the scarlet letter essays

the scarlet letter essays In the book The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a character by the name of Roger Chillingworth had committed the unpardonable sin and he basically killed another character, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Everyone has been in a position where they have had the chance of manipulating or blackmailing someone. Chillingworth did exactly that and ended up breaking down Dimmesdale to his death. Dimmesdale was not the single one affected by Chillingworths deeds. Chillingworth had a spouse, but no one knew of their relationship. Her name was Hester Prynne and she had an illegitimate child named Pearl. The Reverend Dimmesdale had an affair with Hester, and he is the real father of Pearl. Throughout the novel the people of Boston were withheld this information, along with the information of Hesters real husband. Chillingworth was a physician, or back in those days a doctor was called a leech. Dimmesdale started to feel ill, thus starting the beginning of his end. Dimmesdale became not simply a patient of Chillingworth, but a roommate as well. Being in such close contact with Dimmesdale, Chillingworth has come to know the ministers most private emotions, and he has begun to suspect that Dimmesdales illness is the result of a deep secret that has at no time been confided with another. In a sequestered conversation with Hester, Chillingworth made a vow to descry the real father of Pearl, and expose him. In a conversation with Dimmesdale, Chillingworth brings up the question of why an individual would...