ipl-logo

Chillingworth's Loss Of Innocence In Scarlet Letter

965 Words4 Pages

After two years of absence, Roger Chillingworth arrives to the hometown of his wife Hester Prynne. As he enters the town, he discovers that the townspeople are consuming all of the space that the market place holds. He soon realizes that the people are basking in content at a woman being shamed and humiliated for her wrongdoing. Seeking a better view, Chillingworth discovers that his "dutiful" wife is being punished for her immoral, sinful acts of adultery. He sees that the people treat her with disdain for conceiving a child out of wedlock. Consumed with anger, Chillingworth stands watching in silence. Rather than cause a scene in the middle of the town, he makes a decision: he decides to retaliate to Hester's promiscuous actions. In Nathanial …show more content…

As he arrives into the town and sees Hester on the scaffold, Roger Chillingworth inquires to a townsperson, "'I pray you, good sir,' said he,' who is this woman?-- and wherefore is she here set up to public shame?'" (Hawthorne 46). Chillingworth is attempting to conceal who he really is in relation to Hester. Hester immediately recognized him, however "he slowly and calmly raised his finger, made a gesture in the air, and laid it on his lips" (Hawthorne 46). Roger Chillingworth does not want Hester to reveal who he is because is would destroy his reputation. Later on in novel, Chillingworth forces Hester to keep his identity a secret from Dimmesdale, the townspeople, and Pearl. Chillingworth begs, "'One thing, thou that wast my wife, I would enjoin upon thee...Thou hast kept the secret of thy paramour, Keep, likewise, mine! There are none in this town that know me.'" (Hawthorne 68). Roger Chillingworth is new to the town where Hester lives so no one knows who he is. The townspeople believe that Hester's husband was lost at sea and is dead. In order for him to proceed with his mischievous schemes. He uses his deceitful nature to accomplish his vengeful and nefarious …show more content…

Throughout Hawthorne's novel, Chillingworth casts his revenge upon Reverend Dimmesdale for his sinful nature. In chapter 23, Dimmesdale understands that he is close to dying and he decides to confess his adulteress actions to the townspeople. It does not take long for Chillingworth to realize what is about to happen, he "thrust himself through the crowd...to snatch back his victim from what he sought to do"(Hawthorne 231). Dimmesdale is planning to admit his sins to the townspeople, which would cause Chillingworth's reign of revenge to end. He will do anything possible to prevent Dimmesdale from confessing his immoral behavior to the townspeople. As soon as he reaches Dimmesdale, Chillingworth exclaims, "'Madman, hold! what is your purpose?' whispered he, 'Wave back that woman! Cast off this child! All shall be well! Do not blacken your fame, and perish in dishonor! I can yet save you! Would you bring infamy on your sacred profession?'"(Hawthorne 194). Chillingworth is trying to stop Dimmesdale from revealing his sin, not to save his life, but to allow his villainous streak to prosper. Dimmesdale, however, continues with his confession, which angers Chillingworth greatly. Roger Chillingworth illustrates his anger when he states, "'Thou hast escaped me!'"(Hawthorne 197). Chillingworth realizes that he has lost to Dimmesdale, and he can no longer fulfill his vengeful plans. His

Show More
Related
558 Words | 3 Pages

Hester wants to reveal the secret, but Chillingworth wants to keep it concealed in order to torture Dimmesdale even more (Hawthorne, 1994, pp. 118-119). This shows the devious aspect of his character. The association between Chillingworth and Hester transitions from a professional to personal relationship as the truth of Chillingworth’s real intentions comes to the

Read More
907 Words | 4 Pages

However, her husband has found her, and is determined to find the man who solicited the baby his wife gave birth to. Ambiguity is portrayed throughout the book by utilizing characters, symbolism, and setting. Hester’s husband Roger Chillingworth, is an extremely deceptive character. While his actions are cruel, they are in the name of his love, Hester.

Read More
1091 Words | 5 Pages

Chillingworth is described as having been “calm in temperament, kindly... a pure and upright man” (88), throughout his life. However, while living in the Puritan town, he allows his quest for vengeance to consume him, and “he now [digs] into the poor clergyman’s heart, like a miner searching for gold; or rather, like a sexton [gravedigger] delving into a grave, possibly in quest of a jewel that had been buried on the dead man’s bosom” (88). Chillingworth is determined in his search for retribution, so much in fact

Read More
660 Words | 3 Pages

Chillingworth is trying to find out who the father is and he comes to believe that it is Dimmesdale and manages to get into Dimmesdale’s head like he planned. Chillingworth drops hints to Dimmesdale to try to let him know he knows his secret. He talks about where he go his new medicine and calls Dimmesdale out on his lying in the process, “They grew out of his heart, and typify, it may be, some hideous secret that was buried with him, and which he has done better to confess during his lifetime” (Hawthorne 90). Here chillingworth is telling Dimmesdale that it is better to confess a sin while you are living, than to take that secret to the grave. Dimmesdale here reaches his breaking point and begins to have mental breakdowns and his illness grows

Read More
1836 Words | 8 Pages

Chillingworth has been torturing Dimmesdale for the past 7 years, in order to punish him for committing adultery with Hester, Chillingworth’s wife. Hester did not tell Dimmesdale about this fact and at first he does not forgive her for not disclosing the truth. After, he does forgive her and Hester takes off the Scarlet Letter. In this passage and at other instances in the novel, Hawthorne raises the question of where is happiness found.

