Rajan Patel

11/01/08

Period 5

In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne’s statement “No man for any considerable

period can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting

bewildered as to which may be the true” (212) best relates to Roger Chillingworth.

Throughout the novel he represents himself as a two-faced individual; amongst the

society and a different one as an individual character. He attempts to force cruel

punishments upon Hester and Reverend Dimmesdale. His personal interests are to

publicly expose his malicious plans. Thus, he is referred to as the devil due to his

wickedness and immorality. Roger Chillingworth presents himself as a good man, the

physician or “leech” of the society, however little is the society aware of his malice

intentions as an evil man seeking vengeance.

Part of his malicious plan is to ruin Hester and Dimmesdale in public. During the

three times on the scaffold, he shows his evil face in a secret way. The first time Hester

appears on the scaffold to pay for her sin of committing adultery Roger is seen hiding

asking other people about Hester “Hester Prynne had been standing on her pedestal, still

with a fixed faze towards the stranger; so objects in the visible world seemed o vanish,

leaving only him and her” (58). He says that he was captured by a Native Americans and

held captive for a while and has came back. He acts as if he isn’t aware of Hester and the

questions about her. Instead of claiming Hester as is his wife he keeps it away from the

public so he can seek his revenge in private. The second time on the scaffold, he is hiding
among the darkness in which Hester and Dimmesdale are looking “Roger Chillingworth

have passed with them for the archfiend, standing there with a smile and scowl, to claim

his own” (150). The third time on the scaffold he attempts to stop Reverend Dimmesdale

from announcing his sin publicly. He is upset and disappointed that Dimmesdale

confessed his sin; rather he planned to reveal the father in public. “Thou hast escaped

me!” (251) he repeated multiple times. Roger had wanted to reveal Dimmesdale to the

public for what he really was, but when Dimmesdale did it himself, he was infuriated.

Roger’s malicious plan to ruin Hester and Dimmesdale was foiled.

Roger’s individual character beliefs affect his social identity. Amongst the society

of Salem he is seen as a good doctor. People believe he is innocent and he is a good man

as well as physician. However, the public is little aware of his evil ideas. He wants to

punish and exact his vengeance on Hester rather than to help her. He needed an alibi in

order to enter the prison that Hester is incarcerated in for her crime and he enters as a

physician to treat Hester “He described himself as a man of skill in all Christian modes of

physical science, and likewise familiar with whatever the savage people could teach”

(65). He gives Hester a potion to drink but Hester refuses and he assures her that he isn’t

trying to poison or kill her. He wants her to stay alive so he can attain vengeance. He

forces her to promise not to reveal his identity. This evil idea will help him seek revenge

by revealing the father of Pearl to the public.

Roger is by far, the worst sinner amongst the group; Hester Prynne, Arthur

Dimmesdale, and himself. Roger had committed horrible deeds on his path to harm

Dimmesdale and Hester’s reputation- his plans of revenge. It is also said, by Dimmesdale

“________ADD QUOTE” (PG #) which shows that other think that he is an even worse
sinner than the other two. It was not only that fact that he wished for the worse between

the two lovers, but also because he carried out his plans. By the end, his plans were

revealed after Hester tells Dimmesdale what is really happening “Thou hast long had

such an enemy. And dwellest with him, under the same roof!” (190). Roger had infiltrated

even the living quarters of Dimmesdale to do as he pleased.