A rosebush is nothing but utter splendor until it is looked at closely its thorns and parasites are roaming in it. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, demonstrates how actions are followed by consequences. The rosebush symbolizes the entire novel and likewise, Roger Chillingworth represents the thorns and menaces of the beautiful rosebush. Often times, abstract objects lead to one’s downfall. Chillingworth is the epitome of “human frailty”(Hawthorne 42), for his pride makes him oblivious to the reality of the scandal involving Hester Prynne- some things are better to be left undisturbed- and paves the way to his self-destruction. His name itself, “Chillingworth,” hints his persona will reflect a cold and ruthless behavior that will have no mercy. Chillingworth is introduced as a questionable and …show more content…
mysterious character. When he arrives to the town he pretends to be a stranger, and as he observes Hester, Chillingworth begins to talk to a man in the crowd and nonchalantly asks him questions that make him seem oblivious to the scandal. Once Hester and Chillingworth make eye contact “he slowly and calmly raised his finger…and laid it on his lips,” (54) which is evident that he does not want her to reveal his identity; he does this by simply placing a finger over his lips, demonstrating how he could control her. Even though not much of Chillingworth is known at this time, it is clear, as mentioned above, that he is very cunning, making him a character that cannot be trusted. Chillingworth’s action expresses his pride since instead of going and protecting his wife, he chooses to be silent so that his reputation would not be stained by Hester’s sin. As the novel progresses, Chillingworth presents himself as a man whose emotions take over him. As Chillingworth declares to the stranger in chapter three that Hester’s lover “will be known!”(56), he is presaging that he will not stop until he discovers Hester’s lover. When Chillingworth and Hester finally get to debrief, he makes it clear that “the man lives who has wronged” (66) them both and that he will not stop looking for him. This comment defines how he feels about the scandal- his honor has been hindered and he must defend it- but he uses Hester to justify his actions. Hawthorne depicts Chillingworth as a sinister looking man which symbolizes his role to the rosebush.
Hawthorne explicitly describes him as “small in stature…with a furrowed visage” (153) and uneven shoulders, to show that his physical characteristics symbolize his personal qualities as wicked. In respect to the rosebush, Chillingworth represents the thorns and menace to the roses as Hester is a rose to the bush. Hawthorne exemplifies this when he describes how he has “a writhing horror twisted itself across his features, like a snake” (54) just like animals lurk in rosebushes. The opening chapters of The Scarlet Letter not only introduce the basic elements but, they foreshadow the novel to be an example of “human frailty” (42). Chillingworth is introduced in the early chapters to foreshadow how his persona and actions will certainly have its consequences. As Chillingworth, the menace, lurks in the rosebush to reach the rose he truly wants (Dimmesdale), eventually the roses will die out, except one which must stand alone and keep the beauty of the bush to flourish (Hester) and not even Chillingworth can stop
that.
Roger Chillingworth’s suffering arose from a domino effect that he had no control of. Roger was merely a casualty of a sin that he had no partake in, but it turned his life upside down for the worse. The big punch that started Roger’s suffering was the affair between Hester and Dimmesdale. His suffering from this event was unlike the suffering it caused Hester and Dimmesdale as they suffered for their own sin, but Roger Chillingworth did not suffer from his own sin. Roger’s suffering comes directly from his own wife having a child with another man, an event he had no say or action in: “his young wife, you see, was left to mislead herself” (Hawthorne 97). Left all by herself Roger’s wife, Hester, mislead herself as no one was there to watch
In the second part of Hawthornes four part structure of the Scarlet Letter, in Chapters 9-12, we see Chillingworth
18th century’s perception of the Puritan Society was that Puritans were a zealous community of people that lived with strict moral standards which allowed them to live in perfect harmony. However, the truth is Puritans were overly zealous whose values created paranoia and intolerance for other views. Through the characters Dimmesdale and Chillingworth who are also falsely perceived, Hawthorne suggest they are representative of the dour living of Puritan society that is hidden by the puritan’s tranquil and utopian outlook.
In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne constantly attributes the qualities of a thief to the mysteriously shady character, Roger Chillingworth. Throughout the novel, we see that regardless of who he is around, or where he is, he is repeatedly referred to countless of times as ?the old Black Man? (131). This nickname that he is given displays quite evidently that Hawthorne had no doubt intended for Chillingworth to assume the role of a cold, and shadowy personage akin to that of a lowly thief. As thieves are well known for and need to be, they are usually silent, stealthy, and more often than not, baffling, in the sense that no one else knows their cunningness and what they really are thinking of when they commit their crimes. These attributes match up directly to Roger?s personality, and throughout the novel, we see that he gradually grows to become the exact impersonation of a thief. The below examples serve to demonstrate these similarities. In the first few chapters, all the way to the tenth chapter, the reader suspects that Chillingworth has a hidden motive in tagging along as Arthur Dimmesdale?s physician. However, toward the end of chapter eleven, we realize that the mysterious Chillingworth was not simply following Dimmesdale around to hear in on other people?s confessions but also to spy on the reverend minister and his activities! After a period of time, the physician digs up something from Dimmesdale?s past that we are not aware of just yet. However, the reaction which we see upon Chillingworth?s face after his discovery is curious indeed, with him ?
