What happens in chapter 10 of the scarlet letter?
Summary—Chapter 10: The Leech and His Patient The doctor relentlessly and mercilessly seeks to find the root of his patient’s condition. Chillingworth shows great persistence in inquiring into the most private details of Dimmesdale’s life, but Dimmesdale has grown suspicious of all men and will confide in no one.
Why is Chillingworth called a leech?
Roger Chillingworth is called “the leech” because he sucks the spirit and strength from Reverend Dimmesdale the way the aquatic leech exploits and often kills its host. He pretends to be a caring physician, but he extorts favors from the clergyman to serve his own selfish need to be near Hester, his legal wife.
What do Chillingworth and Dimmesdale discuss in Chapter 10?
Most of Chapter 10 concerns the pulling and tugging by Chillingworth at the heart and soul of Dimmesdale. One day in Chillingworth’s study, they are interrupted in their earnest discussion by Pearl and Hester’s voices outside in the graveyard.
What is Dimmesdale’s secret?
Dimmesdale’s secret closet was a bloody whip. This Puritan had often whipped himself with it, laughing bitterly while he did, and then beating himself more brutally for his bitter laughter.
What actions does Dimmesdale take to punish himself?
To relieve his guilt, Dimmesdale punishes himself in several ways. He goes without food and sleep for long periods of time, and he also whips himself on his back, causing cuts and bleeding. These attempts to atone for his sins do not work.
Are Hester and Dimmesdale in love?
Throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter, us readers are led to believe that Dimmesdale did not truly love Hester because of the way that he had been treating her.
Is Chillingworth sin worse than Dimmesdale?
Consumed by his sin, he is permanently altered into an evil spirit for the acts of vengeance he has pursued. This condemnation Hawthorne describes expresses without a doubt to the reader that Chillingworth’s sin is far worse than that of the remorseful and solemn Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale.
Why does Chillingworth hate Dimmesdale?
Chillingworth hates Dimmesdale. Yet his thirst for revenge means that he can never be free of Dimmesdale. So bound up is he in Dimmesdale that he eventually moves in with him, in the guise of caring for him as the kindly physician. They are so connected that Chillingworth dies less than a year after Dimmesdale.
What is Hester coming to realize is the true sin?
What is Hester coming to realize is the true sin she has committed? Her true sin was marrying Chillingsworth out of convenience and not love. What does Hester realize about her “repentance”? She realizes her repentance can never be complete until Pearl knows who she is.
Who is Hester Prynne’s lover?
Arthur Dimmesdale