Compare And Contrast Chillingworth And Dimmesdale

In the scarlet letter Dimmesdale and Chillingworth are Two of the most secretive main characters. Dimmesdale is a reverend in salem. He is very well liked and respected among the townspeople. Chillingworth at first is also very popular due to the fact he can help reverend Dimmesdale but as time goes on he doesn't rank high in the towns good graces. Each of the two hold a life modifying secrets.

Chapter 10: It is in this chapter that Dimmesdale suspects the intentions of Chillingworth and begins to grow impatient with him. It is ironic because the one man that was meant to cure and soothe Dimmesdale is now doing just the opposite as Dimmesdale becomes stressed and worried even more about his secret being uncovered by his “doctor”. In the scene of Pearl placing the burrs upon the letter, it is seen how the innocence of her life has provided a clear view on life. Unclouded from the distorted takes of society, Pearl is able to see things right and wrong as they truly are.

Although Chillingworth doesn’t know if Dimmesdale is the one who committed the sin with Hester, he still interviews Dimmesdale as if he is a suspect for this sin:“It is as well to have made this step,” said Roger Chillingworth to himself, looking after the minister with a grave smile. “There is nothing lost. We shall be friends again anon. But see, now, how passion takes hold upon this man, and hurrieth out of himself! As with one passion, so with another! He hath done a wild thing ere now, this pious Master Dimmesdale, in the hot passion of his heart!”(125). Earlier in the book when Chillingworth is talking to Hester, Hawthorne describes a smile that the physician has that makes Hester wonder if he is like the Black Man. This smile is displayed again when Dimmesdale rushes out of the room. Chillingworth’s smiles seem to emulate his obsession. Everytime he is trying to find out who committed this sin, or even thinks about it, he smiles. This smile is described as grave, which means, giving cause for alarm. Chillingworth has said that he wants to ruin the soul of whoever committed the sin with Hester. The description of this smile was not meaningless; Chillingworth could already be suspecting Dimmesdale of this sin, and even plotting his revenge. Chillingworth also talks about passion, which is interesting because passion has been talked about when Hester is in the picture.

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.

One of the various ways Chillingworth serves as the devil’s advocate is by being the antithesis of Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, the palpable Jesus figure of the narrative. Chillingworth keenly sets out to devastate Dimmesdale, as Hawthorne informs us when referring to Chillingworth's unearthing of Dimmesdale's secret, “All that guilty sorrow, hidden from the world, whose great heart would have pitied and forgiven, to be revealed to him, the

Dimmesdale and Chillingworth both keep a secret, but these secrets affect them differently. Chillingworth keeps his identity and quest of revenge a secret, while Dimmesdale keeps his sin a secret. Chillingworth’s appearance turns more dark and evil in accordance to his secrets, while Dimmesdale punishes himself for his. Dimmesdale grows more and more delusional and rather insane as the story progresses, however only Chillingworth seems to notice, and speaking of, Chillingworth seems to revel in discovering Dimmesdale’s secret, for he seems to have found his

After their brief encounter Dimmesdale believes he has sold him himself or made a bargain with the Devil. When Dimmesdale finally reaches the comfort of his home, Chillingworth is there awaiting his arrival. Dimmesdale explains to the physician that he no longer has use for his medicines. Chillingworth fears that Dimmesdale has knowledge of his true identity and is now aware that he is “no longer a trusted friend, but his bitterest enemy” (184).

            Later on during the story while Hester and Chillingworth are in the woods talking about Dimmesdale, Hester shouts at Chillingworth, "You search his thoughts. You burrow and rankle in his heart! Your clutch is on his life and you cause him to die daily a living death!" (Pg. 156) Hester knows Chillingworth has more evil in his blood than ever before in his life; he feeds off the pain he causes Dimmesdale and enjoys every minute of it. Chillingworth doesn't realize in the slightest how much more evil flows through his veins now, than did before in his life. It

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

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,

Characterization is a literary element used by the author to present qualities of characters in a literary piece, the purpose of characterization is to make characters credible and make them suitable for the role they play in the work. Authors present various characters possessing dissimilar qualities, to emphasize different aspects of the work. In the novel “The Scarlet Letter”, the author Nathaneil Hawthorn’s depiction of the two male characters, Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth, emphasizes the moral problems of the seventeenth century puritan society. Hence, their different characters contribute vitally to the plot of the novel.

The insanity with Chillingworth trying to get revenge on Dimmesdale is relatable to insanity because his obsession with finding the truth is driving him mad. He pretends to take care of him and become close to him but he’s trying to find out more about him and Hester’s relationship. Chillingworth plans a ridiculously twisted campaign to hurt the minister as much as possible. And Dimmesdale is yet to figure out that his only friend and his doctor is his biggest enemy. When you really think about it Chillingworth is cruel because his revenge plan seems to have kept him alive but Dimmesdale’s life is now a living hell.

He states ‘Prithee, friend leaves me alone with my patients […] What should ail me, to harm this misbegotten and miserable babe? The medicine potent for good as it were my child […] I could do no better’ (Hawthorne76). With this quote shows that at first he appeared humble as he also states the knowledge of the herbs that he beholds. With all this knowledge that he possessed he was considered to be one of the best doctors during that time who also befriended the young minister therefore it was only seen that he help cure the mogul minister. Chillingworth being a revengeful person he was he took the offer and began to investigate which led to a lot more boxes being

When Chillingworth enters town, Dimmesdale’s reputation begins to change because the people believe that Dimmesdale is associating with the ‘black man’- Chillingworth. The community has seen that Dimmesdale’s association with Chillingworth has had a negative impact, and that causes his reputation to suffer. From the point in time when Chillingworth entered the town, the people have seen Dimmesdale become thinner and more nervous and darkness consume Chillingworth, leading to this change in reputation. Dimmesdale has also started holding his hand over his heart frequently, leading to the communal belief that the A was having more of an effect, especially through its effect on Chillingworth and Dimmesdale: “To sum up the matter, it grew to be a widely diffused opinion, that the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, like many other personages of especial sanctity, in all ages of the Christian world, was haunted either by Satan himself, or Satan’s emissary, in the guide of old Roger Chillingworth” (112). By the end of the novel, Dimmesdale’s reputation was at it’s lowest point due to the revelation that he was Hester’s co-adulterer. The people were shocked when this was revealed, as “the multitude, silent till then, broke out in a strange, deep voice of awe and wonder, which could not as yet find utterance, save in this murmur that rolled so heavily after the departed spirit” (222). The conclusion to the novel discussed the repercussions of Dimmesdale’s

Francis Bacon’s essay About Revenge, relates to the Scarlet Letter in the sense that revenge is a waste of time. Revenge is a common motif in Francis Bacon’s essay and the Scarlet Letter. They both explain that nothing good happens from revenge. As Nathaniel Hawthorn portrayed in Scarlet Letter, Chillingworth died after Dimmesdale confessed all of his sins because he had nothing more to live for. He devoted his life to make Dimmesdale’s miserable after he found out he was Hester’s lover. Hawthorn and Bacon both try to convey messages throughout their writings: revenge is a consuming emotion, it brings out an evil side of people and those who seek revenge seem to loose control in themselves.  They believe that taking revenge makes you even