As Dimmesdale suffers, he starts to loathe the physician who is vengefully torturing him, and in addition, starts to torture himself. One night, as he spots Dimmesdale, Hester and Pearl standing on the town scaffold, Chillingworth coaxes him to get off. He claims that his patient must had been sleepwalking, and when the two men make their way home, Chillingworth said he was at the Governor Winthrop's deathbed before he found Dimmesdale.
When at the beach one day, he encounters Hester and Pearl. He informs her that the council has been recently discussing of allowing her to remove the scarlet letter from her chest, but she replies that she would keep it on until it's worthy.
He notes on his changed appearance by remembering back when he used to be a kind scholar, and that he has lost his "human heart".
When reprimanded by Hester on his cruelty towards Dimmesdale, Chillingworth claims that he saved the minister's life by not revealing his link to Hester from the beginning. He ends up admitting to tormenting Dimmesdale but blames him for making him a fiend and even blames Hester for causing his downfall. He also says that Hester must now reveal his identity, and he leaves it up to her.
Hester begs him to stop torturing the minister before he leaves. Back at their home, Chillingworth is told by Dimmesdale he no longer needs medications from him and the physician is afraid to ask him if he knows his real identity.
On the day of inauguration for a new governor, Chillingworth may had found out about Hester and Dimmesdale leaving Boston after the minister delivers a sermon. He tells the shipmaster that he is among the passengers on the same boat his wife and lover are on, and that the ship would need a doctor. The shipmaster puts his name on the passenger list, and when Hester finds out, Chillingworth gives her a menacing smile. After Dimmesdale completes his sermon and goes up on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl, Chillingworth tries to stop him.
He then looks on in shock as Dimmesdale confesses his sin to the crowd by revealing an "A" symbol carved onto his chest, and the physician cries out, " Thou hast escaped me! Frustrated from failing to complete his revenge, Chillingworth wastes away and dies a year after Dimmesdale, leaving a large fortune to Pearl. Roger Chillingworth is an evil, twisted and cruel man. His constant acts of vengeance and anger towards Dimmesdale changes his traits rapidly, and that he may had taken pleasure into torturing the minister, both physically and mentally.
His surname is an ominous reference to fear and evil, as it may be possible he changed his name to secretly menace fear towards others. His devilish behaviour of making his victim suffer terribly could have left a black mark on his image, and if his cruelty was discovered by the townsfolk, he could have faced consequences, such as being banished or even executed.
But either way, his evil side has been secretive from the Puritans and would do anything he can to be monstrous towards his patient. He could have even be the Black Man himself rather than The Leech. He resents the minister for his love affair to Hester and the thought of her loving someone else makes him furious with jealously. He gets obsessed with his revenge and is determined to complete it successfully. From his younger years, Chillingworth was a kinder and respected man.
While his marriage to Hester Prynne was loveless, he still cared about her and her reputation, especially when he finds her an illegitimate mother in Boston. It was the only time he had been more sympathetic and protective towards his wife and to Pearl, the daughter that wasn't his.
Finally, Chillingworth catches Dimmesdale sleeping and thrust aside the vestment to discover the letter "A" upon his chest.
With no doubt in Chillingworth's mind about Dimmesdale's relation to Pearl, his torment toward him increases. Chillingworth is now in complete control of Dimmesdale, whose health is deteriorating.
Hester notices the deterioration of Dimmesdale's health, and she thinks that her faithfulness, in keeping Chillingworth's identity a secret, is to blame. When she goes to Chillingworth and speaks to him about revealing his identity, he neither condones nor condemns her decision. While listening to the old man, she noticed how much he had changed over the past seven years.
Hester finally tells Dimmesdale about Chillingworth's true identity. This new knowledge does not free Dimmesdale of Chillingworth's control. But he need not have taken the trouble of doing so because the minister has in the meanwhile made up his mind to make a public confession of his guilt.
When he tries to restrain the minister from making his intended confession, it is certainly not for a good that he means towards the priest but to prevent him from slipping from his hands. Thou hast escaped me! Ultimately, Chillingworth represents true evil. He is associated with secular and sometimes illicit forms of knowledge, as his chemical experiments and medical practices occasionally verge on witchcraft and murder.
He is interested in revenge, not justice, and he seeks the deliberate destruction of others rather than a redress of wrongs. Ace your assignments with our guide to The Scarlet Letter! SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. He is a stereotypical Puritan father, a literary version of the stiff, starkly painted portraits of American patriarchs. Unlike Dimmesdale, his junior colleague, Wilson preaches hellfire and damnation and advocates harsh punishment of sinners.
The narrator is a rather high-strung man, whose Puritan ancestry makes him feel guilty about his writing career. He writes because he is interested in American history and because he believes that America needs to better understand its religious and moral heritage. Ace your assignments with our guide to The Scarlet Letter! SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. Did Hester ever love Chillingworth? What type of work does Chillingworth take on in New England?
What does Dimmesdale believe he sees when the meteor lights up the night sky? How does Pearl react when she first sees her mother without the scarlet A? What makes Hester and Reverend Dimmesdale finally feel hope about their future? Why does Hester choose the forest to meet Dimmesdale and Chillingworth?
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