Hawthorne depicts
Chillingworth as an evil and mean-spirited old man
. Even though he is the husband who has been wronged by a cheating wife, Hawthorne does not give him much in the way of sympathetic attributes.
How is Chillingworth described Chapter 14?
He’s now a wretched, vengeful old man. Chillingworth also notes the change, remembering when he was a kind scholar. He says that
he’s lost his “human heart
.” Chillingworth’s secrets and his quest for revenge have made him inhuman, unable to forgive, and miserable.
How does Hawthorne describe Chillingworth at the end of the chapter?
Hawthorne refers in this chapter to
Chillingworth’s earlier reputation as once a “pure and upright man
.” His shadowy and fiendish descriptions and images of him, however, further develop his symbolic representation of one who now appears to be doing the work of the devil.
How is Chillingworth described Chapter 3?
While he is less hypocritical than the Puritan fathers, who claim to want only the salvation of their followers, Chillingworth, as the name he takes suggests, is
devoid of human warmth
.
How is Chillingworth appearance described?
Having just ended over a year of captivity by the Indians, his appearance is
hideous
, partly because of his strange mixture of “civilized and savage costume.” Even when he is better dressed, however, Chillingworth is far from attractive. He is small, thin, and slightly deformed, with one shoulder higher than the other.
How did Dimmesdale get the A on his chest?
At this point in the narrative, Chillingworth had been suspecting that something other than physical is gnawing away at the minister. He discovers that Dimmesdale,
out of the guilt and sadness he feels from what occurs with Hester
, has carved a letter “A” on his chest.
Why does Dimmesdale fail to recognize Chillingworth as his enemy?
“Trusting no man as his friend, he could not recognize his enemy when the latter actually appeared.” He can not recognize him as his enemy because,
he believes that you can trust no one
. So, he believes that the physician is an enemy rather than a healer.
Why does Hester Prynne hate Chillingworth?
Hester is afraid of Chillingworth
because she knows what he is capable of doing
. He is a learned man and has devoted his life to the healing arts. Having been with the Indians, he has added herbs and medicinal plants to his sagacious accomplishments.
Did Chillingworth forgive Hester?
It seems obvious at this point that Chillingworth is seeking revenge on Dimmesdale for what has happened, although
he has forgiven Hester
. Along with revenge, Chillingworth also seems to take great satisfaction in Dimmesdale’s tormented life.
How has Chillingworth changed in Chapter 14?
A change
comes over Chillingworth’s face
, and the narrator notes that the old doctor has transformed himself into the very embodiment of evil. In a spasm of self-awareness, Chillingworth realizes how gnarled and mentally deformed he has become.
What are Hester’s three punishments?
Hester’s punishment was
a judicial sentence
; however, being forced to stand on the scaffold for three hours, and to wear the scarlet letter “A” for the rest of her life. It was socially humiliating. Hester was sent to prison for committing adultery.
What do we learn about Hester’s story in Chapter 3?
Inquiring, the man learns of Hester’s history,
her crime (adultery)
, and her sentence: to stand on the scaffold for three hours and to wear the symbolic letter A for the rest of her life. The stranger also learns that Hester refuses to name the man with whom she had the sexual affair.
What characters are introduced in Chapter 3 of the scarlet letter?
The narrator then introduces us to the town fathers who sit in judgment of Hester:
Governor Bellingham, Reverend Wilson, and Reverend Dimmesdale
.
Who is Hester’s baby daddy?
Dimmesdale
is a young man who achieved fame in England as a theologian and then emigrated to America. In a moment of weakness, he and Hester became lovers. Although he will not confess it publicly, he is the father of her child.
What is Dimmesdale a symbol of?
He is unable to reveal his sin. At worst, Dimmesdale is a symbol of
hypocrisy and self-centered intellectualism
; he knows what is right but has not the courage to make himself do the public act. When Hester tells him that the ship for Europe leaves in four days, he is delighted with the timing.
How does Chillingworth find out that Dimmesdale is the father?
It is while Dimmesdale is sleeping one night that Chillingworth’s supsicions are confirmed; he looks at the sleeping Dimmesdale, and sees
something on his chest
that verifies he is indeed the man Hester had been with. There, on Dimmesdale’s chest, is an engraved letter A, cut into his skin and scarred over.
