Mine Enemy Is Growing Old

Dickinson and The Scarlet Letter

What words do you think of when someone mentions The Scarlet Letter? Revenge? Sin? Suffering? Happiness? All of these words describe Nathaniel Hawthorne's book, especially in relation to a few of Emily Dickinson's poems. "For each Ecstatic Instant" and "Mine Enemy is Growing Old" are sometimes described as being written about certain characters from The Scarlet Letter. This is true and they are appropriate to read in conjunction with this book.

If you haven't read "For Each Ecstatic Instant," it is about the balance of emotion. For every happiness there will be sorrow and vice versa. Pearl instantly comes to mind for two different reasons. Hester Prynne committed adultery and is punished for her crime as

They might have enjoyed it during the act but they both suffer for years afterwards. Hester had to deal with public shaming and pregnancy and Dimmesdale had to deal with his guilt, sickness, and finally death.

"Mine Enemy is Growing Old" by Emily Dickinson is about revenge. It represents Roger Chillingsworth perfectly. "Mine enemy is growing old, I have at last Revenge." Dimmesdale dies and Chillingsworth finally gets revenge on the man his wife loved. "'Anger as soon as fed is dead." As soon as Chillingworth finally gets his revenge, its all gone. "Starving makes it fat." The longer Chillingsworth was aiding Dimmesdale, his secret hate grew larger and larger.

The basis of this poem is that when you do revenge, its not enjoyable. It is usually anticlimactic and disappointing. During the whole book, Chillingsworth is angry and vengeful towards Hester and Dimmesdale. His need for revenge grows until Dimmesdale dies. On page 270 of Chapter 24, the narrator describes Chillingsworth as "positively withered up, shriveled away, and almost vanished." The narrator describes him as not knowing what to do after his revenge was successful because he dedicated his life to this act of revenge. He died within the