Dimmesdale And Chillingworth

The novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne was written during the Puritan Era about a woman named Hester Prynne who had performed adultery, which was considered a sizeable sin during this time period. In his novel, Hawthorne wrote, “No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true.” The quote represents the need for genuinity within people. Within his novel, Hawthorne develops the idea of being “multi-faced” through two major characters, Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth. The inevitable downfall of Dimmesdale and Chillingworth demonstrates the necessity of truth, how one will inevitably drown in their own lies.
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At the start of the novel, Chillingworth’s initial goal is to seek revenge against his wife for cheating on him. Consistently throughout the plot, Chillingworth is referenced as a “Black Man,” which signifies the Devil, representing the darker side to his personality. His “evil” persona is so noticeable that even Pearl, Hester’s daughter, calls him the Devil. In the novel, Pearl says to her mother, “‘Come away, mother! Come away, or yonder old black man will catch you! He hath got hold of the minister already. Come away, mother, or he will catch you!” (148). When a child notices the evil persona of a man, it is highly evident that the corrupt tendencies of that person are severe. Another part of Chillingworth’s depravity is the idea of him being a “leech” in his relationship with Dimmesdale. To the public eye, the relationship between Chillingworth and Dimmesdale seems to be a friendly one, a symbiotic relationship. However, the true atmosphere of their relationship is one in which Dimmesdale’s friendship with Chillingworth is deteriorating his well-being, sucking the life out of him, just like a leech would do. The other side of Chillingworth’s personality, on the other hand, is one that is caring and sensitive. While Hester is in prison, she has the burden of having to take care of her daughter herself. When Chillingworth sees that Hester is struggling, he offers potions from his alchemic knowledge to quiet down the baby for Hester. In the text it states, “‘The medicine is potent for good”... He took the infant in his arms, and himself administered the draught… The moans of the little patient subsided; its convulsive tossings gradually ceased” (81). Chillingworth’s delicate touch with Pearl exemplifies the true nature of his inner self, the true feelings that he feels for Hester. Another example is when he uses his knowledge of alchemy once