Scarlet Letter Essay -- Literary Analysis, Hawthorne

After the death of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s character Dimmesdale from the book the Scarlet Letter, there have been many theories about the cause of his death. Some literary analyzers claim that his guilt was the cause of his death. Others say that Roger Chillingworth, a physician, poisoned him with Atropine and Scopolamine. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book The Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale’s guilt appears to be the cause of his death, but his symptoms point towards Atropine and Scopolamine poisoning. In The Scarlet Letter, all the symptoms Dimmesdale experiences provide evidence that he is poisoned with Atropine and Scopolamine. The action of gripping hard at the breast leads readers to believe that Dimmesdale is poisoned with Scopolamine and Atropine. Gripping hard at his breast is a cardio vascular symptom which is associated to Scopolamine and Atropine poisoning. Shafer points out that â€Å"he was often observed, on any slight alarm, to put his hand over his heart, with first a flush and then a paleness, indicative of pain† (qtd. in Hawthorne 88). Scopolamine and Atropine poisoning causes pain in the chest therefore Dimmesdale’s symptom is one of chronic intoxication. Shafer quotes Hawthorne saying how the gripping of the chest â€Å"had now become a constant habit, rather than a casual gesture, to press his hand over his heart† (qtd. in Hawthorne 88). Because Dimmesdale forms the constant habit of putting his hand over his heart, it shows that he constantly has pain in his chest and is being gradually poisoned. Other symptoms of Scopolamine and Atropine poisoning that Dimmesdale experiences are gait disturbances, tremors, and convulsions. Shafer mentions that Dimmesdale has a nervous â€Å"despondency in his [Dimmesdale’s] air†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (qtd... ...n occur. If overdosed, Atropine can cause very serious consequences but fatalities from Atropine poisoning are very rare but can occur in adults and children. Atropine is the safest alkaloid of all the potential alkaloids. Since death caused by Atropine alone is very rare, the fatal dose has not medically been discovered. If ever overdosed, the side effects of dry mouth, blurred vision, photophobia, anhidrosis, and constipation are unavoidable. Although The Scarlet Letter makes readers believe that Dimmesdale died of guilt, there is enough medical evidence to prove that he was poisoned by Scopolamine and Atropine. Not only is there enough evidence of the poison, there is also evidence on how Chillingworth caused his death. All in all, Dimmesdale’s death in The Scarlet Letter was caused because of Scopolamine and Atropine poisoning by Roger Chillingworth.