The vigils he keeps are representative of this inward struggle to ascertain his heavenly status, the status of his very soul. In Puritan terms, Dimmesdale's predicament is that he is unsure of his soul's status: He is exemplary in performing his duties as a Puritan minister, an indicator that he is one of the elect however, he knows he has sinned and considers himself a hypocrite, a sign he is not chosen. One really cannot understand Dimmesdale or his dilemma without at least a cursory understanding of the Puritans who inhabited Boston at this time (see the essay "The Puritan Community" in the Critical Essays) and Hawthorne's psychological perspective through which he presents this tragic character. Of the four major characters in this novel, which investigates the nature of evil and sin and is a criticism of Puritan rigidity and intolerance, Dimmesdale is the only Puritan.
He also has the principal conflict in the novel, and his agonized suffering is the direct result of his inability to disclose his sin. There is no doubt that he is devoted to God, passionate in his religion, and effective in the pulpit. An ordained Puritan minister, he is well educated, and he has a philosophical turn of mind. He has large, melancholy eyes and a tremulous mouth, suggesting great sensitivity.
Dimmesdale, the personification of "human frailty and sorrow," is young, pale, and physically delicate.
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