Symbolization of Chillingworth as the Devil in Hawthornes...

Nathaniel Hawthorne crammed The Scarlet Letter with religious symbolism. One of the most interesting symbols is that of Chillingworth as the devil. All through the novel there are numerous indications and relations that verify the fact that Chillingworth is a delegate for the king of darkness. One of the various ways Chillingworth serves as the devil’s advocate is by being the antithesis of Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, the palpable Jesus figure of the narrative. Chillingworth keenly sets out to devastate Dimmesdale, as Hawthorne informs us when referring to Chillingworths unearthing of Dimmesdales secret, â€Å"All that guilty sorrow, hidden from the world, whose great heart would have pitied and forgiven, to be revealed to him, the†¦show more content†¦He describes Chillingworth as malformed and stooped. He compares Chillingworth to weeds and portrays his business as resembling witchcraft. Chillingworth’s shady and sinister characteristics all portray him as the monarch of hell. Nathaniel Hawthorne crammed The Scarlet Letter with religious symbolism. One of the most interesting symbols is that of Chillingworth as the devil. All through the novel there are numerous indications and relations that verify the fact that Chillingworth is a delegate for the king of darkness. One of the various ways Chillingworth serves as the devil’s advocate is by being the antithesis of Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, the palpable Jesus figure of the narrative. Chillingworth keenly sets out to devastate Dimmesdale, as Hawthorne informs us when referring to Chillingworths unearthing of Dimmesdales secret, â€Å"All that guilty sorrow, hidden from the world, whose great heart would have pitied and forgiven, to be revealed to him, the Pitiless, to him, the Unforgiving!† The capitalization of the words Pitiless and Unforgiving confirm that Chillingworth is Satan in human form. Symbolically, on an additional, more perceptible note, Chillingworth steals one of Dimmesdales gloves and drops it on the scaffold in the middle of the town. The sexton returns it to Dimmesdale saying, Satan dropped it there,† evidently pointing to the fact