1. Students should look for examples of Dimmesdale's guilt (his hand is over his heart, he is physically ill, he cannot hear truths spoken by Pearl because he is not true to himself).
2. In "Interior of a Heart" Dimmesdale speaks about sin in his sermons. Ask students why is irony revealed in the reaction of the people? (students should understand that he speaks passionately about sin because he feels so much guilt, but the people feel that he is wise and respect him even more).
3. In "The Minister's Vigil", Dimmesdale screams out the truth in the night and nobody wakes up. Ask students, why this, too, is ironic (students should see that the people do not want to know that their religious leader is a sinner because it would mean their lives are influenced by falsities; they choose not to know the truth).
4. In "Minister in a Maze", Dimmesdale has many impure thoughts and crosses the paths of a few that he may have a negative influence on. Ask students how Hawthorne is showing the ironies of Puritan society with this (again, students should see that Puritans should not have impure thoughts and the fact that this religious leader does, shows the ironies).
5. Students should look up these words in the symbolism dictionary and write how they relate to Dimmesdale.

Discussion should revolve around how Hawthorne uses these symbols to create a character that represents the ironies in Puritan society.

Lessons

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