The Scarlet Letter: Section 2 Blog 4

In the final chapter of section two (chapter 9) of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, I first noticed the symbolism of the title of the chapter and it's relevance to pertaining to Roger Chillingworth's very nature. The chapter which centers around the growing relationship and familiarity of Mr. Chillingworth to Mr. Dimmesdale as a scandolous relationship, with Roger having an evil scheme and personal benefit in plan from their getting to know. The reverend is thoughtful and wise, but not suspicious or intuitive to Roger's secret plan of deception. This might be caused by Mr. Chillingworth's skill at secrecy and plotting, which make me as a reader want to shout out to Mr. Dimmesdale to be careful of Roger's seemingly good intentions and character as his physician. Like a leech, Mr. Chillingworth attaches himself onto the reverend, digging into his deepest most innermost self to discover more about Mr. Dimmesdale and use his weakness, flaws, and personal evils to destroy him. "...the strong interest which the physician ever manifested in the young clergyman; he attached himself to him as a parishioner, and sought to win a friendly regard and confidence from his naturally reserved sensibility," (Hawthorne, 92). This shows the physician's ability to sneak into a seemingly genuine relationship with the idea of winning over the clergyman's trust and good company. To prove that the "leech" of this chapter is being compared to Mr. Chillingworth, a separate definition for the word leech is a physician. I, feeling sorry for the trap Mr. Dimmesdale is getting into, hope he will see beyond Mr. Chillingworth's fake sincerity.