Roger Chillingworth

Chillingworth began the novel as a victim. He was a husband that had been cheated on by his wife. However, when he swears to seek revenge on the other adulterer, we detect a hint of evil. This can be seen in his deformed shoulders that suggest a “deformed” soul that is more prone to impurity. Chillingworth was an intellect and doctor, which led to him being a proud man. Unfortunetly, when this pride was insulted, his evil side was revealed. Chillingworth eventually discovered that Dimmesdale was the other adulterer, and then his revenge intensified because it had a target. Chillingworth began to live with Dimmesdale and devoted his entire life to making Dimmesdale’s life horrible. Chillingworth subtly found ways to make Dimmesdale suffer. In this way, Chillingworth can be seen as a leech or vampire. His life revolved around “sucking the life” out of Dimmesdale. As he became more and more evil, it was shown in his physical appearance. He looked old and haggard, and his shoulders appeared to become more deformed. Some of the town’s people even began to view him as an agent of Satan. At the end of the book, after Dimmesdale dies, Chillingworth really has to reason to live. His source of life (Dimmesdale) no longer existed and so he had no place to “suck” life out of. His whole life had been revenge, and now that this was impossible, he had no reason to live. His death was made more interesting with the fact that he left his possessions to Pearl. This could be interpreted as meaning that he had a grudge with Dimmesdale, but had nothing against Pearl. It could also show that Chillingworth was amazed and inspired by Pearl’s wild nature and peculiar personality. Chillingworth began as a victim, became the root of all evil, and ended by leaving us with a hint that he may have been a human with emotions.

Characters of a novel generally have a problem they must overcome. The entire premise of a book’s plot is to follow the escapades of a character as he/she attempts to overcome whatever is oppressing him/her. This journey can become especially complex and interesting if the character is causing his/her own suffering. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the character of Roger Chillingworth is a prime example of this complicated self-destruction. Chillingworth is an intellectual and a well-respected physician. However, it is these traits that cause his downfall, his sense of pride. The fact that he is a proud man and cares about his honor leads to his own suffering. Chillingworth had so much potential in his life, but he placed a priority on protecting and avenging his pride, and this seriously affected his life. Roger Chillingworth was a man that suffered from pride of intellect and a man that would do almost anything to maintain his honor.
When Hester first sees Chillingworth in Boston, we can discern some very important traits of his character. What the reader first learns of Chillingworth is vital in analyzing his character. His initial description sets a foundation for some very important changes that will occur later in the novel. For example, we learn that “There was a remarkable intelligence in his features, as of a person who had so cultivated his mental part that it could not fail to mould the physical to itself, and become manifest by unmistakable tokens” (58). This brief once-sentence description contains some major attributes of Chillingworth. First of all, there is the obvious fact that Chillingworth was a learned man. It is this fact that makes him think that he is above everyone else. He sees himself as better than others and harbors a sense of pride, which will later cause him problems. Intellect was so important to him that it showed itself in his physical features. This leads us to a second key character trait, and that is that Chillingworth’s attributes and emotions are portrayed in his physical appearance. If his intellect is portrayed in how he looks, then other attributes/motives/feelings will also be shown in his appearance. This will be important because as we watch how he changes, his non-tangible traits will be showcased in his physical features. In other words, if Chillingworth changes on the inside, it will be very evident because he will also change on the outside. There is also an important meaning in the description of Chillingworth as “one of this man’s shoulders rose higher than the other…the slight deformity of figure” (58). This physical deformity carries over to his mental side. His shoulders are gnarled and deformed, and so too is his soul and morals. His deformity gives him an evil foreboding appearance, and rightly so.