Read More
791 Words | 4 Pages

Chillingworth is a good guy who has done everything right except for wanting revenge on Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale is also a good guy who has done everything right except for commit adultery with Hester. Their personalities are very similar in the way they act toward Hester and the way they speak to other characters in the story. Dimmesdale and Chillingworth actually are so close in their personalities that they become friends when Chillingworth becomes Dimmesdale’s doctor. They both open up to each other too about how they are unhappy.

Read More
978 Words | 4 Pages

Now, in Chapter 12 after dealing with Chillingworth's remarks and hate towards Dimmesdale, he is evidently fed up with his presence. As he, Hester, and Pearl are on the scaffold and Pearl points towards Chillingsworth. He makes this remark toward Hester, “ ‘Who is that man, Hester?’...’I shiver at him! Dost thou know the man? I hate him, Hester!’

Read More
902 Words | 4 Pages

Chillingworth witness his wife, Hester, on the scaffold when he first arrives back from his voyage. From that moment of recognition, Chillingworth had every opportunity to resolve this conflict without wrath. Nonetheless, he chooses to seek vengeance as he conveys to Hester, “I shall seek this man as I have sought truth in books… his fame, his position, his life, will be in my hands”

Read More
1270 Words | 6 Pages

He moves in with Dimmesdale, and claims he will care for him, but the public cannot see that his intention is to torture Dimmesdale. Hawthorne explains, “The intellect of Roger Chillingworth had now a sufficiently plain path before it. It was not, indeed, precisely that which he had laid out for himself to tread. Calm, gentle, passionless, as he appeared, there was yet, we fear, a quiet depth of malice, hitherto latent, but active now, in this unfortunate old man, which led him to imagine a more intimate revenge than any mortal had ever wreaked upon an enemy” (126). He deliberately chooses to drive Chillingworth into insanity.

Read More
1305 Words | 6 Pages

asked Roger Chillingworth again” (Hawthorne 141). In questioning his malevolent acts towards Dimmesdale, it proves that Chillingworth fails to take responsibility

Read More
1030 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout this meeting between Chillingworth and Hester, he expresses that Hester’s

Read More
1404 Words | 6 Pages

When Roger Chillingworth sees the ‘A’ on Dimmesdale’s chest, is any “man [had] seen old Roger Chillingworth, at that moment in his ecstasy, he would have had no need to ask how Satan comports himself”(135). Because Dimmesdale sinned against Chillingworth, Chillingworth becomes a shadow of his former self, often compared to a leech that sucks the essence of Dimmesdale. This satanic alteration of Chillingworth is solely due to the act of adultery that Dimmesdale performed, and all of the negative acts of Chillingworth are also traced back to his act of adultery. Because of the alteration of Chillingworth, Dimmesdale’s sin also has negative consequences on the townspeople. In the town, the opinion that Chillingworth was “[either] Satan himself, or Satan’s emissary”(124).

Read More
550 Words | 3 Pages

Chillingworth shows no restraint in persecuting Dimmesdale to achieve his ends. When he arrives in the town he finds that a man has committed adultery with his wife, which “[leads] him to imagine a more intimate revenge than any mortal had ever wreaked upon an enemy.” From that moment, Chillingworth swears to exact his retribution. He forms a plan which will only satisfy his selfish desire to destroy the man that wronged him.

Read More
1322 Words | 6 Pages

He disappeared for a period of time and Hester didn´t know if he was even alive. All this time Chillingworth had been captured by Indians and was living with them. When he came back to Boston, Chillingworth finds Hester on the scaffold holding a baby that´s not his and wearing a scarlet “A” on her chest. Chillingworth talks to Hester and asks her who is the child´s father, but Hester refuses to tell him. In that moment Chillingworth swears revenge, but not towards Hester, since he thinks that the scarlet letter and Pearl is punishment enough and that she has received what she deserves.

Read More
754 Words | 4 Pages

Galileo Galilei “All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them” (quotesgram.com 2016) Galileo Galilei lived between 1564 and 1642. He was considered as the father of modern science and was an astronomer, physicist, engineer, philosopher and a mathematician. He made major discoveries in the solar system, found out that the planets didn’t revolve around the Earth, invented an improvised telescope, wrote a book called the starry messenger that made him a celebrity in Italy and was placed on trial for advocating heliocentrism (Helden, 2016).

Read More

More about Chillingworth's Loss Of Innocence In Scarlet Letter

Related Topics

Open Document