Sin In Scarlet Letter

Chillingworth chooses to not forgive Dimmesdale but instead to seek revenge on him in evil ways, “He could play upon him as he chose. Would he arose him with a throb of agony?” (Pg.134) Hatred fills him and he is fueled by Dimmesdale's suffering. After Dimmesdale dies, Chillingworth withers away a year later. He had nothing more to live for.

Chillingworth mainly sinned out of revenge. He was angry about what Hester had done and wanted to get back at her and the other man. At the end of the book, Dimmesdale ends up dying, all because of what Chillingworth did. “‘Thou hast escaped me!’ Chillingworth repeated more than once.

One of the various ways Chillingworth serves as the devil’s advocate is by being the antithesis of Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, the palpable Jesus figure of the narrative. Chillingworth keenly sets out to devastate Dimmesdale, as Hawthorne informs us when referring to Chillingworth's unearthing of Dimmesdale's secret, “All that guilty sorrow, hidden from the world, whose great heart would have pitied and forgiven, to be revealed to him, the

Chillingworth admits that he is wrong about marrying Hester so why should he feel the need to vengeance? This says a lot about Chllingworth's character. He is definitely a man full of revenge. I could care less really about getting revenge on a person because karma will takes it's place. I think Chillingworth loves Hester so much that he can't hurt her or pearl. He obviously turns his anger on Dimmesdale instead. I think while Chillingworth is tormenting Dimmesdale he is going to put his life in danger. If I were Chillingworth i would have left the situation alone because it is already as bad as it seems. I wouldn't be getting anything out of it because God doesn't like ugly and selfish ways. I think Chillingworth is the type person who

Chillingsworth came back for revenge on Dimmesdale and Hester because she had an affair with him. This shows the theme of the book, how sin affects one another and how we choose to handle it. Chillingsworth is on the receiving end of another person’s sin and in return he handles it the negative way. His motives are strictly to find pleasure in another person’s pain in order to feel some sort of justice for the initial hurt he felt. Later he finds that revenge is not the solution, because Dimmesdale found his own different solution for his pain in a way that didn't affect others. He confessed his sins in front of the whole community without any regard to the public shame he will immediately receive. This worked for him because it was a way to lighten his weight and clean his heart. This is a fault in our society because we spend so much time making life harder for others, believing it will make us feel better when in reality it only makes matters worse for everyone. We need to remember how each act of cruelty can affect another person, and just like the theme of The Scarlet Letter, the impact upon others all depends on how you choose to handle your own reactions. Anything can happen to us in this world, and sin is expected since we are fallen creatures, the only thing we have control over is how we choose to react to every event. You can be positive like Dimmesdale and look for a every chance of recovery or you can take your anger out on others, like

Hawthorne's Hester Prynne is the underdog protagonist that the reader cannot help but want to succeed. She is flawed but her flaws are outshone by her good heart and spirit. This shamed and humiliated woman is the one the reader, with the help of Hawthorne’s descriptions, wants to support. This sinful woman, with a child from wedlock, a diabolical “husband”, and a secretive lover is the motivating force that drives the reader to continue on with The Scarlet Letter. The language, descriptions, and plot of The Scarlet Letter show that Hawthorne believes the reader should look past gender stereotypes because not everything is what is

People have been stereotyping outcasts since the beginning of time. This behavior is a crucial component of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter. The main character of the story, Hester Prynne, resides in a community of Puritans; who are notorious hypocrites. Their harsh rules are basically impossible to follow, therefore setting their citizens up for failure and punishment. Hawthorne tells the story of Hester Prynne with the elements of sin, judgement, and revenge.

