Differences Between Chillingworth And Dimmesdales In The Scarlet Letter

In Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter, a women, Hester Pryne, who lives in the village becomes pregnant after her husband allegedly passes away. In the puritan community, this is a sin of adultery and Hester is brought to the scaffold in front of the entire village to be shamed. By the middle of the novel, it is realized that Arthur Dimmesdale is the father of Pearl, Hester’s baby. Roger Chillingworth comes back and conceives the idea of Dimmesdale being the father and starts his vengeance. In Hawthorne’s the Scarlet Letter, Chillingworth and Dimmesdale differ in their personalities, their positions in the village, and their relationship with Hester. In Hawthorne’s the Scarlet Letter, Chillingworth and Dimmesdale differ in their personalities. In the beginning of the novel, Dimmesdale is the Puritan Minister who is well educated, has a philosophical mind, but has a hard time disclosing sin from his personal life. Chillingworth has the personality of a scholar and is very well educated and when he returns, presents himself as a doctor. As the time continues and everyone is trying to figure out who the

The two relationships can be contrasted as Hester loving Dimmesdale and Hester wanting nothing to do with Chillingworth. Hester loves Dimmesdale and wishes that he could replace the role that Chillingworth previously had. Hester wants nothing to do with Chillingworth and wishes he had never come back. She doesn’t like how much Chillingworth has changed and how he has an evil vengeance attitude. In the novel it is stated, “Art thou like the Black Man that haunts the forest round about us? Hast thou enticed me into a bond that will prove the ruin of my soul?” (112). This quote accurately describes how Hester, among many other people, viewed Chillingworth towards the end of the novel. He had become evil and sinister and only seeked revenge on