Analysis Of The Scarlet Letter - 1412 Words

In a novel that revolves almost solely around sin, the consequences of said sin, and redemption, there is no greater sin than that of revenge. No character in The Scarlet Letter is free of sin, but all gain some sort of redemption, save one Roger Chillingworth, who is arguably the greatest sinner of them all. Hester Prynne may have committed adultery, and Arthur Dimmesdale may have also committed adultery with Hester (as a priest, no less), but sins of passion are not the same as sins of vengeance and anger. These sins of revenge and madness are what Chillingworth is guilty of, ultimately making him the worst sinner in the entire book. Chillingworth is, honestly, just a very creepy character, for starters. He reunites with his wife, whom†¦show more content†¦He wants the people he will be tormenting to be alive and able to feel the full wrath of his revenge, which is just outright vindictive and evil. He is also manipulative, as shown in another part of Chapter Four: â€Å"‘It was my folly! I have said it. But, up to that epoch of my life, I had lived in vain. The world had been so cheerless! My heart was a habitation large enough for many guests, but lonely and chill, and without a household fire. I longed to kindle one! It seemed not so wild a dream,--old as I was, and sombre as I was, and misshapen as I was,--that the simple bliss, which is scattered far and wide, for all mankind to gather up, might yet be mine. And so, Hester, I drew thee into my heart, into its innermost chamber, and sought to warm thee by the warmth which thy presence made there!’† (Chapter Four) It is in this part of the chapter that Hester says she has wronged him, and Chillingworth goes on to say that it was he who had wronged her first, having taken away her youth to lie with his decaying, old self. This is all to make Hester feel guiltier about having done what she did, and this guilt-trip is only the beginning of Chillingworth’s revenge. Chillingworth’s plot for vengeance continues when Arthur Dimmesdale falls ill and the doctor takes up residence with the priest. He has his suspicions of the true nature of Dimmesdale