Book Analysis: Scarlet Letter

It is in these chapters that Roger Chillingworth seeks revenge on Arthur Dimmesdale. In other words, in these chapters Roger Chillingworth acts as a leech that feeds on Arthur Dimmesdale, the leech’s patient. Roger Chillingworth utilizes his cleverness and mentality by claiming that he is living with Arthur Dimmesdale strictly under medical reasons. However, Roger Chillingworth actually lives with Arthur Dimmesdale because of his dilating surmises of who Pearl’s father might be. Roger Chillingworth is able to use his cleverness and mentality in a way that he contrives an identity that permits him to actualize whatever he may desire. With his cleverness and mentality, Roger Chillingworth effectively achieves moral ambiguity.

"On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of

     As she stood on the scaffold, Hester held her newborn Pearl. pearl was the outcome of her unfaithfulness. Pearl had been adequately named, for she was of extreme value to her mother. Hester’s subjection to the crowd of Puritan onlookers is excruciating

In his book, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne tells of a story where a young woman has had an adulterous relationship with a respected priest in a Puritan community. Typical of Hawthorne's writings is the use of imagery and symbolism. In Chapter 12, The Minister's Vigil, there are several uses of imagery when Dimmesdale, the priest, is battling with confessing his sin, which has plagued him for seven years. Three evident techniques used to personify symbolism in this chapter are the use of darkness versus light, the use of inner guilt versus confession, and lastly the use of colors (black versus white).

He,(Dimmesdale), is “a rare case…I must search this matter to the bottom” (Hawthorne, 158). When Chillingworth overheard Dimmesdale having a bad dream, he entered his quarters and “laid his hand upon his bosom, and thrust aside the vestment, that, … had always covered it even from the professional eye” (Hawthorne, 159). What Chillingworth saw there, no one knows, but we know that he saw Dimmesdale’s sin on his chest. “… With a wild look of wonder, joy, and horror … (with) the extravagant gestures with which he threw up his arms towards the ceiling, and stamped his foot upon the floor” (Hawthorne, 159). When Chillingworth becomes the Devil, he is doing many strange things. Chillingworth is keeping himself secluded, and is seen lurking around town in a creepy manner. Roger secluded himself from everyday life to keep his plot for revenge focused. His plot is working too, Dimmesdale’s “… soul shivers … at the sight of the man” (Hawthorne, 240). Chillingworth is also spending a great deal of time in the “forest trees … searching for roots and twigs, for his strange medicines” (Hawthorne, 145). The townspeople even see that Roger Chillingworth is pure evil. When the town first meets Chillingworth, they think he is a kind old doctor that would not harm a soul. “ At first, his expression had been meditative, scholar like” (Hawthorne,

He is supposed to be the most moral and virtuous of all, however there is nothing virtous about being with another man’s wife. However, Dimmesdale wasn’t as malicious as Chillingworth. One of the many traits that set the two apart was that fact that Dimmesdale was susceptible to guilt. ‘The Scarlett Letter” voiced this guilt stating, “…his inward trouble drove him to practices more in accordance with the old, corrupted faith of Rome… in Mr. Dimmesdale's secret closet, under lock and key, there was a bloody scourge. Oftentimes, this Protestant and Puritan divine had plied it on his

Due to the fact that Hester had an affair with , Roger is determined to figure out who her accomice was and to wreak havoc on his life. Roger knows that his wife cheated on him, yet he has little to no anger towards her, and despite her reasoning to let it go, Chillingworth is tenacious. Just as Iago had a mask on around Othello, Chillingworth was deceptive towards Dimmesdale. Chillingworth was there for Dimmesdale to accompany him and assist him with him mental health, however Chillingworth does the exact opposite. For example during chapter 10, Chillingworth interrogates Dimmesdale and delicately diggs at what Dimmesdale thinks about Hester publically wearing her sin. This makes Dimmesdale uncomfortable however it was a legitimate question to ask because the two of them had become so close, because of the proximity of their relationship Chillingworth had the

