The Scarlet Letter was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and explores the themes of legalism, guilt and sin. It tells the story of a young woman who is thought to have committed adultery. She refuses to tell anyone who the father of her child is. Her punishment is to wear a scarlet letter on her chest for the rest of her life. She is thus branded as a sinner and there can be no forgiveness for her crime. Master Dimmesdale is a young minister who tries to convince the town fathers that it is unfair to force the young women to confess her sins in public. Based on the above, the word that best describes Master Dimmesdale is "Compassionate".
