The Scarlet Letter: Dimmesdale's Suffering of Pain and Guilt In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Arthur Dimmesdale suffered the most pain and guilt throughout the entire book. He experienced a prodigious amount of pain that caused guilt from his sin. Dimmesdale inflicted self-punishment due to his unforgiving guilt. He also felt enormous pain when the townspeople praised him. He knew he was not deserving of praise. Dimmesdale’s guilt for not admitting his sin is almost inconceivable. The scaffold was the place that he showed the most pain and self-loathing