How does Hawthorne describe Chillingworth?
As his name suggests, Roger Chillingworth is a man deficient in human warmth. His twisted, stooped, deformed shoulders mirror his distorted soul. From what the reader is told of his early years with Hester, he was a difficult husband.
What type of character is Roger Chillingworth?
Character Analysis Roger Chillingworth. Roger Chillingworth, unlike Hester and Dimmesdale, is a flat character. While he develops from a kind scholar into an obsessed fiend, he is less of a character and more of a symbol doing the devil’s bidding.
What does Chillingworth’s name symbolize?
The name itself contains the word “chilling,” which generally means frightening (particularly in relation to violence). “Chill” on its own concerns cold, and Chillingworth is a cold-hearted person. Moreover, his intent on revenge is chilling.
What does Chillingworth mean when he mutters?
What does Chillingworth mean when he mutters, “A strange sympathy betwixt soul and body! Were it only for the art’s sake, I must search this matter to the bottom!”? He means that his sickness affects him both physically and emotionally.
What is unusual about Pearl’s behavior?
She has a fierce temper, chasing after the Puritan children who deride her, and holding “the bitterest hatred that can be supposed to rankle in a childish bosom.” She described by Governor Bellingham as being like the “children of the Lord of Misrule.” When she is in the forest with her mother, Pearl is capricious.
What is Chillingworth’s secret?
Hester keeps secret the name of her illegitimate child’s father (Reverend Dimmesdale) and the true identity of Roger Chillingworth (her husband). She will not reveal Pearl’s father to protect Reverend Dimmesdale’s reputation, as he is the minister of the church.
What are some of Pearl’s personality traits?
Her personality is described as intelligent, imaginative, inquisitive, determined, and even obstinate at times.
Why is Pearl called the Elf child?
Pearl is therefore repeatedly referred to as an “elf” or “elf-child” because of the way in which she is so different from other children.
Why does Pearl wash off Dimmesdale’s kiss?
In The Scarlet Letter, Pearl washes off Dimmesdale’s kiss because she believes him to be impure for sinning and failing to live with his daughter.
Why does Dimmesdale say that Chillingworth’s sin is worse than theirs?
Therefore, Chillingworth would not be able to torture him. Dimmesdale’s sin is worse than Hester’s because he hid his true self from the public for so long, Not only was he hypocritical, but he was also not to true t himself, which is seen as the greater sin by the author.
Why does Pearl throw a wild tantrum?
Pearl had a temper tantrum because her mother did not have on her Scarlet Letter. In a way, Pearl thought her mom was “throwing away” Pearl as well as the scarlet letter. Therefore, Pearl was the one tying Dimmesdale and Hester to this sin, being the physical product of their sin.
What does Pearl do when the Minister kisses her on the forehead?
Although only a few days have passed since he kissed her forehead next to the forest brook, Pearl barely recognizes the minister. She tells Hester that she is tempted to approach the man and bestow a kiss of her own, and Hester scolds her.
How does Pearl protect Hester?
Hester described Pearl as “a doubtful charm, imparting a hard metallic luster to the child’s character” (Hawthorne 168). Pearl has a wild energy in her nature to fight against sorrow. Even though Pearl’s abnormal behavior sometimes afflicts Hester, she supports Hester’s spirit and keeps her from danger.
Does Pearl love Hester?
Pearl loves her mother; Hester is, in fact, the only person in Pearl’s life whom Pearl knows and trusts intimately, because the two of them live in relative isolation from the rest of the community.
Should Pearl be taken away from Hester?
Summary—Chapter 7: The Governor’s Hall The townspeople reason that if Pearl is a demon-child, she should be taken from Hester for Hester’s sake. And, they reason, if Pearl is indeed a human child, she should be taken away from her mother for her own sake and given to a “better” parent than Hester Prynne.
How does Pearl affect Hester?
Pearl is the only thing that Hester cares about. Pearl has moments where she negatively affects Hester and moments when she is a positive influence in Hester’s life. Her roguish personality leads to her reminding Hester of her sin and consequently causing Hester pain and torment.
Why does Hester say she should keep custody of Pearl?
Hester argues to keep Pearl by saying she can teach Pearl the faith through her mistakes and trials, but also by saying Pearl is a daily reminder of the sin she committed.
Why does Hester dress pearl so nicely?
Just as the scarlet “A” that Hester is forced to wear is turned by her skill with the needle into a symbol of beauty and finery, so Pearl, the illegitimate child of an illicit and unlawful union, is a figure of beauty and is arrayed in all finery by her mother.
What does Pearl Love in The Scarlet Letter?
Pearl happily runs to him and kisses him. Ultimately, Pearl loves Dimmesdale even though he is too recreant to help her or her mother. True love always forgives, and Pearl’s actions show that she can as well. Furthermore, Pearl serves as a symbol by providing an interesting take on Hester’s Scarlet Letter.
What does pearl symbolize how is her name significant?
At the beginning of chapter five it states that she was named Pearl because she was “of great price-purchased with all she had,-her mother’s only treasure!” So, Pearl’s name is symbolic of the price that Hester had to pay in order to bear her. Also symbolic is the proess by which pearls are created.
How does Pearl know who her father is?
On the holiday, Pearl asks why the minister does not acknowledge them in the daylight when he walked with them in the forest and even kissed her head. Pearl clearly senses her father as Dimmesdale; she kisses him in the end.
What is the significance of Pearl not recognizing Hester without her scarlet A?
Beyond Hester’s explanation, why won’t Pearl come to Hester without the scarlet letter? She has grown so accustomed to the scarlet letter on her mother that she does not want her mother without it. Symbolically, she sees her mother with Dimmesdale and feels like she too has been cast aside, like the scarlet letter.
What does pearl mean?
1a : a dense variously colored and usually lustrous concretion formed of concentric layers of mother-of-pearl as an abnormal growth within the shell of some mollusks and used as a gem. b : mother-of-pearl. 2 : one that is very choice or precious. 3 : something resembling a pearl intrinsically or physically.