Individualism In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

In The Scarlet Letter, author, Nathaniel Hawthorne manipulates his protagonist, Hester Prynne, and antagonist, Roger Chillingworth to manifest examples of rugged individualism in his novel. Hawthorne uses Hester Prynne's character to demonstrate rugged individualism by her character confessing the identity of her "fellow sinner" (Hawthorne 212) a secret. In chapter 3 Hester is presented by a man who goes by the name of Mr. Wilson who insists on Hester revealing her partner associated with her adulterous measures. Wilson even attempts to entice Hester into revealing their identity by getting her to believe "That, and thy repentance, may avail to take the scarlet letter off thy breast,"(Hawthorne 134) but Hester is adamant that she will "Never."
The townsman describes that the “Yonder woman, Sir, you must know, was the wife of a certain learned man, he sent his wife before him, being left to her own misguidance—” (Hawthorne 62) clearing things up. Chillingworth later disassembles the circumstances and divulges the identity of Hester's adulterous comrade by looking after Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale who is deathly ill. Chillingworth wasn't completely convinced that Dimmesdale was the culprit until chapter 10 when “Mr. Dimmesdale, fell into a deep, deep slumber, sitting in his chair” and “The physician advanced directly in front of his patient, laid his hand upon his bosom, and thrust aside the vestment, that hitherto had always covered it even from the professional eye.” (Hawthorne 135) Hawthorne then tells the readers how Chillingworth coped with the situation by talking about Chillingworth's outer image “at that moment of his ecstasy, he would have had no need to ask how Satan comports himself when a precious human soul is lost to heaven, and won into his kingdom.” ( Hawthorne 136) this proposing that Chillingworth had plans for Dimmesdale in his attempts at