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Dimmesdale's Secret Suffering and Self-Punishment from "The Scarlet Letter". Dimmesdale, tormented by guilt, engages in secret acts of penance, including fasting and scourging himself.

during the years of Chillingworth's torment

Dimmesdale's Secret Suffering and Self-Punishment

Dimmesdale, tormented by guilt, engages in secret acts of penance, including fasting and scourging himself. He delivers powerful, moving sermons that are admired by his congregation, but he feels like a hypocrite. He longs to confess his sin publicly but lacks the courage. His health deteriorates under the combined weight of guilt and Chillingworth's psychological torture.