We first see Chillingworth as the stranger in Chapter 3, appropriately named The Recognition. He is described as:... a white man, clad in a strange disarray of civilized and savage costume.
Full Answer
What does Roger Chillingworth call himself in Chapter 4?
In Chapter 4, the reader learns that the stranger who so terrifies Hester calls himself Roger Chillingworth, a pseudonym he has chosen for himself. In reality, he is Roger Prynne, the husband whom Hester fears meeting face to face.
How does Hawthorne describe the scarcity of Chillingworth's scientific peers?
In Chapter 9, Hawthorne describes the scarcity of Chillingworth's scientific peers in the New World: "Skillful men, of the medical and chirurgical profession, were of rare occurrence in the colony." These men of science have lost the spiritual view of human beings because they are so wrapped up in the scientific intricacies of the human body.
What does Chillingworth look like in Chapter 14?
By Chapter 14, when Hester meets him in the forest, Chillingworth has a blackness in his visage and a red light showing out of his eyes, as if "the old man's soul were on fire, and kept on smoldering duskily within his breast." In seeking vengeance, he has taken on the devil's job.
What happens to Chillingworth at the end of the Scarlet Letter?
In the Conclusion, we discover that Chillingworth "positively withered up, shrivelled away.". Obsession, vengeance, and hatred consumed him, but, despite all this, he leaves his fortune to Pearl, a child of love and passion, the living symbol and personification of the scarlet letter.
How is Chillingworth described?
As his name suggests, Roger Chillingworth is a man deficient in human warmth. His twisted, stooped, deformed shoulders mirror his distorted soul. From what the reader is told of his early years with Hester, he was a difficult husband.
What chapter is Chillingworth described in?
Chapter 10Summary: Chapter 10: The Leech and His Patient Chillingworth shows great persistence in inquiring into the most private details of Dimmesdale's life, but Dimmesdale has grown suspicious of all men and will confide in no one. Chillingworth devotes all of his time to his patient.
Who is the man in chapter 3 of The Scarlet Letter?
Summary: Chapter 3: The Recognition Hester's husband (whom we will learn, in the next chapters, is now calling himself Roger Chillingworth) gestures to Hester that she should not reveal his identity.
What happens in chapter 3 of The Scarlet Letter?
Inquiring, the man learns of Hester's history, her crime (adultery), and her sentence: to stand on the scaffold for three hours and to wear the symbolic letter A for the rest of her life. The stranger also learns that Hester refuses to name the man with whom she had the sexual affair.
Why does Chillingworth hide his identity?
Why does Chillingworth ask Hester to keep his identity a secret? He does not want to encounter the disgraces of the husband of a faithless woman.
Why is Chillingworth called a leech?
Roger Chillingworth is called “the leech” because he sucks the spirit and strength from Reverend Dimmesdale the way the aquatic leech exploits and often kills its host. He pretends to be a caring physician, but he extorts favors from the clergyman to serve his own selfish need to be near Hester, his legal wife.
What does Chillingworth become obsessed with?
Although Chillingworth initially seems like he is sympathetic to Hester, his comments reveal the darker reality that he is obsessed with uncovering the identity of his wife's lover. Chillingworth speaks this line to Hester, as he explains that he doesn't blame her for being unhappy with their marriage.
How does the narrator present Chillingworth?
How does the narrator present Chillingworth to the reader? The narrator presents Chillingworth to the reader in a mysterious manner. Rhetorical Devices: Description, Diction. what is the effect of the scarlet letter upon Hester?
Why does Hester fear Chillingworth?
Why does Hester fear Chillingworth? She is worried he is angry at her for committing adultery and that he will do something to hurt her or the baby.
How does Hester feel about Chillingworth?
As Chillingworth leaves, Hester recognizes how evil he has become and realizes she hates him.
Who is to blame in The Scarlet Letter?
The one person in this messy triangle who seems to escape the feeling of guilt is Chillingworth—but he gets plenty of blame. By the end of The Scarlet Letter, both Hester and Dimmesdale agree that Chillingworth is the real villain in this situation.
What does Chillingworth vow do?
Although this unidentified man doesn't wear a scarlet A on his clothes as Hester does, Chillingworth vows that he will "read it on his heart." He then makes Hester promise not to reveal his identity.
