Roger Chillingworth Character Analysis

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From the moment Roger Chillingworth first appears in the novel, Nathaniel Hawthorne characterizes him as a villain. He appears as Hester stands on the scaffold, accepting her punishment for being unfaithful. As soon as Hawthorne introduces Chillingworth, he is meant to make the audience uncomfortable. He is deformed, ugly, and above all, vengeful. Chillingworth’s outer appearance physically represents the man he is on the inside. The most important aspects of Chillingworth’s development as a character are the symbolism tied to his character, the description of his physical appearance, and his desire for revenge. Through these literary strategies, Hawthorne creates a sociopathic character with no mercy. The reader recognizes that something …show more content…
Chillingworth experiments on Dimmesdale in order to see how far he can be pushed before he breaks, and he keeps a mental record of these experiments. Chillingworth proceeds with his twisted experiment in an eerie way, wanting to “dig a little farther in the direction of this vein” (107). Above all, Hawthorne depicts Chillingworth as inquisitive; he constantly wants to know why. As he learns more about Dimmesdale, he only wants to dig deeper. Since he, Hester, and Dimmesdale are the only people in the town who know Dimmesdale’s secret, Chillingworth attempts to figure out how and why everyone cares so much for the minister. Once again, Hawthorne compares Chillingworth to Satan, saying “what distinguished the physician’s ecstasy from Satan’s was the trait of wonder in it” (115). The only thing keeping Chillingworth from being the physical embodiment of Satan is his curiosity about his experiments. This allows the reader to glimpse the type of man that Chillingworth must have once been. Hawthorne describes Chillingworth as a man who was once “calm in temperament” and “kindly” but has since been twisted into a monster due to his need for retribution

Character Analysis Roger Chillingworth

Chillingworth is a manipulative individual who gains control of his adversaries and takes advantage of them to support his cause. For instance, Chillingworth convinces a sailor that he and Dimmesdale are intimate companions and is part of Hester’s group to sail for Europe. Consequently, he ruins Hester’s plan to live a life alone with Dimmesdale. Likewise, when Hester affirms that she has been untrue to Dimmesdale by not regarding him of his true identity, Chillingworth replies by stating, “'What…

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What Does Chillingworth Symbolize In The Scarlet Letter

Throughout the book, many of the characters become enshrouded in darkness or fall into the darkness of sin, but not as much as the character Roger Chillingworth. The reader is first introduced to Chillingworth in the marketplace scene, Hawthorne described him as being “. . .small in stature. . . aged. . . [and] a remarkable intelligence in his features. . .”(page 13). Also one of his shoulders appears to be higher than the other (page…

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Hester Prynne And Chillingworth's Reaction To The Scarlet Letter

between Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth, throwing these characters into high pressure situations in order to genuinely show the essence of their nature. Chillingworth, Hester’s original husband, is a twisted man who thrives off of revenge, which is shown indefinitely in his crooked obsession with Dimmesdale: Hester’s co-adulterer. Hester Prynne and Roger Chillingworth met in Europe, where they both originated from. When Hester and Roger met,…

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Book Report Essay

they had happened roughly two hundred years before this discovery. The Scarlet Letter is the fictional account of the events recorded in the manuscript that our anonymous narrator happened upon. The story begins with the public shaming of the main character, Hester Prynne, because she committed the terrible sin of adultery. She is led out of the jail and made to stand upon the scaffold for three hours, as to make an example of what happens to adulteresses. Furthermore, she is forced to wear the scarlet…

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Hester Prynne Love In Scarlet Letter

Love is a very powerful emotion and the love between major characters in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter has a profound effect on these people throughout the novel.The way these characters deal with the aspect of love reveals their differing personalities. Hester Prynne is very headstrong proud, and honest woman. Yet she has one weakness, love. Hester is so passionate about the love she feels for Arthur Dimmesdale that she is is willing to walk through fire if it means he will be safe…

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Hester Prynne In The Scarlett Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

skirts of the town as a single mother with her illegitimate child, Pearl. She does not breathe a word of the father’s name to anyone, even when her husband, who goes by the name of Roger Chillingworth, pressures her to. Although this is an old novel, the themes and situations presented make it a very modern tale. The characters as well as the situations can be related to society today. Novelist Tom Perrotta…

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The Scarlet Letter Hypocrisy

deepen character development. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne focuses much of the book on the hypocritical actions of Dimmesdale and Chillingworth. Dimmesdale is a Minister in Salem who, as a member of the church, looks down on adultery and sinning without confession. However, Dimmesdale is ironically the father of Pearl Prynne, the child born from his adulterous relationship with Hester. Dimmesdale does not admit to this sin and continues to…

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Scarlett Letter Analysis Essay 1

Scarlett Letter Analysis Essay “Ah, but let her cover the mark as she will, the pang of it will be always in her heart” (Hawthorne, Scarlett letter). Inquiring the power of love, as well as flirting with human sentiments Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote “The Scarlett Letter” over the struggles of a condemned outlaw in the “Holy” Puritan society. Hester Prynne the protagonist in the story, a woman who initiated from Europe is targeted to a world of drama where she is imprisoned for adultery in the Puritan…

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