Villains come in all forms of malevolence throughout all types of literature. They help to drive the plot of the story and influence the themes and purposes as desired by the author. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the character assigned the appellation of Roger Chillingworth is the main antagonist. He is first seen attending the public humiliation of Hester Prynne, who is the protagonist of the book. Chillingworth is established as a physician whom Hester had previously cheated on. Throughout the novel, Chillingworth is seen as being controlling over Arthur Dimmesdale, who testifies to one of the book’s main themes of guilt. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s historical drama The Scarlet Letter renders Roger Chillingworth as the villain who
1. What is the difference between a. and a. The sins that Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth committed had consequences on their lives. Hester’s sin, adultery, caused her to be outcast in the Puritan community and caused her to live constantly in persecution of others in her village as seen in the quote “.little Puritans. got a vague idea of something outlandish, unearthly, or at variance with ordinary fashion, in the mother and child, and therefore scorned them in their hearts, and not infrequently reviled them with their tongues” (Page 141, Hawthorn). Dimmesdale's sin, adultery, affected his ability to lift his life by causing him to be constantly ill as seen in the quote “It be the Soul’s disease”
This strategy exemplifies Hawthorne’s theme that sin must be taken responsibility for because being dishonest will only lead to more temptation. Chillingworth does admit to one of his blames of leaving Hester behind, but choosing his temptation over redemption has formed his obsession to making Hester lover’s suffer miserably with guilt, which fuels Roger’s vengeance. Secondly, Chillingworth’s internal conflict was illustrated through the changing of his appearance. Roger was once a kind, well respected, man of science; However, his vengeance has transformed his physical character into a devilish creature. When Hester and Pearl were visiting Governor’s Bellingham’s house, Hester notices the change over Roger’s features, “how much uglier they were, how his dark complexion seemed to have grown duskier, and his figure misshapen” (93).
The fact that revenge destroys both the victim and the seeker is another theme presented in the Scarlet Letter. Dimmesdale is the victim of Chillingworth’s revenge upon Hester and whoever her lover happened to be. Dimmesdale, beside his self-inflicted harm was also not helped by the fact Chillingworth enjoyed watching him waste away. However, Chillingworth is also subject to this destiny as evidence by his change in the novel. Chillingworth was considered wise and aged in the beginning of the novel, although, later he is seen as being dusky and evil.
Nathaniel Hawthorne crammed The Scarlet Letter with religious symbolism. One of the most interesting symbols is that of Chillingworth as the devil. All through the novel there are numerous indications and relations that verify the fact that Chillingworth is a delegate for the king of darkness.
It is far too easy for a reader of The Scarlet Letter to simply brand Chillingworth as evil. The reader must pay attention to the complexities of the position which Chillingworth is forced into to understand that he is not evil or bad, at least not completely. Chillingworth is only a human put into a terrible position which he reacts to. In fact, it is not beyond reach to say that under his circumstances, Chillingworth was actually the hero, the protagonist; and Hester and Dimmesdale are the true villains.
The world of Puritan New England, like the world of today, was filled with many evil influences. Many people were able to withstand temptation, but some fell victim to the dark side. Such offences against God, in thought, word, deed, desire or neglect, are what we define as sin (Gerber 14).
In the literary classic, The Scarlet Letter, readers follow the story of a Puritan New England colony and the characteristics of that time period. Readers begin to grasp concepts such as repentance and dealing with sin through Nathaniel Hawthorne’s indirect descriptions of these detailed and complex characters by their actions and reactions. The character Roger Chillingworth symbolizes sin itself and deals with internal conflict throughout the course of the story. The narrator describes Chillingworth in a critical attitude to reveal to the reader the significance of repentance and revenge by the use of many literary techniques such as
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, symbolsim is constantly present in the actual scarlet letter “A” as it is viewed as a symbol of sin and the gradally changes its meanign, guilt is also a mejore symbol, and Pearl’s role in this novel is symbolic as well. The Scarlet Letter includes many profound and crucial symbols. these devices of symbolism are best portayed in the novel, most noticably through the letter “A” best exemplifies the changes in the symbolic meaning throughout the novel.
Nathaniel Hawthorne created themes in The Scarlet Letter just as significant as the obvious ideas pertaining to sin and Puritan society. Roger Chillingworth is a character through which one of these themes resonates, and a character that is often underplayed in analysis. His weakness and path of destruction of himself and others are summed up in one of Chillingworth's last sentences in the novel, to Arthur Dimmesdale: "Hadst thou sought the whole earth over... there were no place so secret, no high place nor lowly place, where thou couldst have escaped me, save on this very scaffold!" (171).
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is a study of the effects of sin on the hearts and minds of the main characters, Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth. Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth. Sin strengthens Hester, humanizes Dimmesdale, and turns Chillingworth into a demon.