Roger Chillingworth In Scarlet Letter

Words: 442

Pages: 2

Open Document

At one point in The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne describes Roger Chillingworth in this way: “Had a man seen old Roger Chillingworth, at that moment of his ecstasy, he would have had no need to ask how Satan comports himself, when a precious human soul is lost to heaven, and won into his kingdom.” (Hawthorne 527) In this sentence Hawthorne seems to compare Chillingworth to Satan and foreshadows how empty Chillingworth becomes after the Revelation because of his level of obsession. Looked at in the context of the rest of The Scarlet Letter, Chillingworth is an especially terrible form of evil, consumed by destroying Dimmesdale which is all brought to light towards the end of the novel. Key phrases like “a precious human soul is lost to heaven, and won into his kingdom” (Hawthorne 527), gives insight into Chillingworth’s intentions which seem to be taking Dimmesdale’s soul into his possession. This phrase also hints towards Chillingworth being …show more content…
Looking at this passage in the context of the rest of The Scarlet Letter, it carries the theme of Chillingworth being evil. Key phrases like “a dim perception of some evil influence watching over him” (Hawthorne 527), hints at the idea that Chillingworth has become so tainted with evil that his spirit can be felt by Dimmesdale as well. The idea that Chillingworth is tainted to that extent means that if the fuel for his evil, Dimmesdale, were taken away he wouldn’t have much of himself left. In this way, the key phrase previously mentioned foreshadows the

Roger Chillingworth In The Scarlet Letter

In The Scarlet Letter one of the main characters, Roger Chillingworth, is seen to have a deceiving personality and traits that end up in turmoil for several other characters in the novel. In another American gothic novel, Moby Dick, Captain Ahab shows very similar traits just not as direct to other characters. However, both characters are seen to make questionable choices and come out on the other side in the red, if at all. In the beginning of The Scarlet Letter, Roger Chillingworth is seen as…

Words 922 - Pages 4

The Scarlet Letter and Chillingworth Roger Chillingworth Essay

“D”: Roger Chillingworth Roger Chillingworth, Hester Prynne’s, deformed husband, slowly transforms into what many call the Black Man. Chillingworth’s transformation, ultimately detrimental to Reverend Dimmesdale’s health, began once he questioned the reverend about sin, and his obsession did not, “set him free again until he had done all” of his searching (117). He leeched info out of poor Dimmesdale every day until, “there was a fiend at his elbow” his own self (155)! Chill., hired to help nurse…

Words 328 - Pages 2

Heroes in the Scarlet Letter Essay

Jessica Gee 11/1/12 English 11 The Scarlet Letter: Essay 1 In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, there are many heroes. Many acts of courage and loyalty were done in the novel, and there are four main people who I think are the heroes in the story. Hester Prynne is the main hero since she is so loyal and Dimmesdale is a hero for his because of his bravery. Lastly, Chillingworth is the tragic hero of the story in my opinion. The villain to me was the Puritan society as a whole. All of…

Words 806 - Pages 4

The Color Red In The Scarlet Letter

Allison Beranek Mrs. Moeller English 11 18 March 2016 Color and name symbolism In The Scarlet Letter, the author Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes many colors and names to symbolize moods. In The Scarlet Letter Hawthorne uses the color black to symbolize evil and sin. Hawthorne uses black to show the pain that Arthur Dimmesdale endured because of the sin that he had committed. Hawthorne also uses the color black to show a similarity between the black man and sin. The black man in the forest represents…

Words 682 - Pages 3

Book Report Essay

Michaela Williams Mr. Juhasz English IV AP 23 Feb. 2014 The Scarlet Letter Book Report Plot Summary The book, The Scarlet Letter, starts with a 34 page introduction to the origin of how the novel came to be. The narrator, who stays anonymous, was an examiner of the Custom House in Salem, Massachusetts, the city in which the story is set. The narrator states, “But one idle and rainy day, it was my fortune to make a discovery of some little interest.” He had started to go through many of the many collected…

Words 1782 - Pages 8

Roger Chillingworth Symbolism

Roger Chillingworth has a one-dimensional character unlike the other main characters in the story as his only purpose in the book is to represent the devil. He is shown to be the typical villain by having a deformed shoulder, wrinkled face, and a taste for vengeance. Right from the gecko, in the first scaffold scene, he chooses the path of revenge onto Dimmesdale. Having only been in Boston for a short while, Chillingworth is only in situations that involve his obsession for revenge on Dimmesdale…

Words 721 - Pages 3

Essay on Scarlet Letter Journal Two

11/08/14 Journal Number Two; Prompt Three In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Dimmesdale has a great fear that the towns people will find of his sin of adultery with Hester Prynne. Dimmesdale believes that his soul could not take the disclosure as he is such an important figure in society. Furthermore by not confessing his sin to the public he becomes overwhelmed with guilt that is exacerbated by the torture of Roger Chillingworth. Although he continuously chooses guilt over shame,…

Words 353 - Pages 2

Scarlet Letter Essay

an ancient Chinese philosopher, says, “He who seeks revenge digs two graves.” This Chinese proverb is firmly embedded in the story of Roger Chillingworth in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Roger Chillingworth, through his quest for revenge, not only brings about the demise of others, but lets that same bitterness overtake his very soul. Roger Chillingworth slowly devolves in appearance from that of a victim of Hester’s sin to taking on more of a villainous persona throughout his search for…

Words 806 - Pages 4

Pride, Guilt, And Isolation In The Scarlet Letter

In “The Scarlet Letter,” Nathaniel Hawthorne uses his three main themes, pride, guilt, and isolation. Roger Chillingworth is a great example of isolation. Chillingworth goes on the prowl for the man who he feels wronged him; the man who stole his property. His vengefulness is all-consuming. It colors every second of every day. He, much like Dimmesdale, becomes a hypocrite, pretending to be one thing-in this case, pretending to be Dimmesdale's friend and physician throughout the book-while in actuality…

Words 365 - Pages 2

Scarlet Letter Essay

Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth in Nathanial Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter. From the moment the shimmering, scarlet A is placed on Hester’s chest these characters lives are altered forever. When one thinks of a character being marked for greatness they usually visualize a heroic destiny or a happy ending, but as Thomas C. Foster explains in How to Read Literature Like a College Professor, that is not always the case. Throughout The Scarlet Letter, the reader finds that not…

Words 1131 - Pages 5