Chillingworth: Scarlet Letter Character Analysis

Scarlet Letter Character Analysis--Is Chillingworth more than just a symbol of evil? He looks and acts like the devil, but is there something more to his character?

[@athickie]

I bet your students love you! I wish I had a professor like you when I was in school! Very good Anaylsis thankyou!

[@LoraDaylovesthemoon]

I literally love your videos tbh

[@Nancenotes]

+Lora Day Thank you so much!

[@RaiqiyaAli-bu3jp]

Thank you a lot to make me understand this novel more..

[@hebajammal8757]

Thank you really helped me You are doing a great job 💙

[@saniakhalud6151]

You are such an incredible being and blessing 😍

[@spaceboy19]

you saved my book report thanks!

[@scarletibis3158]

Superb. Thank you so much.

[@Nancenotes]

+LaDonna Louise You're welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@scarletibis3158]

My son and I do literary analyses of A Song of Ice and Fire (have for several years) on youtube. (at James of Thrones) English and Theater major here, 1979, UVA. Really enjoying your videos. Please continue.

[@Nancenotes]

+LaDonna Louise Nice! I'll check it out!

[@superdupertrooper970]

9:42 FLY

[@_S3W_]

Just some notes for myself: 0:26 Roger feeds of Dimmesdale’s soul - he himself is a symbolism - of the Black Man - Puritan image of the devil. 1:07 - A lot of comparisons between Roger and the Black Man. How does Roger mirrors the image of the Black Man. 1. Deformity: He is deformed - his shoulder and the black man moves around with a black cloak and cloven hooves. The Black Man wanders through the woods for souls while Roger did so to search for herbs. 2. His wise and a learned man - he always carries around books everywhere he goes which reminds the readers about the books the black man carries for his souls. 3. He tries to destroy a soul - Dimmesdale’s soul. He tries his very best in destroying Dimmesdale and the connection between the two clearly symbolizes how similar Roger is to the black man.

[@saskialara1907]

Hello, I'm writing and essay on Hawthornes indictments of the Puritan society, in the scarlet letter how could I incorporate this analysis of chillingworths character to demonstrate the writers intention? Could I try arguing that the fact that he is evil and after dimsdales soul show that people who live within are Puritan society possess evil attributes? Thanks so helpful

[@Nancenotes]

Hmm... Well, you'd have to consider that he comes from outside of the society and that previously he wasn't that bad of a guy. You could possibly argue that although his thirst for revenge stems from a natural trigger event (Dimmesdale sleeping with his wife), it would not have become so archetypally evil without the influence of the environment/society. You'd have to look for evidence for that, and it would probably be somewhat subtle. You should probably look at Chillingworth's duplicity since Hawthorne's main indictment is against the hypocrisy and the cruelty it breeds. So the fact that he hides his identity and pretends to be a healer demonstrate his use of masks and hypocrisy similar to the other Puritans. Also, notice the purity of his false identity as a healer which hides the corruption of a destroyer of souls. Good luck!

[@tripcolley5447]

Thank you this was sooooo helpful

[@vuho2075]

Can somebody explain to me why this is not just an issue of paperwork? Chillingworth has been missing at sea for years. Is it illegal to have him declared legally dead and for Hester to remarry? I mean the whole thing is what happened with Tom Hanks in Cast Away.

[@Nancenotes]

Big difference in setting between Scarlet Letter and Castaway. Puritans would have been much more hesitant to presume him dead, so Hester would have been in permanent limbo about it as long as no evidence of his death appeared. See also the character Martha in Faust who waits years for news of her husband’s death so she can move on.