Which practices does Dimmesdale begin as a result of his guilt?

• A. He begins fasting, taking long vigils, and subjecting himself to punishment.
• B. He starts fasting, doing vigils, inflicting self-wounds, and punishing himself.
• C. He begins preaching longer sermons to seek absolution.
• D. He descends into anger and lashes out at others.

Answer: (B)

Guilt drives Dimmesdale to seek atonement through self-imposed suffering. Hawthorne shows that his response to sin is inward discipline and penance rather than outward displays or anger. He begins to fast and keep long vigils, denying himself nourishment and enduring extended periods of prayer and solitude as a way to atone. The idea of inflicting self-wounds, and more generally punishing himself, fits this pattern of self-imposed suffering he uses to cope with his guilt. He does not primarily seek absolution by preaching longer sermons, nor does he vent his guilt as outward anger toward others; those paths aren’t how his guilt is depicted as being confronted. So the best choice captures the self-punishment and bodily penance that characterize his response to guilt.