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Good and evil in literature
Men stereotypes in literature
Men stereotypes in literature
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Recommended: Good and evil in literature
In “The Scarlet Letter,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Roger Chillingworth is the evil figure. Chillingworth has a weird almost spooky nature about himself. He comes along and does his part of helping but then he realizes what has happened and wants revenge on whoever has done this terrible thing. In “Moby Dick,” by Herman Melville, Captain Ahab portrays evil. Ahab just really doesn’t care about anyone else but himself and his desires. He feels as if this white whale owes him something back for what he got himself into. Chillingworth and Ahab are both very similar in their evil natures. They will do whatever it takes to get revenge on the people or things that have become a hatred to them. Chillingworth and Ahab try to seek revenge on those who do wrong to them. Hester Prynne, Chillingworth’s wife, has an affair with a man named Arthur Dimmesdale. Prynne gets pregnant and, as expected, Chillingworth is infuriated. He wants to find who …show more content…
Chillingworth wants to find out who the father of Prynne’s daughter is. He wants Prynne to love him again, but she shows favor in Dimmesdale. Chillingworth, as Dimmesdale’s physician, lets him suffer and die slowly. Chillingworth will show no mercy to Prynne and Dimmesdale, he continues to haunt and lurk around to get just what he is looking for. Ahab wants to find Moby Dick, but it is taking a lot of effort. After a while, Ahab gets frustrated and sacrifices multiple crewmembers just to find the whale; only one survives. He threatens them and acts immorally only because he cannot get what he desires. Ahab does not understand the value of the lives he has on board he takes all of them for granted for a whale that took his leg off many many years ago. If he had any sense, as did the other captain that had an injury from Moby Dick, he would have stopped after he saw how troublesome it was going to be to catch the White
Also Chillingworth tries very hard to find out who her secret lover is and even tries asking Hester. “‘ Thou wilt not reveal his name? Not the less he is mine,’ resumed he , with a look of confidence , as if destiny were at one with him” ( Hawthorne 70). This quote says that Chillingworth tries to ask Hester who her secret lover is and even though she refuses to answer him, he feels confident that he will find out. This means that Chillingworth is going to harm her secret lover after he finds him. Therefore he will do whatever he can to torture him and get his
Years ago, Hester promised Chillingworth to keep his identity a secret, thus allowing him to do evil to Dimmesdale. Chillingworth believes that it was his fate to change from a kind man to a vengeful fiend. He believes that it’s his destiny to take revenge and thus would not stop until he does so.
[having] a wild look of wonder, joy, and horror? (135) at the same time. Hawthorne goes further beyond this description by comparing this sudden outburst of emotion to Satan?s ecstasy by saying that the only factor which ?distinguished [Chillingworth?s] ecstasy from Satan?s was the trait of wonder in it? (135). As the reader delves deeper into the book, we come to the conclusion that Dimmesdale is indeed the father of Pearl, the product of the horrendous sin consummated through Dimmesdale?s and Hester?s illicit affair. This point brings us back to Chillingworth?s reaction to realizing this earlier at the end of chapter ten. Although this shocking news explains why Chillingworth might have been angry or horrified, it does not clarify why Chillingworth did not attempt to murder or poison Dimmesdale whilst he had the chance, especially since the reader knows from a point made by Chillingworth earlier in the book, that after Chillingworth had sought out the man who had an affair with his Hester, he would have his long sought-after revenge (73).
Chillingworth is trying to convince Dimmesdale not to confess he’s Hester’s lover because he’s afraid of losing his source of power. Once Dimmesdale refuses Chillingworth and confesses to everyone, “Old Roger Chillingworth knelt down beside him, with a blank, dull countenance, out of which the life seemed to have deported.” (Hawthorne p. 251) Chillingworth feels worthless and becomes lifeless once Dimmesdale confesses. It’s as if Chillingworth’s soul (or whatever was left of it) left his body and he became nothing. Chillingworth allowed his obsession to consume him so much that once he lost that source, he lost his life. After Dimmesdale’s death, Chillingworth shrivelled away because he no longer felt a need to stay. He’s described as, “This unhappy man [who] had made the very principle of his life to consist in the pursuit and systematic exercise of revenge, and when… there was no more devil’s work on earth for him to do, it only remained for the unhumanized mortal to betake himself whither his Master would find him tasks enough…” (Hawthorne p. 254) Chillingworth was wrapped in a cloak of corruption, and once his revenge was finished, he felt unfulfilled and empty. He allowed his obsession to become his only aspect in
The townspeople first saw Chillingworth as a miracle sent from God to heal Dimmesdale, but they soon saw evil in his face and came to believe that he was “Satan’s emissary” (Hawthorne 101). When Dimmesdale first met Chillingworth, they had an instant connection and became good friends, but after living in the same house, Dimmesdale came to loathe his personal doctor. When talking to Hester and Pearl on the scaffold, the minister says of Chillingworth: “I have a nameless horror of the man” (Hawthorne 123). Hester sees that Chillingworth has changed since she first met him in England. She notices that, “The former aspect of an intellectual and studious man, calm and quiet, which was what she best remembered in him, had altogether vanished, and been succeeded by an eager, searching, almost fierce, yet carefully guarded look” (Hawthorne 132). She knows that she is the cause of this major change, and she tries to convince him to forget his revenge and become a human again. However, he does not listen to Hester, and she sees that he is set in his ways and she moves
With a raging desire for knowledge and a single-minded pursuit of retribution, Chillingworth’s demonic actions lead him to damnation, demonstrating the need for reconciliation in times of conflict. Two Wrongs Make a Wrong Revenge. It exists within everyone. Pervading throughout all social relationships, revenge is damaging and detrimental to any hopes of reconciliation. Those who commit revenge are cowardly people unwilling to face the harsh realities of life.
