Secrets,
Facades, and MoralsHester felt herself no longer so inadequate to
cope with Roger Chillingworth as on that night, abased by sin, and
half maddened by the ignominy that was still new, when they had
talked together in the prison-chamber. She had climbed her way,
since then, to a higher point (138). At the beginning of Chapter
2, Hester first sees Roger Chillingworth in the audience as she is
standing on the scaffold. There, he took possession of her
thoughts (52), filling her with such fear that she pressed her
child close to her bosom with a convulsive force (52). Later on,
Roger Chillingworth visits Hester in her prison cell, and is
revealed to be her husband, someone who has been missing for the
past two years. Throughout Chapters
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Chillingworths
goal was to ruin (65) Dimmesdale's soul, an act that continued to
fuel his vengeance and fill his own soul with darkness. His entire
demeanor was affected by this purpose; while he did attempt to hide
what he felt internally by acting calm , gentle, [and]
passionless, he failed and showed his active malice that led
him to imagine a more intimate revenge than any mortal has ever
wreaked upon an enemy (116). The significance of the immorality of
his plan further shows how he was inhumane, more like a Devil than
a person. Chillingworth brought himself below her level by
the revenge which he has stooped for, (138) because it filled him
with such hatred that it drained him of morality and humanity,
making him lower than Hester and ultimately less powerful. Hester
on the other hand, wanted to repent for previous transgressions,
doing this by utilizing her flaming passion for charity. She became
known as one who is so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick,
[and] so comfortable to the afflicted (134-135). Her Scarlet
Letter stopped being interpreted by its original signification,
and now meant Able (134) instead. This new purpose in life
brought her higher than Chillingworth and put her in a higher
position of power due to its emphasis on
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