Hawthorne gives a view of what he has been as well as what he is to become. Throughout the novel, he is referred to as a scholar, a man most interested in studying — reading about — human behavior. Unfortunately, however, Chillingworth hints that in his pursuit of scholarship, he has failed both Hester and himself. He admits to her, "I betrayed thy budding youth into a false and unnatural relation with my decay.
In fact, as Hester and Chillingworth continue their conversation, we see the development of Chillingworth as one of the novel's symbols of evil. Of Hester, we learn that she has never pretended to love her husband but that she deeply loves the man whom Chillingworth has vowed to punish. Ironically, it is Hester's concern for Dimmesdale, more than her sense of obligation to her marriage, that persuades her to promise never to reveal that Chillingworth is her husband.
This promise will make both Hester and Dimmesdale suffer greatly later in the book. In Hawthorne's time, blood-sucking leeches were used to effect a cure by removing blood.
Lethe the river of forgetfulness, flowing through Hades, whose water produces loss of memory in those who drink of it. And Dimmesdale can never atone, because he can never confess. Whereas the men represent authority Dimmesdale the authority of the church, Chillingworth that of accumulated knowledge , Pearl has no respect for external authority and holds nothing sacred. Similarly, whereas the two men deeply respect their forebears, Pearl has no such respect for inherited history. Yet Pearl is not merely a negative figure; she is also a positive element, because she illuminates truths and seeks to open closed minds.
Ace your assignments with our guide to The Scarlet Letter! SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. Did Hester ever love Chillingworth? What type of work does Chillingworth take on in New England? What does Dimmesdale believe he sees when the meteor lights up the night sky?
How does Pearl react when she first sees her mother without the scarlet A? What makes Hester and Reverend Dimmesdale finally feel hope about their future? Why does Hester choose the forest to meet Dimmesdale and Chillingworth? What does the last sentence of the novel mean? Society Empathy. Summary Chapters 9— First, in the Hester-Chillingworth relationship is a marriage accepted and legal in every way but without love and passion. In the Hester-Dimmesdale relationship is love and passion without marriage.
The plot and themes of this novel are set in the Puritan society at the confluence of these two relationships. Another variation on the scarlet letter occurs in Hester's conversation with Pearl. The pathetic loneliness of Hester's position is obvious as she wonders if she should confide in her daughter. Except for the two men in her life, she has no one to whom she can unburden her mind.
Hester is strongly tempted to talk with Pearl but then decides to keep the story to herself. It was formerly used as a child's primer. Previous Chapter
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