What is the real identity of Roger Chillingworth?
Roger Chillingworth's real identity is Hester's husband. You just studied 12 terms!
Who is the most evil character in The Scarlet Letter?
One of the most obvious characters to be considered evil to both the reader of The Scarlet Letter and the characters is Mistress Hibbins.
Which event described in Chapter 1 of The Scarlet Letter takes place before the story begins?
Which event described in chapter 1 of The Scarlet Letter takes place as the story begins? A crowd gathers at the jail.
What does the excerpt reveal about Roger Chillingworth?
What does the excerpt reveal about Roger Chillingworth? He has no intention of truly alleviating Hester's suffering. "Let, therefore, thy husband be to the world as one already dead, and of whom no tidings shall ever come.
What chapter does Chillingworth say he feels guilt?
The fact that he feels some guilt about Hester's being abandoned is evident in Chapter IV when he visits Hester, telling her, "We have wronged each other." When Hester asks him, "Why not announce thyself openly, and cast me off at once?" Chillingworth replies,
What is Chillingworth's personality?
Dr. Chillingworth was what we could psychologically describe as a "passive-aggressive" man , and what we can socially describe as a man "with not enough gall" to face the music.
Why does Roger Chillingworth not reveal himself?
Because even the tiniest infraction of Puritan law was met with severe punishment--a fact that Hawthorne found objectionable in early Puritanism-- Roger Chillingworth does not reveal himself. For, if he were to come forth and admit to being Hester's husband, he himself would be interrogated by the Puritan leaders and possibly punished for abandoning his wife, living with the Indians, and anything else that could be held against him. Furthermore, he does not wish to draw attention to himself as he plans a plot against the man who has made him a cuckold.
What does Chillingworth tell Hester?
Then, Chillingworth tells Hester that he seeks no vengeance against Hester, but
Is the Scarlet Letter a Puritanical Code?
It is, indeed, helpful to the reader of Nathaniel Hawthorne 's The Scarlet Letter to always consider the context of the narrative as built around the strict Puritanical code of the Massachusetts colony. In the previous chapter, for instance, the cold, smug glee with which the goodwives condemn Hester and...
What does Hawthorne's portrayal of Chillingworth emphasize?
Hawthorne's portrayal of Chillingworth emphasizes his physical deformity. More important, Chillingworth's misshapen body reflects (or symbolizes) the evil in his soul, which builds as the novel progresses. In this chapter, Hawthorne provides hints of just how obsessed Chillingworth will become with punishing Dimmesdale.
What does Dimmesdale ask Hester to do?
In his speech, Dimmesdale asks Hester to recognize his "accountability" in addressing her, and he begs her to do what he cannot do himself. Publicly, he is her spiritual leader, and, as such, he is responsible for her moral behavior. Privately, however, he was her lover, and he shares the blame of the horrible situation that she is in. He then admonishes her, as her spiritual leader, to name her accomplice so that her soul might find peace on earth and, more important, so that she might better her chance for salvation after her death. When he then goes on to "charge" her with naming the transgressor, we understand that he is privately pleading with her to expose him publicly and thereby help ensure his salvation, for without public repentance salvation is not attainable.
What is the meaning of Dimmesdale's speech to Hester?
Dimmesdale's one-paragraph speech to Hester reveals more about his character than any description of his physical body and nervous habits that Hawthorne provides. Knowing that he was Hester's sexual partner and is Pearl's father, the speech that he gives is ripe with double meanings.
What is the dichotomy between Dimmesdale's public speech and personal meaning?
The dichotomy between Dimmesdale's public speech and personal meaning is most evident in the phrase "believe me." This phrase comes directly following his plea that Hester not take into consideration any feelings she might still have for him. It also follows acknowledgment — privately to himself, but through public speech — that it would be better for him to step down "from a high place" and publicly stand beside her on the scaffold. Ultimately, his official, public duty and his private, personal intention are one and the same: to admonish Hester to expose her lover's — his own — immorality because he is too morally weak to do so himself.
What does the man learn about Hester's history?
