Roger Chillingworth Character Analysis In Scarlet Letter

Have you ever hated someone? Do you wish something terrible would happen to that person? That is exactly the feeling you have when reading the Scarlet Letter. Roger Chillingworth is Hester Prynne's husband. He is a physician, but he is not your ordinary friendly doctor. Chillingworth works for "the Black Man" and tortures what we learn later to be Hester's "baby daddy", who is also a minister for the local church, Reverend Dimmesdale. Your hatred doesn't develop after reading the first chapter. Your opinion is formed steadily, and your anger grows more intensely. Chillingworth is the most hated character in the Scarlet Letter because he's blind, has control issues, and is revengeful. First, Roger Chillingworth is unaware. He doesn't think punishing someone for himself is wrong. He doesn't know how much the devil has taken over his body. "There came a glare of red light out of his eyes; as if the old man's soul were on fire, and kept on
According to Oxford Dictionary, revenge is "the action of inflicting hurt or harm on someone for an injury or wrong suffered at their hands." This is one of the Scarlet Letter's main concepts we see in the story; mostly coming from Chillingworth. We see him seek his revenge against Dimmesdale. Chillingworth is a trusted Physician in the city of Boston, where the Scarlet Letter takes place. He offers to be Dimmesdale's doctor. Dimmesdale agrees because of his condition and he trusts Chillingworth. This sets up Chillingworth's plan to avenge Dimmesdale for having sexual intercourse and a child with his wife. Not only does he set up his revenge, we also see him act on it. Chillingworth would let Dimmesdale almost die and he would hang on the border of staying alive and dying for long lengths of time. He is basically playing a big game of "Operation." What man would do such a thing! His revengefulness takes over his life. That is not the kind of life a man should