I read the book "The Scarlet Letter" and have to do a paper proving something about the character Arthur Dimmesdale. So far for my thesis, all I have is " Arthur Dimmesdale suffering portrays him as a weak individual unworthy of the devotion of Hester and Pearl." I don't think it is elaborate enough, but I may be wrong.

And as for outlining, this paper has to be three pages long (not including title and works cited page). So I don't know how I would put all of my ideas and quotes in order (2-3 quotes per paragraph). Or how I can use them to prove these points. Should I write the essay and go back to the outline, or outline first and then do the essay? What should my outline consist of?