Stupid Dimmesdale and His Stupid Ironies

Dimmesdale is really starting to grind my gears. He is a gigantic hypocrite and has completely deluded himself. He says that he is afraid that people will recognize his features in Pearl’s face, but then is upset when Pearl does not want to be loved by him. He complains about how children don’t like him, yet he does not remember the time Pearl came up and held his hand in the governor’s mansion. He comes back to Boston ecstatic that he is leaving, but full of false humility. He is upset that the old witch is talking to him about the Black Man, when he pretty much just returned from the Black Man. Also, when he sees Chillingworth, he is upset that this man is leading a double existence to harm him, but Dimmesdale is doing the same thing, and leading the same kind of double existence for the public. Earlier in class, I defended Dimmesdale by saying that the only thing that kept him from confessing was his fear that he would hurt his parishioners. I don’t believe it anymore. Dimmesdale is just afraid to confess. That is why he is running away.