This is an example of a simile that is used to compare the potion to oil. Roger is trying to say that this potion will calm her nerves just as oil calms stormy waves. After he persuades Hester to drink the potion to calm her nerves, the two sit and talk intimately and sympathetically, each of them accepting a measure of blame for Hester's adulterous affair. This leads Chillingsworth determined to discover the father of the baby. Although he doesn’t wear a scarlet A on his clothes like Hester, he agrees to read it on his heart. Unlike the previous chapter, Hawthorne does not summarize or discuss the actions of his characters, nor does he tell the readers what to think. Instead, he puts Hester and Chillingworth together and lets the reader learn
