Essay on Morally Ambiguous Characters in The Scarlet Letter

In Nathanial Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the deceptive Roger Chillingworth could most certainly be considered a morally ambiguous character. Throughout the novel, Roger Chillingworth everlastingly remains misleading as to whether he lies on the side of good or evil. Even at the end of The Scarlet Letter, the knowledge of Roger Chillingworth is extremely nebulous. The mysterious Roger Chillingworth, although ultimately emanating to be evil, attests to be a challenge when determining his morality. Roger Chillingworth attempts to beguile us by enacting the role of a physician, and ensconces his relationship with Hester Prynne. He lives with Arthur Dimmesdale, vindicating that he is serving Arthur Dimmesdale a helpful medicine, while†¦show more content†¦It is in these chapters that Roger Chillingworth seeks revenge on Arthur Dimmesdale. In other words, in these chapters Roger Chillingworth acts as a leech that feeds on Arthur Dimmesdale, the leech’s pati ent. Roger Chillingworth utilizes his cleverness and mentality by claiming that he is living with Arthur Dimmesdale strictly under medical reasons. However, Roger Chillingworth actually lives with Arthur Dimmesdale because of his dilating surmises of who Pearl’s father might be. Roger Chillingworth is able to use his cleverness and mentality in a way that he contrives an identity that permits him to actualize whatever he may desire. With his cleverness and mentality, Roger Chillingworth effectively achieves moral ambiguity. Roger Chillingworth’s concealed history and background is most likely the most compelling element of his moral ambiguity. Throughout all of The Scarlet Letter, very little is known about the past of Roger Chillingworth, except that he comes from England and is the husband of Hester Prynne. Even at the very culmination of The Scarlet Letter, very little information regarding Roger Chillingworth’s past is discovered. With an arcane past, Roger Chillingworth is bestowed the ultimate ascendancy of moral ambiguity. One’s past may often act as a deficiency that one’s enemy may utilize at their own personal will. However, with a nebulous past, RogerShow MoreRelatedMoral Ambiguity By Nathaniel Hawthorne1291 Words   |  6 PagesMoral Ambiguity Nathaniel Hawthorne, as an admirer of psychology, uses a distinctive theme of moral ambiguity amongst his characters in the novel The Scarlet Letter. The characters, in particular Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth, are rather difficult to classify as either good or bad; they are simply human. Hawthorne’s moral ambiguity amongst these characters makes them more relatable to real human beings and serves as a clear portrayal of the complex human psyche. One can notRead MoreEssay Prompts4057 Words   |  17 PagesSalesman Oedipus Rex Doctor Faustus Orlando Don Quixote A portrait of the Artist as a Young Man A Gesture Life Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Ghosts The Scarlet Letter Great Expectations Sister Carrie The Great Gatsby The Sound and Fury Gulliver’s Travels Sula Heart of Darkness The Sun Also Rises Invisible Man Their Eyes Were Watching God Joe Turner’s Come and Gone The Things They CarriedRead MorePuritianism and Literary Techniques in The Scarlet Letter Essay2812 Words   |  12 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne has made a beautiful, admirable, extraordinary approach in this novel said Henry James regarding The Scarlet Letter. It has the beauty and harmony of all original and complete conceptions and its weaker spots are not of its essence, but mere light flaws and inequalities of surface. The novel has the inexhaustible charm and mystery of great works of art. It has a high style of polish as well as a charming freshness. Hawthorne has cultivated with great industry his natural senseRead MoreThe Ghost Of A Self : Female Identity1458 Words   |  6 Pagesnovel are quintessentially ambiguous figures: present but absent, morally animate angels, but physically and politically inanimate mortals.† Dickerson discusses exceptional character traits of each woman in the story and provides a very agreeable assertion t hat the men in the story look to the female characters for help when they are sick at heart or down the drain (Dickerson 80+). Therefore, the primary role of women in the book is acting as a sanctuary for the male characters when the men desire toRead MoreYoung Goodman Brown: The Evils of Puritanism Essay1728 Words   |  7 Pageshere are they all , in my worshipping assembly (Hawthorne 394). Neary explains that the â€Å"protagonist leads a shiny, naà ¯ve existence at the surface. But the surface cracks. The characters fall through, cross the threshold from their surface world of ego and travel down into the underworld of the larger—and morally ambiguous—soul† (11). As Goodman Browns sees the whole town worship the devil and his wife there as a new convert, he still has a choice to walk away from evil; however, he chooses to walk