Rhiannon Wheeler

AP Literature
A. Smiddy
September 23, 2013
A Comprehensive Study of Roger Chillingworths Metamorphosis in Selected Readings
of The Scarlet Letter
or
I Know Why the Mad Man Sings
Roger Chillingworth: a mad man, or a man driven to madness? His origins as a cal
m and forthright librarian, descent into madness, and then sudden redemption, pr
ovide a perspicacious perspective to the narrative. His gradual descent and degr
adation into a single-minded fervor is concisely detailed in the given passage f
rom The Leech and His Patient, taken from Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter.
Although Roger Chillingworth began as a calm and upstanding man, it is quickly r
eveled, given the barest push of impetus, that he may quickly descend into a man
ic fixation, a terrible fascination (line 6), from which there can be no revival.
When Hester Prynne refuses to divulge her partner in adultery, Chillingworth tak
es it upon himself to discover the truth. Through pure intuition and hapchance,
he (correctly) construes Arthur Dimmesdale to be the object of his obsession. Ar
med with the certainty that only a zealot can possess, he digs into Dimmesdales m
ind like a sexton delving into a grave (line 8,9), perhaps to the detriment of his
own soul, searching for secrets meant to be taken beyond the grave. (This compa
rison is especially apt, as later on in the chapter Chillingworth discovers a st
range plant growing from a grave, and imagines it the result of some long held s
ecret.) This growing fascination pushes out any sane or reasonable thought, leav
ing only thoughts of discovering Dimmesdales secret for a fact. It leaves only a b
lue and ominous (line 11) light flickering from within Chillingworths eyes; comparab
le to a reflection of a furnace (line 12) burning brighter and hotter than any ear
thly stove had a right to.
Despite this barely concealed malignant intent towards him, Dimmesdales introvert
ed nature inhibits him from discerning Chillingworths purpose, essentially allowi
ng the aging doctor uninterrupted access to the depths of his mind. At this poin
t, Chillingworth only wished to find confirmation that his secret contention was
true. His long search[es] in the ministers dark interior (line 18) would bring for
th naught but invaluable gold (line 21), referring to the ministers natural piety (li
ne 20) and warm love of souls (line 19), but to Chillingworth was perhaps no better
than rubbish (line 21). Chillingworth was remarkably careful in pursuit of his o
bsessive quest, and yet even he would err in spite of his premeditated carefulnes
s (line 25), and alert Dimmesdale that something inimical to his peace (line 29) ha
d slipped into his psyche. With no others within sight, Dimmesdale might turn a
watchful eye on his colleague, but Chillingworths own neurotic senses would forew
arn him of the inverted scrutiny, and so the minister would only see his watchful
, sympathizing, but never intrusive (line 31) friend. That Chillingworth could so
convincingly play both the manifest role of the caring friend, and the covert r
ole of the flagitious adversary, is both a sign of his skill and his madness, pe
rhaps even going so far as to be a psychosis.
Most of the entire passage is comprised of metaphor. Rather than being of one ex
tended metaphor, the passage shifts from one to another, leaving the reader unce
rtain as to what is actually taking place. This echoes the shifting sands of Chi
llingworths madness, as it slowly and obsessively takes him apart. Chillingworth
is frequently compared to a miner searching for gold (line 8), turning over many pr
ecious materials (line 18). This adds great depth to the metaphors concerning Chi
llingworths plumbing of Dimmesdales mind. It also has a more hidden meaning, which
may or may not have been intentional on the part of the author. In the time the
text was written, many miners frequently went insane from the buildup of gasses
(and the sheer horror of being hundreds of feet underground, with no natural li
ght or air). While this vague allusion was likely unintentional, it does add to
case against Chillingworths sanity.
The ubiquitous metaphors also serve to leave the reader with little to no unders
tanding of what is actually taking place behind them. Is Chillingworth literally
reading the mind of his friend the minister, placing the novel firmly in the te
rritory of Magical Realism? Or is he simply asking probing questions, and discer
ning what secrets lay behind the answers? Either of these can be used as evidenc
e for his descent into fevered madness. The very fact that he first goes to Dimm
esdale to confirm his suspicions is confirmation that his fanatical fixation has
overridden his common sense, for who would suspect the most devout, the most ho
ly among them, as the accomplice in such a foul and profane deed? This is either
fortuitous madness, or divine intervention. Chillingworth even remarks on this
oddity himself This manpure as they deem him,--all spiritual as he seems,--hath in
herited a strong animal nature from his father or his mother (line 15, 16). In ot
her words, instead of assuming (as nearly all folk in the town do) that Dimmesda
les piety is sincere and heartfelt, Chillingworth instead assumes that the impetu
s to commit such an act must have descended unnoticed from the ministers parents.
Chillingworth descends from virtue into obsessive zealotry slowly, but no less s
teadily. He is a man crazed, driven insane from the jealous rage of being cuckol
ded by a younger, holier man. The wish to know why drives his every motive, driv
es him to jump to unfounded and illogical conclusions. The fact that many of his
conclusions are correct is obviously a sign of deus ex machina (or the machinat
ions of a demonic spirit ) on his behavior. He commits the sin of violating the
human heart and mind, causing Dimmesdale great anguish, and even suicide. Was Ch
illingworth justified in his hatred and jealously? Did his eventual redemption m
ean his salvation? Or was his madness an irrevocable change, lying underneath th
e surface?
Word count: 1013
Works Cited
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "The Leach and His Patient." The Scarlet Letter. Pleasantv
ille, NY: Reader's Digest Association, 1984. N. pag. Print.