Chillingworth In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

This story has many characters and one of the most complex is Chillingworth.
The questions that arise throughout the story cause the reader to revisit and question the ambiguity of his morality. Hester’s long lost husband, Chillingworth, had been living “captive” with Natives and learned their medicinal ways. When he arrives in Boston he realizes his wife is the one being publically scorned for her role in the adultery scandal. He does not want anyone to know he is her long lost husband and so he changes his name and forces Hester to swear she won’t tell anyone who he really is. During this stage of the story the reader is lead to almost feel sorry for Chillingworth as he seems a complete victim. As the story develops he is consumed with anger
and vengeful thoughts of the man, that his wife Hester has been unfaithful with. His anger is also directed at Hester for her refusal to “name” the real father of her baby. He becomes discouraged and angry he starts to practice behaviors that he himself may have seen as morally questionable before. He is often quick to judge others assigning contempt and blame for what he sees as shortcomings in others. Initially he presents as a person of high moral character and then eventually becomes more of a “devil” and as Dimmesdale's personal physician he uses his position of authority and power to emotionally torture Dimmesdale. The story presents many different plot twists and turns as each character is highlighted in many different moral dilemmas.