How is Chillingworth described in The Scarlet Letter?

As his name suggests, Roger Chillingworth is a man deficient in human warmth. His twisted, stooped, deformed shoulders mirror his distorted soul. From what the reader is told of his early years with Hester, he was a difficult husband.

What kind of person is Chillingworth?

‘ At one point, Hester’s illegitimate daughter, Pearl, even calls Chillingworth ‘the black man,’ another name for the devil. Unlike the other characters in the novel, Chillingworth is a man of science, not faith. He is not a puritan and values knowledge over faith.

Why is Chillingworth the villain of The Scarlet Letter?

Roger Chillingworth is the biggest antagonist in Scarlett Letter because he was truly full of hatred and out for revenge; cold hearted schemer and evil, he exhibited all the characteristics of a villain. First Chillingworth, Hester’s husband, was never a nice man.

How is Chillingworth a villain?

Roger Chillingworth is the antagonist of the novel. As soon as he encounters Hester and learns that she has given birth to a child fathered by another man, he becomes obsessed with thwarting her plan to keep the identity of that man a secret.

What did Chillingworth do?

Using his position as a doctor, and under the guise of treating Dimmesdale’s unexplained sickness, Chillingworth manipulates Dimmesdale into insanity and a confession of sin before the entire community before dying.

What is Chillingworth’s secret?

While ill, he seems haunted, depressed, and sullen. As Roger Chillingworth explains, “A bodily disease, which we look upon as whole and entire within itself, may, after all, be but a symptom of some ailment in the spiritual part.”

Why is Chillingworth guilty?

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter”, Chillingworth is guilty of Dimmesdale’s death. For one he tries to poison Dimmesdale with some medicine, he makes him suffer mentally, and he tortures him for it all and tries to make him feel guilty for all that he’s done.

What does Chillingworth’s name symbolize?

As a “crazy avenger”, Roger Chillingworth is marked as a bad character, a cruel devil and an absolute villain in The Scarlet Letter. And actually, the name “Roger Chillingworth” contains the symbolic meaning of the character’s wickedness.

Why does Chillingworth hide his identity?

Why does Chillingworth ask Hester to keep his identity a secret? He does not want to encounter the disgraces of the husband of a faithless woman. But it may also be for other reasons. He does not want to hear all the talk about his wife being unfaithful.

What was the relationship between Hester and Roger Chillingworth?

What was the relationship between Hester and Roger Chillingworth? Hester had married Roger Prynne prior to coming to America. He loved her, but she didn’t love him. It was a marriage they both hoped would work out, but she was never satisfied with the relationship.

Why does Hester fear Chillingworth?

Why does Hester fear Chillingworth? She is worried he is angry at her for committing adultery and that he will do something to hurt her or the baby.