Scarlet Letter Revenge Quotes

As the husband of an unfaithful spouse, Roger Chillingworth had every reason to release his rage upon his spouse’s lover―even if it means to lose control and following the devil’s path as his emissary. The novel, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, explores the story of Chillingworth’s wife, Hester Prynne, as she is required to express herself through a bright red “A” embroidered on her clothing. Although Chillingworth is not the main character of the novel, his symbolism as “the black man,” references to a leech, and correlation with the theme of revenge proves his significance in the story as if it was the last piece of a puzzle to complete. To thoroughly understand Roger Chillingworth, this essays analyzes how his actions has affected

In this section of the novel, a day in Chillingworth’s life can be read by the readers, in which they discover his horrid treatment towards Dimmesdale, such as prescribing unreliable medicine. The final evidence of Chillingworth’s rotten treatment took place when he started playing with Dimmesdale’s mentality, causing his wife’s lover to become fully ill. Just like the title of the chapter and his given title, Chillingworth can be compared to a leech―leeches are bloodsucking creatures that causes ultimate blood loss and possibly death, and with Chillingworth, he is trying to suck the life out of Dimmesdale to the point of unfair treatment as a pursuit of an unforgetable revenge. Since the start of his revenge, the novel has also taken notice on Chillingworth’s deteriorating appearance, further describing him as, “the former aspect of an intellectual and studious man, calm and quiet, which was what [Hester] best remembered in him, had altogether vanished, and been succeeded by a eager, searching, almost fierce, yet carefully guarded look” (253). This image of his face is a result of his desire for revenge. As

Puritans, like Hester and Dimmesdale, believed in purifying religion and political corruption. For their views of sinning, puritans believed everyone was born with the original sin, thus making puritans more stern and strict when it comes to being good in order to be with God after death. Chillingworth is noted as the villain of the novel by Pearl who, “laughed aloud, and shouted—‘Come away, mother! Come away, or yonder old black man will catch you! He hath got hold of the minister already” (201). Chillingworth’s mostly connected to “the black man”: the devil, someone the puritans would like to stay away from and avoid. In the puritan society, “the black man” is described as someone with “something in [their] heart is sealed away; and it is the ability to sacrifice oneself for the good of others” which Chillingworth certainly has as the emotional struggle [of being depressed from his wife’s affair] in which Chillingworth is concealed because he’s way too focused on revenge, that he’s detached from ordinary human pursuits. This example can be shown when Chillingworth rips Dimmesdale’s shirt open and the many sickening prescribed medicines he treats Dimmesdale with. One can even say Chillingworth is portrayed as an impenitent; he senses a need for spiritual philosophy