Chillingworth's relationship with Hester is rife with conflict and confusing details. This husband and wife tandem are officially married, the union seems artificial. Hester and Chillingworth spent a large amount of time separated from each other, starting with Hester journeying first to America, and were only reunited after Chillingworth spent time traveling...
Hester and Chillingworth were married before the beginning of the novel. Chillingworth, previous to his marriage, was a completely introvert man. "I - a man of thought - the bookworm of great libraries - a man already in decay, having given my best years to feed the hungry dream of knowledge... I came out of the vast and dismal forest and entered this settlement of Christian men, the very first object to meet my eyes would be thyself, Hester Prynne...." (52-53)
...rth's crimes against the Lord are more malevolent than those committed by Hester and Reverend Dimmesdale. Chillingworth's quest for revenge and truth leads him down a path of sin, and in the Puritan perspective, down the path to Hell.
Chillingworth continues to abuse and sin, despite knowing that murder and abuse are immense sins. Because he lived in a Puritan town and lived with a reverend, there is no way that he could remain ignorant about sin. He had to know that murder and abuse are morally and religiously wrong, yet he continues his actions. This behavior, "the hardening of the heart and willfully sinning against God and man" is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. This blasphemy is unforgivable in the eyes of God, and Chillingworth will face eternal sin. This consequence exhibits the immense severity of Chillingworth 's many sins.
He had previously been Hester Prynne’s husband. He had changed his name for the purpose of living in peace, without being associated with this woman and her crimes and wrongdoings. This man also planned to find revenge on her lover. The scene that portrays this is when Hester and baby Pearl are in jail. Hester is acting insane and the baby is feeling pain. The jailer does not know what to do in order to put this to an end. Roger Chillingworth is the best doctor around, so he tries to help, despite Hester’s betrayal of him. To Hester’s surprise, Chillingworth apologizes for marrying her. He expected her to fall in love with him even though he was much older than her and she was so beautiful. Afterwards, Chillingworth made a vow that he would find the father of the baby. Hester promises to not tell anyone that Chillingworth is the man that was once her husband and the man that she deceived. Chillingworth asked this of her because he did not want to be shamed. If nobody knew who Chillingworth actually was, he could get better revenge on her adulterer. This is a crucial scene because it demonstrates how strongly Chillingworth feels towards Pearl’s father and vividly displays Chillingworth’s yearning to seek revenge on her
Chillingworth says that he has no power to forgive. Dimmesdale must suffer the fate of his lecherous ways. Chillingworth is completely unable to forgive or pardon, and he senses with latent rage that events are beginning to happen independently of his purposes. Chillingworth, in his way, has sold his own soul to the devil, essentially
In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the character Rodger Chillingworth is considered an immoral and evil character because of his malicious and revenge filled actions. He did not start out as an evil person, but it is his backstory that makes him a sympathetic character. The audience sees that he was just a man who became too invested in his studies and lost everything that made him happy. Chillingworth’s poor decisions lead to him losing himself and becoming a cruel and spiteful man who throws his life away.
Chillingworth changed his name from Prynne to disassociate himself from Hester and her shame. Right after the meeting in Bellingham’s house, the narrator states that, “under the appellation of Roger Chillingworth… was hidden another name, which its former wearer had resolved should never more be spoken” (107). Nevertheless, Chillingworth has chosen to change his name, not only to distance his association with Hester, but to keep himself hidden while trying to find Hester’s lover. All the while Chillingworth is attending to Dimmesdale, Dimmesdale has no idea of Chillingworth’s plan for revenge or his real identity. Their entire relationship involves little honesty, on both sides, without either of them realizing at first. Eventually, The moment Dimmesdale finds out about this hidden identity, he feels horrified and his “character had been so much enfeebled by suffering… he sank down on the ground , and buried his face in his hands” (175). Dimmesdale feels betrayed by both Chillingworth and Hester. After this, Dimmesdale is on edge about being around Chillingworth, further intensifying his paranoia. He knew that Chillingworth was no longer a “trusted friend, but his bitterest enemy” (201). Dimmesdale was then aware of Chillingworth’s deep desire for revenge that
After seven years progressed Chillingworth and Hester meet in the woods to discuss the scarlet letter. Hester realizes how evil and nasty Chillingworth has become. “What choice had you?" asked Roger Chillingworth. "My finger, pointed at this man, would have hurled him from his pulpit into a dungeon, —thence, peradventure, to the gallows!’” (188). Once Chillingworth found out Dimmesdale was the person Hester commits adultery with, he could have easily told on him and had him locked up or hung. Instead Chillingworth chose to keep it a secret and psychologically torture