Once Roger is aware of this information he becomes close to the minister, and in all his might for revenge does whatever it takes to make Dimmesdale suffer even more: “it came to be widely believed that the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale…was haunted either by Satan himself or by Satan’s messenger in the person of old Roger Chillingworth” (Hawthorne 201). Throughout the book it refers to Dimmesdale as the devil, simply because of the harsh acts he commits are truly evil. Most often it is seen how Roger mentally tortures Dimmesdale in many different ways without Dimmesdale knowing that Roger is aware of his secret. During the progression of the story, it is most obvious to note the progression, or more appropriately the decline in Dimmesdale physical health. Often to punish himself for his sin he would inflict pain or suffering by whip himself, or even fast for much too long of a time that would lead to serious harm: “He looked thinner and more worn down with worry...Either from his failing health or for some other reason, his large dark eyes had a world of pain in their troubled and melancholy depths” (Hawthorne 177). Through the progression of the story Dimmesdale 's health, or the lack thereof, is directly shown from his physical appearance. The physical suffering of Dimmesdale is one that is most apparent as the man begins struggling to walk to collapsing in the arms of Hester right before he dies. Arthur

Reverend Dimmesdale is thin and sickly and always clutches at his chest so Chillingworth becomes his hope for getting better. Though Dimmesdale doesn’t believe medicine can heal him, he caves and agrees to let Chillingworth help him. The two men spend time together and Chillingworth believes that he should analyze the reverend spiritually, physically, and mentally in order to cure him. Over time, they think it is a good idea for them ot temporarily move in together, being that Dimmesdale wasn’t married. Some of the townspeople think it is wise but others start thinking Chillingworth has “ugly and evil in his face” and that he has changed. Chillingowrth is dedicated to finding out who committed adultery with Hester. I think this shows shis darker side that he would do anything to reveal whom his wife cheated on him with.

Another effect on Dimmesdale, seen as his guilt slowly wears him down, is how he compares his actions to those of Roger Chillingworth. This is clearly seen when Dimmesdale claims to Hester, "We are not, Hester, the worst sinners in the world. There is one worse than even the polluted priest! That old man 's revenge has been blacker than my sin. He has violated, in cold blood, the sanctity of a human heart. Thou and I, Hester, never did so!” (Hawthorne 185). Even in the privacy of the forest, he did not want to accept the full reality of his actions. This is a step forward for him, however, because he chooses to actually say aloud that what he did was wrong, just not as wrong as Chillingworth’s terrorizing of him. Eventually, Dimmesdale is able to confess to the public his sin, and this is due to his longing to escape the torture Chillingworth has been putting him through. Dimmesdale is no longer affected by the guilt that his actions brought about, so Chillingworth has no reason to aggravate him anymore. Sadly for the reverend, the shame

Hester raises Pearl all by herself. Yes, without a father and no one else's help Hester cares and provides for Pearl all by herself. This signifies that Pearl doesn't need her baby daddy and no child support she takes all responsibilities like a rightful woman would do. She, knows that she already looks bad because she committed adultery and has the letter on her and that's

Hester keeps this in mind all the time and when you, Governor Bellingham, try to take Pearl away from her, as a protective mother she reacted in an impressive way. “God gave her into my keeping! I will not give her up!” (Hawthorne… pg. 169). Hester is fully aware on her decisions as a mother, she will take bad decisions because of course she is a human like anyone else, but when she takes the right decisions, everyone can see clearly that she does care, and that she will do anything that is in her power, to make things right and to have the things she love not taken away from

It is also night time during this scene which reflects that Dimmesdale is still hiding his secret, because he knows nobody will see him on the scaffold at

Roger Chillingworth and Arthur Dimmesdale appear very similar in how they act, how their actions influence them, and how they respond to these actions. They both untruthfully seem like honorable men to the townspeople, and act as if they truly do conduct themselves in this way. By behaving like this, they delve further into sin and suffering; however, instead of divulging who they really are, they both continue making these mistakes of dishonesty. For example, when Chillingworth comprehends that Dimmesdale is the father of Pearl, he decides to take revenge, but this choice causes “a terrible fascination, a kind of fierce, though still calm, necessity [to seize] the old man” (Hawthorne, 120). Dimmesdale, too, suffers from deteriorating health

The Scarlet Letter, a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a novel that takes place in the town of Boston, Massachusetts in 1642. Hester Prynne, the main character of the story, commits the sin of adultery. Because of this sin, she is "blessed" with a child named Pearl. Her punishment is to wear a scarlet letter “A" on her chest for the rest of her life, which affects the way the townspeople look and act around her. Also, she must stand on the scaffold in the town for three hours for the whole town to recognize her grave sins. The man who should be standing upon the scaffold along with her and Pearl is the town minister, Dimmesdale. He is presented as a weak character because of his fear of losing his beloved reputation as such a holy