Arthur Dimmesdale, a character of great repute, overcome by guilt, torn apart by his own misdeeds, enters the story as the tragic hero whose life becomes a montage of pain and agony because of his mistakes. The themes that led Dimmesdale to become a tragic hero are his guilt over his sin and his reluctance to tarnish his reputation in the town. Guilt plays a huge role in defining Dimmesdale as a tragic hero. Dimmesdale understood that by not revealing his sin he condemned himself. This also ties into the constant struggle with Chillingworth. The mysteries of Dimmesdale's guilty heart cause Chillingworth to delve into his soul and reveal what has been hidden, causing Dimmesdale great pain and suffering. His guilt is taking over, forcing him to inflict pain on himself while also experiencing real and significant suffering. Guilt is not the only theme in the novel that helps characterize Dimmesdale as a tragic hero, but reputation and authority in the community also help characterize him as a tragic hero. Arthur Dimmesdale has a great reputation and authority in his community, which worsens his downfall. The respect he had from his community makes them suffer even more when they see his decline. His excessive pride makes him ignorant to most, until the end, when everything falls apart. He also made a life-changing decision to stay and face his guilt or run from his mistakes. Arthur Dimmesdale, from The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is an example of a tragic hero due to his downfall caused by his guilt and need to uphold his authority in the town. Hawthorne uses dark diction and kinetic imagery to emphasize how Dimmesdale's guilt causes him to experience... middle of paper... reluctance to give up, and he must let Hester do it for him. This guilty diction shows his desire for redemption, but how he cannot do it alone. He wishes he had a chance to right his mistakes, but his pride gets in the way. His arrogance does not allow him to defame himself in the community and Hester must expose him. Terrence Martin explains this by saying that he “cannot give up an identity that brings him the adulation of his parishioners, the respect and praise of his peers” (Martin 93). Martin explains how Dimmesdale cannot let his reputation in town be tarnished, and how his arrogance prevents him from confessing his sin. He cannot bear to lose “the adulation of his parishioners, the respect and praise of his peers.” Dimmesdale's excessive pride in his authority in the town clouds his judgment and makes his downfall even more tragic.