Dimmesdale is the town's minister and a gifted orator. He is seen as a powerful figure in his community and, as a result, is the essence of what patriarchal society is in this time period. His character's downfall comes when he succumbs to guilt over having been adulterous with Hester Prynne. This is illustrated by his deplorable physical health which is a representation of his poor spiritual and mental well-being. It is stated in the story: "He looked haggard and weak, and betrayed a nerveless despondency in his air... Here it was sadly visible, in this intense isolation of the forest, which in itself would have been a severe trial to the spirits" ( Hawthorne , 129). Hawthorne describes Hester as the individual who finally freed Dimmesdale from guilt by confessing in order to demonstrate the need for feminist qualities in a patriarchal society (Thomson, 2011). He states: “Finally… I am where, seven years ago, I should have been; here, with this woman, whose arm, more than the little strength with which I have crawled here, supports me, in this terrible moment, from prostrating myself with my face to the ground!” (Hawthorne 174). Hawthorne demonstrates, with the novel's climax, the importance of feminism not only for the emancipation of the individual but also as a force for change in the norms of our society (Hester Prynne: Sinner,