Evil, obsessiveness, and manipulative are some of the words describing what Roger Chillingworth is because of sin in The Scarlet Letter. From the beginning, we see Roger as an enigmatic character, knowledgeable in medicine from his time in captivity, as well as - unbeknownst to others except the audience - the wife of Hester Prynne. As the story progresses, - and when Roger finds about Hester and Dimmesdale’s sin, - Roger becomes a more sinister character, whose darker complexion is only matched by the devil himself, with his only goal being to pursue Dimmesdale for his (and Hester’s) act of sin. For seven long years he stays, soon becoming dependent and obsessed about Dimmesdale’s suffering and pain, like a leech on a decayed animal. His …show more content…
Chillingworth’s obsessiveness over torturing and punishing Dimmesdale makes him, “a striking evidence of man’s faculty of transforming himself into a devil… by devoting himself, for seven years, to the constant analysis of a heart full of torture, and deriving his enjoyment thence, and adding fuel to those fiery tortures which he analysed and gloated over” (132). From the start of seven years - or when he first found out Dimmesdale was the one who committed adultery with Hester - Roger slowly became obsessed to the point he seems sadistic in his sin. When Hester and him met in the forest, a comparison of him and The Black Man (devil) is made because of his sadistic nature, as well as showing how his revenge has become his purpose in life. However, Roger’s sin and his obsession with it soon became his end. During the New England Holiday (Election Day, when they pick a new Governor), Dimmesdale finally reveals himself for the sin he committed. Roger - who was obsessed with revenge - cannot do anymore, and, “All his strength and energy - all his vital and intellectual force- seemed at once to desert him; insomuch that he positively withered up, shrivelled away, and almost vanished from mortal sight” (202). Roger’s purpose was to get vengeance towards Dimmesdale, and once Dimmesdale had admitted his sin to all - and passing away - Roger was without purpose. His sin became the only reason for his existence, and without it, he has no reason to live, soon withering away. To conclude, Roger’s sin made him into a sadistic and obsessive man, who when he lost his purpose in life ended up