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, is a compassionate yet riveting piece of English literature that supports the movement for equality of suppressed women during a most tumultuous time during the 1800’s. Hawthorne’s use of emotional diction and imagery throughout his novel employs a deplorable tone upon the story. It serves as a stark representation of an imaginative yet realistic example of the indifference of men and women during these changing times. Deeply held Puritanical beliefs led countless of people to believe that individuals, especially women, who committed sins of any type would never reach heaven upon their passing. Men, on the other hand, were judged less severely if accused of a crime. Hester Prynne, the

A reader may label Dimmesdale the purest of the sinners. Adultery, in the Christian world, is the one of the greatest sins a man can commit, second only to premeditated murder. In a Puritan society, it must be close to the same. Dimmesdale tries to purge himself of this evil sin by scourging and self-denial. However, he shies away from public confession, rationalizing the good he can instill in other men and women with his sermons. We find this illogical reasoning on page He endures Chillingworth's revenge and hatred while trying to preach what he doesn't practice. At his weakest point, Hester tempts him to cave in to the sin and do it all over again. Out of desperation to flee from the torture, he crumbles

In contrast to Dimmesdale, there was Chillingworth, the legal husband of the woman Dimmesdale sinned with. Disguised as a healer, Chillingworth waits and observes, trying to discover the identity of the father of Pearl, the child of Hester. When he discovers that Dimmesdale was the lover, he moves in with Dimmesdale to torture him. Chillingworth uses his position as a healer to do the opposite of his occupation, to hurt Dimmesdale’s mind, tormenting him psychologically, and ultimately poisoning his mind. He tortured Dimmesdale throughout the whole novel and not once showed remorse for his horrible sin. He was never confused about his sin; he never questioned if it was right or wrong. This was a result of his religious views; he wasn 't religious at all in fact, he was referenced as the Devil.

            Later on during the story while Hester and Chillingworth are in the woods talking about Dimmesdale, Hester shouts at Chillingworth, "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!" (Pg. 156) Hester knows Chillingworth has more evil in his blood than ever before in his life; he feeds off the pain he causes Dimmesdale and enjoys every minute of it. Chillingworth doesn't realize in the slightest how much more evil flows through his veins now, than did before in his life. It

Puritans believed that few are chosen by God to be saved and that only God is the one that knows who are saved and who are not. They believe that if they live a humble life during their time on earth, they will have higher chance of going into Heaven. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne introduces three main characters who have committed a sin. Out of Hester, Dimmesdale and Chillingworth, in the view of Puritan’s belief of sin, Chillingworth is the guiltiest sinner of all because according to Puritan’s belief, sin is unforgivable if the sinner does not repent even to their death.

This motivation drove his evil deeds. The other characters, while having made bad decisions, were not motivated by destruction, but rather lust, perhaps even love. The intent of Dimmsdale and Hester’s relationship and behavior was not to intentionally harm anyone. Conversely, Chillingworth is evil at heart. Chillingsworth’s sin is revenge and he it is whole intention inflict the most damage possible upon Dimmesdale. The fact that Hollingsworth’s goal is to cause others pain shows that he is evil. Another example of Chillingworth’s true nature can be found in chapter 14 “in a word, old Roger Chillingworth was a striking evidence of man’s faculty of transforming himself into the devil”(page 110). Chillingworth explains to Hester that his evil nature will not allow him to stop harming Dimmesdale. Perfect in his role as “The Leech”, Chillingworth is not only fueled by Dimmesdale’s suffering, but it is necessary for him to survive. Chillingworth's character cannot exist without causing others pain. Chillingsworth’s sadistic nature and the severe extent to which it controls and directs his life is a clear sign that Chillingworth is an evil person

He finds out it was Dimmesdale and then set out to torture him. “[Chillingworth] never set him free again until he has done all it’s bidding. He now dug into the poor clergyman’s heart” (Hawthorne 117). Hester tells Chillingworth to stop, but Chillingworth does not. He wants to get revenge on Dimmesdale. Because of this revenge, he loses Hester forever. Chillingworth tortures him in his own best interest. He is selfish. He wants Hester, even though Hester no longer loves him. Even after he has the chance to learn his lesson, Chillingworth still acts in his own interest. He learns that Dimmesdale and Hester are going to leave on a boat, and he books a ticket on the same boat, causing more problems for Hester and Dimmesdale. Chillingworth wants only what was in his own best interest, not what is better for others.

Hawthorne had introduced Chillingworth as the victim, not the villain. After all, Hester and Dimmesdale both violated him by engaging in the act of adultery. This causes many readers to sympathize for Chillingworth until he plainly confesses that it was originally himself that sinned: "Mine was the first wrong, when I betrayed thy budding youth into a false and unnatural relation with my decay."(66) Chillingworth knew that Hester didn't love him before they were married, but he was looking for what he