In , titled
" and the Physician" we find Hester andfinally getting together up close and almost
personal. It is here, when Hester has the best opportunities to observe and see what her former
husband has become in the last seven years:
It was not so
much that he had grown older[...]But the former aspect of an intellectual and studious man[...]
had altogether vanished, and been succeeded by an eager, searching, almost fierce, yet carefully
guarded look.
Here, we see that Chillingworth is not
necessarily a scraggy, old-looking man. It is not the actual age that has worn him down, but
that fastidious need to find out what is going on with , his own personal vendetta against
Hester, the hurt and broken ego, and his desire to cause chaos. One can imagine that the man was
hurt badly by his wife, unbeknownst to her at the time. Yet, we also tend to sympathize with
Hester and find his want for justice just that: a bit fastidious.
Spiritually-
It seemed to be his wish and purpose
to mask this expression with a smile; but the latter played him false, and flickered over his
visage so derisively, that the spectator could see his blackness all the better for
it.
This quote, same chapter, shows that all the good
that could have come out of this intellectual, gifted man has turned into hatred and evil- all
caused by the same anger and want for revenge that does not seem to leave his spirit.
Chillingworth's transformation of the soul is now manifesting in his fa§ade. This is not a
physical change, but a spiritual one, and a bad one at that.
Mentally/Emotionally
Ever and anon, too, there
came a glare of red light out of his eyes; as if the old man's soul were on fire, and kept on
smouldering duskily within his breast, until, by some casual puff of passion, it was blown into
a momentary flame.
This quote shows his emotional
failures and changes. Chillingworth is, indeed, heartbroken. There is no doubt that he loves
Hester still, and he knew from the beginning that he would never serve her effectively as a
husband. He even goes as far as telling Hester that he thought that his intellect would
compensate physical vigor, passion, or that it may spark interest in Hester one day. None of it
ever happened, and it is clear that he has repressed his emotions to overcompensate his
revenge.
These changes even scare the man, himself. At one point he is angry
at Dimmesdale because, supposedly, Dimmesdale made a demon out of him. It is here, where
Chillingworth takes a sudden glimpse of his own image...and it scares him!
The unfortunate physician, while uttering these words, lifted his
hands with a look of horror, as if he had beheld some frightful shape, which he could not
recognize, usurping the place of his own image in a glass.
Therefore, you can see that the man is directly and indirectly characterized as someone
who has undergone profound changes that stem from something very negative and angry that has the
capacity of transforming him forever.
No comments:
Post a Comment