Favorite Quotes: “The Scarlet Letter” — Dimmesdale
God knows; and He is merciful! He hath proved his mercy, most of all, in my afflictions. By giving me this burning torture to bear upon my breast! By sending yonder dark and terrible old man, to keep the torture always at red-heat! By bringing me hither, to die this death of triumphant ignominy before the people! Had either of these agonies been wanting, I had been lost forever! Praised be His name! His will be done! Farewell! (ch. 23).
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is a study in the truth of 1Tim 5:24 (to paraphrase): “Some sins come to light right away, some take a while. If the baring of yours is late, may it nonetheless be in time.”
The adulterous Rev. Mr. Dimmesdale dies a death of “triumphant ignominy” because he comes to understand, though almost too late, that the torturous, red-hot letter he bears in secret on his heart and the accusations of the envy-devoured, sinned-against Chillin gworth are means of grace. Dimmesdale discovers in them instruments of a merciful God who will not surrender a loved one to a damning dichotomy between outward piety and inward corruption. If, with pain — actually, precisely through pain —, He will indeed effect that “sanctification without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb 12:14). And so, if tardily, Dimmesdale tells the truth about himself.
E. Digby Baltzell, late professor of sociology at Penn, once said, “Community exists to protect us from ourselves.”
“Any song that makes you think you’re born to lose, bound to lose, no good to nobody, songs that run you down or poke fun at you because of your bad luck or hard travelin’, I’m out to fight these songs to my very last breath of air, to my last drop of blood. I’m out to sing the songs that will prove to you that this is your world, no matter what color, what size you are or how you were built.” — Woody Guthrie
I never thought I’d be naming Woody Guthrie my theologian of the week. I never thought that crusty folk singer would put me in mind of the hope Christ came to bring. But today he reminded me of how tired I am of fear-based and hope-bereft theology. Somebody gave Eeyore the microphone, and it’s time to take it away.