The revelation of his scarlet letter is Dimmesdale's verification of his sin as well as a figurative opening of his soul to the townspeople. So long tortured by the guilt of the concealment of his adultery, Dimmesdale, in his final act, exposes everything. His dying triumph is this revelation, for he has at last conquered his weakness, the weakness that made him earlier think that he was serving the Lord:
...retaining...a zeal for God's glory and man's welfare, they shrink from displaying themselves...because, thenceforward, no good can be achieved by them....
Since this decisive act, a victory over himself as well as the evil Chillingworth, comes in Dimmesdale's dying moments, there is no reason for the minister not to confess. In fact, he realizes that he must confess all if he is to save his soul. The revelation of Dimmesdale's chest is, thus, a climactic action that underscores Hawthorne's theme:
Be true! Be true! Be true. Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred!
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