Inquiring, the man learns of Hester's history, her crime (adultery), and her sentence: to stand on the scaffold for three hours and to wear the symbolic letter A for the rest of her life. The stranger also learns that Hester refuses to name the man with whom she had the sexual affair. This knowledge greatly upsets him, and he vows that Hester's unnamed partner "will be known! — he will be known! — he will be known!"
What is Chillingworth's motives and techniques in Chapter 9?
In Chapter 9, "The Leech," Chillingworth's motives and techniques are explored. As a scientific investigator, he cold-heartedly and intellectually pursues his lab specimen. Hawthorne says, "Few secrets can escape an investigator, who has opportunity and license to undertake such a quest, and skill to follow it up.".
What chapter does Hawthorne describe Chillingworth's scientific peers?
Notice the "chilliness" of his name. In Chapter 9 , Hawthorne describes the scarcity of Chillingworth's scientific peers in the New World: "Skillful men, of the medical and chirurgical profession, were of rare occurrence in the colony.".
What does Hester mean in Chapter 14?
Hawthorne also uses Hester to show what has happened to Chillingworth in isolating himself from humanity. In Chapter 14, she agrees with his description of what he used to be and counters with what he has become. He was once a thoughtful man, wanting little for himself. He was "kind, true, just, and of constant, if not warm affections." But now she tells him that he is a fiend, bent on Dimmesdale's destruction. She says, "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." In Dimmesdale, Chillingworth has a helpless victim, and he exercises his power over the minister with great enthusiasm. He enters Dimmesdale's heart "like a thief enters a chamber where a man lies only half asleep."
What chapter does Chillingworth have a black face?
By Chapter 14, when Hester meets him in the forest, Chillingworth has a blackness in his visage and a red light showing out of his eyes, as if "the old man's soul were on fire, and kept on smoldering duskily within his breast.". In seeking vengeance, he has taken on the devil's job.
Why does Chillingworth violate Dimmesdale's heart and soul?
He violates Dimmesdale's heart and soul to see how he will react. Of human compassion, he has none. Eventually when Hester talks with him about whether Dimmesdale's debt has been paid, Chillingworth says that it would have been better had he died than endure seven years of vengeance.
Why did Chillingworth leave Hester alone?
When Chillingworth arrives in the colony and learns of Hester's situation, he leaves her alone nearly seven years as he single-mindedly pursues Dimmesdale. He does, however, see his role in her downfall. Because he married her when she was young and beautiful and then shut himself away with his books, he realizes that their marriage did not follow "the laws of nature." He could not believe she, who was so beautiful, could marry a man "misshapen since my birth hour." He deluded himself that his intellectual gifts dazzled her and she forgot his deformity. He now realizes that from the moment they met, the scarlet letter would be at the end of their path.
What does Chillingworth say about Dimmesdale?
Your clutch is on his life, and you cause him to die daily a living death.". In Dimmesdale, Chillingworth has a helpless victim, and he exercises his power over the minister with great enthusiasm. He enters Dimmesdale's heart "like a thief enters a chamber where a man lies only half asleep.".
What is Chillingworth's narcissism in the second sentence?
In the second sentence, Chillingworth’s narcissism is implied: he pays little attention to the external world unless something in that world seems relevant to him and his own thoughts.
Does Chillingworth blame Hester?
Chillingworth does blame Hester for her behavior, but he also blames himself. Even more than either of them, however, he blames the man by whom Hester became pregnant. As he puts it in the next chapter while talking to Hester,
What does Chillingworth ask a man about?
Chillingworth asks a man about Hester's identity and crime. The man is surprised Chillingworth hasn't heard... (full context) The stranger tells Hester's history. She had been married to a scholar from England ( Chillingworth ), but had arrived in Massachusetts alone while he remained in Amsterdam.
What chapter does Chillingworth start a campaign to make Pearl's father miserable?
Chapter 11. Convinced that Dimmesdale is Pearl's father, Chillingworth embarks on a campaign to make his patient as miserable as possible. Dimmesdale continues to... (full context) Chapter 12. ...up the sky in what Dimmesdale thinks is the shape of an "A." Pearl notices Chillingworth watching them.
What does Hester say to Dimmesdale?
Hester says she must tell Dimmesdale about Chillingworth. He responds that their fate, a "black flower," is no longer in anyone's hands. He... (full context)
What does Hester decide to ask Chillingworth to do?
