Roger Chillingworth's Secret Sin

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Sin Committed in Darkness is Exposed by Light Is it better to have your sin brought out for all to see or to quietly hold on to it, keep it hidden and lose respect and be eaten up with guilt. Throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne`s The Scarlet Letter we ask ourselves this very question. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale holds on to his secret sin. This secret sin later will prove to be his downfall. Roger Chillingworthis sins are committed in a similar fashion, secretly. He lets his hate, anger, rage and disdain for Dimmesdale take hold of him. Holding on to his sin destroys him and annihilates his character. Hester Prynne had no choice, her sins announced and shown on her chest. She was married the only problem was her husband wasn’t there. Everyone could see it there was no concealing her pregnancy or the great sin she had committed. As…show more content…
Nathaniel Hawthorne goes into depth about sins that most people don’t want to hear about. During the time period of The Scarlet Letter, adultery was extremely frowned upon, and was punishable by death. Dimmesdale kept the guilt and the pain of what he had done bundled up inside; Hester`s sin was brought to light she stood on a scaffold alone as people watched; Chillingworth was letting his anger and hatred control his very being. Hester along with her baby had nothing else to do, but stand and watch as her lover stood by. As she was tried for the very thing he should be tried for. The only thing they didn’t know was who was involved with her. She was forced to wear the scarlet letter. An “A” on the chest of an adulterous woman. The scaffold was the place of public trial, the sin that she committed was told to all. Her judge was the crowd. The crowd was infuriated by this atrocious sin. She stood looking in awe, holding her baby close. Hester scared and overwhelmed “clutched the child so fiercely to her breast that it sent
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