The Scarlet Letter depicts the life of a woman (Hester Prynne) after being convicted of adultery in a town in puritan New England. Although the story centers around her and her experiences, Hawthorne’s other characters are no less complete in terms of their depth. One such character is Roger Chillingworth, husband of Hester and leech (or doctor) of the town. Symbolism is apparent in his character as the story progresses, especially in his name, which is illuminating as to his significance in the tale. Roger Chillingworth’s cold, unrelenting nature is expressed through his name as well as by his actions within a novel that expresses the power of forgiveness and redemption through goodness.
When Chillingworth arrives in the Massachusetts Bay Colony he is unknown to anyone but Hester and plans to remain so. In order to achieve this end he chooses a false name: Roger Chillingworth. By the time of his arrival in the town he is old, physically misshapen, and his chance for love is long past. His choice of name, Chillingworth, tells the
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Under a false name and a false pretense, Chillingworth befriends Dimmesdale. However, he is never able to fully trust Chillingworth, sometimes describing his presence as uncomfortable, cold, or causing him to shiver. This suspicion is founded in reality, as Roger (suspecting that Dimmesdale is the father of Hester’s daughter) has been enacting-and enjoying- a slow, torturous revenge on the young man. He blames Dimmesdale for ruining his plans for a life with Hester in the new world and externalizes his unhappiness Under Roger’s watchful eye Arthur gets sicker and more consumed with guilt, wasting away as if trapped in a perpetual winter. When he finally reveals his secret to his public during a sermon (and passes away from the excitement and anxiety it causes him) Roger Chillingworth also dies, deprived of a life to leech and having finished carrying out his