Chillingworth: An Unlikely Hero

Nearly every story that has ever been written has a hero. In Nathaniel Hawthornes novel The Scarlet Letter, the character of the hero is played by Roger Chillingworth. Although in the novel he portrays himself as a carve up of villain through his ambitions to torture Dimmesdale, his villainous prospects ultimately know an effect on the Reverend Dimmesdale which frees his conscience and readies his soul for repurchase at the hands of paragon. Acting as the key activate in preparing Dimmesdales soul for forgiveness, essenti totallyy freeing it from enrapture in eternally unforgiven sin, brand names Chillingworth the hero in the sense that he is Dimmesdales savior.

        From the jiffy that Roger Chillingworth arrives in the New England town, he holds nonhing but anger toward what his wife has done. It is because of his wifes sin that his initial goal is to uncover the identity operator of the father of Hesters illegitimate child Pearl. However, once he discovers that the perpetrator is the priest, who is also both his patient and roommate, his motives become twisted and his thrill becomes one of blatant revenge. It is thus that Chillingworth embarks upon a conquest to torture Dimmesdale psychologically to the fullest extent of the hu globe capacity for pain and grief, and perchance beyond. However, the doctor is not the exactly one who seeks to torture Dimmesdale. His frail, under the weather physical state is due to the Reverends physical self-punish custodyt. Although both men strive to torture the same person, it is not evident that all man realizes the glorious redeeming aspect of this torture that has more thanover to come.

        Although Chillingworth is seen by the other characters in the novel as a dark, evil, demonic figure, he shares similar traits with God as well up as with Satan. The very prospect of torture can clearly be associate with Satan. But take, for example, Gods omniscience. There seems to be no secret idea or thought of any anatomy in the novel that Chillingworth does not know. He knows close to Pearls father, about Hesters oath, about Dimmesdales scourging of himself. The one thing he does not provoke an exact knowledge of is the fact that God is using him as a tool; but he even seems to ca-ca knowledge of the possiblity of this idea when his old faith, long forgotten, comes back to me, and explains all that we do, and all we suffer...Ye that have wronged me are not sinful...neither am I fiendlike...It is our fate. (156) Although Chillingworth does not know his exact role, he realizes that he is not necessarily evil, and that what has transpired and has yet to transpire has done so harmonise to some greater plan, including even his torture of the Reverend Dimmesdale. Chillingworth seems to realize that there is a higher power at work, perchance even with a plan in store for the torturer and his victim..

        The only person to fully realize that Chillingworths diabolical torture of Dimmesdale ultimately prepares him for forgiveness at the hands of God, thus making Chillingworth a hero, is Dimmesdale himself. He realizes this conflict between intention and actual reply when he is near the end of his earthly life, when he tells Hester that God is merciful! He hath proved his mercy in my afflictions.



By giving me this burning torture to bear upon my breast! By sending yonder dark and terrible old man to keep the torture always at red combust! (234) Dimmesdale is well aware of the fact that Chilingworth has tortured him with the intent to make every waking moment his life an agony indoors itself. But only through such pitiless torture, a magnitude of which can be achieved solely with the passionate aversion which fuels vengeance, could Dimmesdale have been effectively brought to such a state of penitence which would allow him to be forgiven by God and by himself. Although he does this deed unwittingly, Chillingworth prepares the Reverend for forgiveness and perhaps passage to Heaven. redemptive Dimmesdales soul earns Chillingworth the title of hero, for there are few more heroic things can we do in this world than lighten the life or soul of a fellow man.

        Chillingworths delegating from his arrival in their town had been to seek revenge, but in his pursuit of revenge, he accidentally became something more than he expected, or wanted. He became a tool in the redemption of a human soul, and in doing so, became a hero. Having acheived something which so vastly outranks fiddling vengeance as heroism, having in fact acheived a agreeable brotherhood with his quarry, is nothing less than remarkable. Perhaps it should be called a miracle. Then, it must also be remembered that the Lord works in mysterious ways.

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