Roger Chillingworth Scarlet Letter Quotes

“On one side of the portal, and rooted almost at the threshold, was a wild rose-bush, covered, in this month of June, with its delicate gems, which might be imagined to offer their fragrance and fragile beauty to the prisoner as he went in, and to the condemned criminal as he came forth to his doom, in token that the deep heart of Nature could pity and be kind to him." Chapter 1, pg. 46

The Scarlet Letter is a well known novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The novel is composed and written in Salem and Concord, as well as Boston, Massachusetts in the late 1840's. The narrator of the novel is in an omniscent state, meaning he knows more about the characters than the characters know about themselves. Although the narrartor is omniscent, he also makes sure to include his ideas and opinions on situations, making him also greatly subjective. Being subjective, as well as omniscent, historical fiction along with a story displaying constant symbolism is evident.

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 describes Chillingworth as malformed and stooped. He compares Chillingworth to weeds and portrays his business as resembling witchcraft. Chillingworth’s shady and sinister characteristics all portray him as the monarch of hell.

Roger Chillingworth is the symbol for evil in this novel with a personal agenda in place of a moral code making him the perfect example of how duplicity is never beneficial. Hawthorne conveys Chillingworth’s deception in the quote, “It seemed to be his wish and purpose to mask this expression with a smile.” Time and again Chillingworth hid his true identity by presenting himself as a gentle friend and preforming good deeds. For example, he insisted on the priest minimizing his workload in order to prevent an early death. Nevertheless, when Roger made the decision to seek revenge on his wife’s lover, Arthur Dimmesdale, he descended into a deep evil derangement becoming somewhat of a heartbroken devil. Consequently, this sealed his own tragic fate. "In a word, old Roger Chillingworth was a striking evidence of man's faculty of transforming himself into a devil, if he will only, for a reasonable space of time, undertake a devil's office." Chillingworth was an extremely learned scholar void of compassion who in the end, was the cause of his own demise. Roger Chillingworth was another character used by Hawthorne to show that deceit and dishonesty can do no good in the long

Physically deformed and mysterious, Roger Chillingworth finally met his wife after being separated from her for almost two years.  He showed no great anger towards her and took upon himself some of the accountability saying it was “...my folly and thy weakness,” (Hawthorne 52) which was the cause of Hester's sin.  Chillingworth's only feeling was one of revenge towards the man who had been Hester's lover.  Chillingworth was obsessed by hate and revenge so much that when Dimmesdale died “... the life seemed to have departed...” (Hawthorne 72) from him and he died within a year of Dimmesdale's death.  Chillingworth never felt guilt or attempted repentance because he “... violated, in cold blood, the sanctity of a human heart.” (Hawthorne 133).  He sought to destroy Dimmesdale's

Chillingworth will not bear the shame in regards to his unfaithful wife, nor be burdened with supporting and providing for her. He is truly a cruel and twisted man. This unfaithfulness to his wife is not his only shame; he also is responsible for the daily, mental torture of Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale. “She doubted not, that the continual presence of Roger Chillingworth, –the secret poison of his malignity, infecting all the air about him, –and his authorized interference, as a physician, with the minister’s physical and spiritual infirmities, –that these bad opportunities had been turned into a cruel purpose” (Hawthorne132).

While Chillingworth is guilty of breaking the eighth commandment, he also breaks the fifth commandment "You shall not kill" (Gerber 24). It fact that Chillingworth did not directly kill anyone in the novel. Nevertheless, a serious act of anger or hatred is considered a sin under this commandment (Gerber 25). Chillingworth takes up residence with the Reverend Dimmesdale to care for his sickly heart. However, he uses this opportunity to punish the minister. Chillingworth becomes "a chief actor in the poor minister's interior world" (Hawthorne 137). This gives him the ability to make the minister suffer both mental and physical agony. Is the intention to punish another in anger not an act of hatred? Is causing a man to suffer emotionally and physically not a way of killing his spirit? Furthermore, is aggravating a man's illness until it kills him not murder? Chillingworth is guilty of all these offences.

As Chillingworth continues on his path of avenging his honor and punishing the man who got away from the whole affair unscathed, a very obvious change begins to occur in him as his character begins to deteriorate. It is asserted that, after many years of being obsessed over the retribution of his honor,“[his] intellect has now a sufficiently plain path before it... Calm, gentle, passionless, as he appears, there is yet... a quiet depth of malice...which leads him to imagine a more intimate revenge than any mortal had ever wreaked...” (128).

            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

Predictably, what Chillingworth finds under Dimmesdale's shirt may be a scarlet letter of his own doing, or some other mark. Whatever it is, Chillingworth seems to have secured his prey. I’m assuming he’s going to keep pulling Dimmesdale apart, if slowly. He may also be spiraling lower, even to a physical degree, distorting his face and morals. The author seems to be writing emphatically that revenge and cowardice will destroy you, and truth is the only route to forgiveness from others and to forgive oneself. I believe Hawthorne doesn’t want us to aim for societal acceptance,

The Scarlet Letter: A romance published in 1850, a book of fiction in a historical setting, written by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist, dark romantic, and short story writer. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, to Nathaniel Hawthorne and the former Elizabeth Clarke Manning. He includes tone, mood, and style into this story. While reading I questioned Nathaniel’s purpose for writing such a tragic tale of shame, deceit, and redemption. Hawthorne's purpose for writing The Scarlet Letter was so he could reveal the life and hypocrisy of the Puritan communities back in those days.

Chillingworth is not a very amiable character to the reader , but on the other hand he is a very shrewd and sharp person, with a

Roger Chillingworth: Physical Attributes & Outer Appearance: Roger Chillingworth is described quite specifically in the novel. Hawthorne describes him as a small man but also highlights an intelligence in his features, a “remarkable intelligence” in fact (56). This forebodes his persona in the story because he goes on to be portrayed as intelligent, although also a bit henious. It is also noticed by Hester that one of his shoulders are higher than the other. This trait was mentioned to convey to the reader how Hester recognized that the man she was staring at was her husband since Chillingworth later mentions how he has a physical deformity (his shoulders).

Roger Chillingworth is one of the main characters. As he develops as his own character, he is perceived, or judged, in various ways at different times by other people in the book. Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne develops Roger Chillingworth into an evil character. At first Chillingworth is a kind, intelligent man, but as the story goes on, he becomes an evil, fake friend.