A Chillingworth's Transformation Analysis

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A Chilling Transformation Chillingworth, the name alone evokes ideas of coldness, darkness, wickedness, loneliness, and this idea is no different from the man who carries this name, Roger Chillingworth, a man incapable of human love. Yet he had not always been this evil or wicked, and in fact he seemed to be quite the opposite. The reader learns that Chillingworth was an intelligent physician, a man dedicated to helping others, who would spend hours alone studying diligently, and one cannot feel sorry for him when he arrives at the colony to see his wife upon the scaffold. But what could drive a man to become the cold, distant, shell of his former self? It seems to be the age old story of love and heartbreak. This loss of love was not in…show more content…
In the novel the forest is representative of natural law and authority and this allows each character to act as they wish while in it. In the case of Chillingworth it represents his darkness and his friendship with evil. He is often seen walking through the woods collecting weeds, plants and other herbs to make remedies and medicine. This shows that his medicine to help Dimmesdale was always filled with bad intentions and that he only kept him alive in order to continually torture him. There is a correlation between Chillingworth and the Black Man because both are said to dwell in the woods. It is also interesting to mention that when we first see Chillingworth he is leaving the forest and heathens. This is interesting because one could think he had developed the precursors for his evils in the dark forest. Chillingworth’s physical characteristics are often compared to dark aspects of nature such as fire and nighttime. The comparison to fire is relative to his transportation because it represents the evil in him but also the destructive force of his nature. Chillingworth is also commonly active during the night showing his dark deeds and how they need to be covered up. The changes that happen in Chillingworth have tendencies toward realistic and

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