Inside the Heart, focuses on Reverend Dimmesdale. It give the readers a personal understanding to Dimmesdale's feelings, reputation, and relationships. In the beginning of the chapter, Hawthorne states that Chillingworth and Dimmesdale's relationship is akward. Chillingworth's determination for revenge aggravates Dimmesdale. He's make the Reverend uncomfortable by asking too many personal questions. While the relationship between the two becomes difficult, Dimmesdale's relationship with the church is promising. The town's people think that Dimmesdale is a messenger from heaven above:
"They deemed the young clergyman a miracle of holiness. They fancied him the mouth-piece of Heaven’s messages of wisdom, and rebuke, and love. In their eyes, the very ground on which he trod was sanctified." -Hawthorne
With this popular reputation, there is also a great amount of responsibility. A Reverend has to be honest towards God and Dimmesdale's guilt is eating him alive. Dimmesdale is beginning to hate himself and he's starting to beat himself up over it. His guilt and sin is symbolized as a bloody whip in which he's whipping himself with.
"They deemed the young clergyman a miracle of holiness. They fancied him the mouth-piece of Heaven’s messages of wisdom, and rebuke, and love. In their eyes, the very ground on which he trod was sanctified." -Hawthorne
With this popular reputation, there is also a great amount of responsibility. A Reverend has to be honest towards God and Dimmesdale's guilt is eating him alive. Dimmesdale is beginning to hate himself and he's starting to beat himself up over it. His guilt and sin is symbolized as a bloody whip in which he's whipping himself with.
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