Later in the novel, at Hester and Chillingworth’s first meeting, we learn what has injured Chillingworth’s pride. Chillingworth then dedicates his life to revenge in return for his honor being jeopardized. The fact is that Hester has committed adultery with another man, while Chillingworth had been her husband. Chillingworth at first blames himself saying, “The reason is not far to seek. It was my folly and thy weakness. I-man of thought, the bookworm of great libraries…might have foreseen all this” (71). This quote reinforces the fact that Chillingworth sees himself as an intellect, but then blames himself for not seeing this mishap approaching. He is mad at himself for being so smart, and yet not being able to recognize Hester’s approaching infidelity. It is in this manner that Chillingworth feels that his pride has been hurt. He is proud of his intellect, and when his intellect fails, he loses some of his precious pride. Chillingworth then asks to know the father of the illegitimate child, and when Hester refuses, Chillingworth promises that “few things (are) hidden from the man who devotes himself earnestly and unreservedly to the solution of a mystery…he shall be mine!” (72-73). In these lines Chillingworth verbally swears to discover Hester’s secret partner. He promises to devote everything he has to making sure that the man is justly punished for his crime if he is too much of a coward not to come forward in public. Chillingworth says that he will make this man suffer secretly and painfully for what he has done. Chillingworth’s pride was hurt by this man sleeping with Hester, and now Chillingworth, a cheated-on husband, is out to avenge his lost honor. Little does he know though, that his quest to make the man suffer will also hurt himself.
Chillingworth appearance soon begins to change thanks to his dedication to revenge. Hester later sees Chillingworth at the governor’s house and sees this change in him. By this time, he has been consumed with seeking Hester’s secret partner for sometime. Hester noticed “what a change had come over his features-how much uglier they were- how his dark complexion seemed to have grown duskier, and his figure more misshapen” (108). This description shows that Chillingworth is becoming more and more evil as time goes on. He is completely consumed with revenge, and this is reflected in the darkening of his features and increased deformity. The darker features show the darkness of his soul and his evilness, while the more noticeable deformity suggests a further corruption of his soul. His quest to avenge his pride has completely taken control of him and is even physically showing itself. The town’s people also notice that “At first, his expression had been calm, meditative, scholar-like. Now, there was something ugly and evil in his face which they had not previously noticed…” (124). Again, this is Chillingworth’s obsession in evil revenge being manifested in his physical features. For his revenge, he wants the secret adulterer to suffer and this evil hatred is consuming him.
Chillingworth comes to find that Dimmesdale is the hidden adulterer and another change occurs in his appearance. His evilness and hatred is now more concentrated and focused because he has a defined target. Hester noticed that “the former aspect of an intellectual and studious man, calm and quiet… had altogether vanished and been succeeded by an eager, searching, almost fierce, yet carefully guarded look” (166). This is proof of the fact that Chillingworth is excited because he finally has a hold on the man who hurt his pride. Chillingworth knows who the secret man is and now has a defined place to focus on causing suffering. Hester also notices that “there came a glare of red light out of his eyes; as if the old man’s soul were on fire” (166). This is tribute to the fact that Chillingworth’s anger has increased because it now has a defined target in Dimmesdale. Chillingworth is practically becoming the devil because he has let his revenge of losing his pride consume him. This is well summed up in the quote of “This unhappy person had effected such a transformation by devoting himself, for seven years, to the constant analysis of a heart full of torture, and deriving his enjoyment thence” (166). Chillingworth has turned himself into an embodiment of evil because of revenge. He let his pride take control of his entire life, and it is even noted that his physical features have suffered and declined, such as he now must use a walking stick. He is barely human, but instead, an emissary of Satan bent on avenging his pride. He has hurt himself by devoting his whole life to revenge.
Chillingworth truly did suffer from pride of intellect. He allowed himself to decline physically and mentally by becoming obsessed with revenge. He devoted everything he had to discovering the secret adulterer, and then making sure that Dimmesdale suffered. Hester tells Chillingworth that “there might be good for thee, and thee alone, since thou hast been deeply wronged, and hast it at thy will to pardon” (170). In other words, it was up to Chillingworth to decide if he would forgive or seek revenge. Of course he felt pride was priority, and he could simply forgive the fact that his honor was jeopardized. He chose the path of seeking revenge, and so he suffered. His appearance became much darker, his physical fitness declined, and his deformity increased. All of these things stemmed from the fact that he was intelligent and therefore proud. Perhaps if he had not been such a respected intellect, then he would have not been so proud and much of this suffering could have been avoided. Nonetheless, it is very interesting to study Chillingworth’s complex character. It makes it that much more interesting when a character is causing his own demise, and this could be one reason for The Scarlet Letter’s success.