His dilemma takes up a significant portion of the novel, bringing out Hawthorne's most famous statements on many of the concepts that recur throughout his works: guilt and redemption, truth and falsehood, and others.

Dimmesdale faces a problem that is both simple and paradoxical: the knowledge of his sin, his inability to disclose it to Puritan society, and his desire for confession.

He attempts to ameliorate the pressure of this position by punishing himself (both physically and mentally) and by insisting to his parishioners that he is a base, worthless creature.

Dimmesdale's character serves as a poignant example of the inner turmoil faced by individuals who are caught between their private sins and public personas.

His inability to fully confess and the resulting misinterpretation by his followers underscore the novel's exploration of themes like guilt, redemption, and the often paradoxical nature of virtue in a strict religious society.