Arguably, Rev.
's condition is psychosomatic. This means that his physical ailments stem from a very disturbed
state of mind, and that the latter manifests in physical symptoms that connect to the situation
that he is going through.
In his case, guilt has made him weak to the point
of consistent depression. This same guilt has made him self-mutilate by carving a letter
"A" on his chest. It would be benighted to ignore the collateral issues that can
surface from self-mutilation, namely, infection of the wounds, bleeding out profusely, pain,
discomfort, fevers associated to the wounds, and much more.
In addition to
this, Dimmesdale's consistent physical and mental pain can result in an overall shutdown of the
body. It is no surprise that the man could nearly point out the minute he would die. He was
already dying slowly for the seven years that he kept the secret of his sins.
Chillingworth was able to tell as much. It is he who decides that Dimmesdale has
somewhat of an "animal" nature, "saintly" as he may be. He also points to
Dimmesdale about the sins of the soul and how they attack the body as disease.
Thus, a sickness, continued[..]confronting the
emaciated and white-cheeked minister, with his low, dark, and misshapen
figure,a sickness, a sore place, if we may so call it, in your spirit, hath
immediately its appropriate manifestation in your bodily frame
We know that Dimmesdale was emaciated, depressed, in pain, looking melancholy, and with
every sign of illness in his body. The reason for all of this was his secret. If he did not have
anything to hide, or had not been within the first place, he would have remained the "young
divine" that everyone loved so much. Therefore, it is safe to argue that his illness was,
indeed, psychosomatic.
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