ABSTRACT
Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale, in the protective gloom of the forest surrounding Boston, have had their fateful reunion. Hester has revealed the identity of Chillingworth and has succeeded in winning Dimmesdale’s forgiveness for her secrecy. Hester, whose will is relatively independent and strong, is the one who makes the decision to break with the past. The masochistic course leads straight to death, while the other, which Dimmesdale allows Hester to choose for him, is by so foreign to his withered, guilt-ridden nature that it can never be put into effect. All parties can agree that there is a terrible irony in Dimmesdale’s exhilaration when he has resolved to flee with Hester. Dimmesdale is helpless to reform himself because the passional side of his nature has found an outlet, albeit a self-destructive one, in his present miserable situation. Dimmesdale’s sexual energy has temporarily found a new alternative to its battle with repression—namely, sublimation.
