In "The Scarlett Letter", written in 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne establishes commodity into the relationships between characters. Commodity in a relationship is where people must have a profit or gain something from the relationship otherwise they will not be apart of the relationship. The main victim of this commodity is Hester Prynne. The reason behind her rejections is because of her sins as an adulterer and social status cause many townsmen and regular people to reject her and avoid her at all costs. The other people in these relationships include Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth.

Perhaps the most important relationship in The Scarlet Letter is Roger Chillingworth and Hester Prynne. Although their relationship doesn't …show more content…
We find out that Arthur Dimmesdale is Pearl's father on the day of Hester's public shaming. Mr Wilson tries over and over again to get Hester to say who Pearl's father is and again and again Heater stays silent. Finally Hester is frustrated with the questioning and screams, "I will not speak!" Dimmesdale who is at the public shaming above all of the people exerts “She will not speak!" murmured Mr. Dimmesdale, who, leaning over the balcony, with his hand upon his heart, had awaited the result of “his appeal. He now drew back with a long respiration. "Wondrous strength and generosity of a woman's heart! She will not speak!” (Hawthorne pages 141 and 142) This was a very strange thing to say coming from Dimmesdale who is a preacher and reticules Hester for the sins she has committed. However, we later find out that Dimmesdale was the father of Pearl all along. This is discovered by none other than Roger Chillingworth (Also Known As Mr. Prynne) who moves in with Arthur Dimmesdale as his physician and comes to the conclusion that Dimmesdale was the one who committed adultery with his wife. Chillingworth finds out this secret one day while Dimmesdale was sleeping “The physician advanced directly in front of his patient, laid his hand upon his bosom, and thrust aside the vestment, that hitherto had always covered it even from the professional eye. After a brief pause the physician away. But with what a wild look of wonder, joy, and horror!” (Hawthorne page 279) Chillingworth knew that right then he could blackmail Dimmesdale into doing whatever he pleased because he knew his