding scarlet A—but this one is burned into his very flesh. Before that dramatic reveal, Dimmesdale passes through several steps that ultimately bring him to public confession. His declining physical condition, as he becomes thin and pale, even ghostly, parallels the decline in his spiritual well-being. A semi-public admission of sin, when he thinks no one is around to hear him, leads him to reconnect with Hester.

It turns out that the scheme they concoct to run away is no solution. They cannot run from their past, especially since Pearl is the all-too-real result. Rather than the initial sin of adultery destroying him, it was lying that took such a harsh toll. Hawthorne uses Dimmesdale to call attention to the hypocrisy of Puritan society, including its preachers.