In the book the “Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne the character Chillingworth changes multiple times in the story, unfortunately he keeps getting worse and worse. Chillingworth turns from the knowable scholar, to a symbol of evil, to the point where he is even portrayed as the devil. In chapter 3 on page 53 it describes Chillingworth, it says “There was a remarkable intelligence in his features…one of the mans shoulders rose higher than the other”. He has finally showed up in England and he looks like a scholar, and is wearing Indian clothes. He is smart and a physician, the townspeople ask him to be their town doctor for Dimmesdale. In chapter 4 he starts to change and starts to harbor some malice in himself. On page 66-67 he says “I shall seek this man…as I have sought gold…I shall see him tremble”. He knows Hester is an adulterer, but he does not know who Pearl’s father is. He vows that that man will be punished and wants revenge. In chapter 9 this hate only increases, and has found out that Dimmesdale is Pearl’s father. On page 114 he is described as “Satan himself, or satan’s emissary, in the guise of Roger Chillingworth”. He is now completely bent on revenge and nothing will stop him. He wants to torture and torment Dimmesdale as much as possible. Hester wants him to stop but he does not care. In chapter 24 all his revenge has finally caught up with him. Dimmesdale has confessed his sins on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl, he cannot bear his burden any more and Dimmesdale confesses and then dies right there on the scaffold. Chillingworth now has nothing left to destroy, his revenge has been spent and he has nothing left to do with his life. On page 237 it says “all his vitals and intellectual face seemed to desert him”. He then dies bringing closure to all that has happened in the “Scarlet Letter”. Throughout the Scarlet Letter, Roger Chillingworth continues to grow more hateful, and malicious, he continues to get worse and worse, even to the point of being called Satan. When Dimmesdale finally dies of torment, instead of being glad, he is disappointed that he can’t torture him more. When Chillingworth dies it is a relief to the rest of the community.
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