Hester decides to ask Chillingworth to stop tormenting Dimmesdale. When she and Pearl encounter him on a beach near the... (full context)
Why does Chillingworth make Hester not reveal his true identity?
Meanwhile, he hypocritically makes Hester swear not to reveal his true identity as her husband in order to avoid the humiliation of being associated with their scandalous affair. In the end, by tormenting Dimmesdale, Chillingworth transforms himself into a sick and twisted man, a kind of fiend.
What is the character's name in the Scarlet Letter?
The timeline below shows where the character Roger Chillingworth appears in The Scarlet Letter. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance. Chapter 3. Suddenly as Hester looks out into the crowd she recognizes Roger Chillingworth , her husband, standing beside an Indian at the edge of the crowd.
What does Chillingworth suspect about Dimmesdale?
While serving as Dimmesdale's "leech" (a term for a doctor) Chillingworth begins to suspect that Dimmesdale' s condition may stem from stress caused by some kind of... (full context) Dimmesdale's health gets worse. Chillingworth attributes his illness to his secret, but Dimmesdale still refuses to reveal it.
What does Chillingworth say to Hester?
Chillingworth speaks this line to Hester, explaining how he feels certain he will be able to sense it when he finds her lover. Chillingworth has a sinister, almost supernatural commitment to tracking down the man who fathered Hester’s child.
Does Chillingworth want to see Hester's lover punished?
He acknowledges the obvious reality that Hester did not get into her situation by herself, and he wants to see her lover also be punished. Although Chillingworth initially seems like he is sympathetic to Hester, his comments reveal the darker reality that he is obsessed with uncovering the identity of his wife’s lover.
Why does Chillingworth chastise himself?
In the candid conversation that follows, he chastises himself for thinking that he, a misshapen bookworm, could keep a beautiful wife like Hester happy.
Why is Chillingworth like the Black Man?
Chillingworth’s physical deformity mirrors his spiritual deformity. As Hester suggests, he is like the “Black Man,” because he lures others into sin. By emphasizing Chillingworth’s scholarly training, the text puts a spin on the biblical equation of knowledge with evil: here it is knowledge without compassion or human experience that is the greatest evil.
Why is Hester a living sermon?
The town has made Hester into a “living sermon,” as Chillingworth puts it, because she is stripped of her humanity and made to serve the needs of the community. Her punishment is expressed in violent terms. Reverend Wilson relates an argument he had with Dimmesdale about whether to force Hester to confess in public. Dimmesdale spoke of such an action in terms of a rape, arguing that “it were wronging the very nature of woman to force her to lay open her heart’s secrets in such broad daylight, and in presence of so great a multitude.”
What does Hester say about her child?
Hester says that her child will seek a heavenly father and will never know an earthly one. Reverend Wilson then steps in and delivers a condemnatory sermon on sin, frequently referring to Hester’s scarlet letter, which seems to the crowd to glow and burn. Hester bears the sermon patiently, hushing Pearl when she begins to scream. At the conclusion of the sermon, Hester is led back into the prison.
Why does Hester refuse to drink Chillingworth's potion?
Chillingworth has promised the jailer that he can make Hester more “amenable to just authority,” and he now offers her a cup of medicine. Hester knows his true identity—his gaze makes her shudder —and she initially refuses to drink his potion. She thinks that Chillingworth might be poisoning her, but he assures her that he wants her to live so that he can have his revenge. In the candid conversation that follows, he chastises himself for thinking that he, a misshapen bookworm, could keep a beautiful wife like Hester happy.
What does Hester see in the crowd?
In the crowd that surrounds the scaffold, Hester suddenly spots her husband, who sent her to America but never fulfilled his promise to follow her. Though he is dressed in a strange combination of traditional European clothing and Native American dress, she is struck by his wise countenance and recognizes his slightly deformed shoulders.
What does the narrator tell us about the ignorant men?
The narrator tells us that these ignorant men “had no right” to “meddle with a question of human guilt, passion and anguish.”. Dimmesdale, on the other hand, seems to know something of the human heart. He is compassionate toward Hester and is able to convince Bellingham and Wilson to spare her any harsher punishment.
