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What Is Chillingworth's Role In The Scarlet Letter

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Throughout the story Roger Chillingworth is increasing growing into an eviler version of himself. Since his wife cheated in him and had a child with someone else his only reason for living now is to get revenge on the man that hurt him. Therefore, Chillingworth is becoming the devilish version of himself and plays a specific role in the story, he is more degenerate than Hester and her lover, and at the end of the story he tries to redeem himself by leaving Pearl his fortune. Initially, Chillingworth plays the role of an antagonist. As the story goes on Chillingworth is trying to find the man the bestowed Hester with a child and when he does he digs so deep into Dimmesdale’s heart continuously harming him. Hawthorne states, “old Roger Chillingworth was a striking evidence of man's faculty of transforming himself into a devil.” His quest for revenge worsened each day and “This unhappy person had effected such a transformation by devoting himself for seven years to the constant analysis of a heart full of torture, and deriving his enjoyment thence.” To finalize, Chillingworth is making himself the evilest version pf himself and opposes Dimmesdale’s, therefore, he is an antagonist. Secondly, Chillingworth has …show more content…

Chillingworth dug at the minister’s heart years upon years with what Dimmesdale thought was to help him, but in the end he was only prolonging his suffering. In addition, the continuous years of torture he bestowed upon Dimmesdale was too great of a crime for him to redeem himself. He spent all of his years in the town “devoting himself for seven years to the constant analysis of a heart full of torture, and deriving his enjoyment thence, and adding fuel to those fiery tortures which he analyzed and gloated over.” To further, his soul purpose for several years was torture, so leaving his small fortune to Pearl was not good enough to redeem

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Dimmesdale and Chillingworth both have secrets that make them look and act differently, their secrets affect their character and how they do their job. Dimmesdale is the father of Pearl but he doesn 't want to face the same humiliation as Hester did for his sins. Because of his secret he self punishes and fasts, he also preaches better than he did before although his health is failing. Chillingworth’s secret is that he was the husband of Hester while he was away, before she cheated on him. Chillingworth gets uglier and uglier driven by the need to get revenge on Pearl’s father.

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When Chillingworth first arrives into town he claims to be a doctor, by saying this he has to take room with Dimmesdale, to nurse him back to health. Chillingworth's living arrangement leads to the revelation of Dimmesdale's secret. When the truth is revealed the start of Chillingworth's torturous act upon Dimmesdale begins.

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1404 Words | 6 Pages

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