The Scarlet Letter :: English Literature

The carmine LetterIn most books, readers see events and happenings in their own personalway, which differs ignorely from other readers interpretations of thesame book. In The Scarlet Letter, however, a radical new theory hasdeveloped on the demolition of Arthur Dimmesdale. Originally, it wasgenerally accepted that Chillingworths part in the death ofDimmesdale was purely psychological, moreoer perhaps he played a greaterrole than mentation before.In the book, Chillingworth is a physician who had been captured by Native Americans sometime agone and subsequently released by them into Boston, Massachusetts, who was strictly a Puritan settlement at the time. In the years of his imprisonment by the Indians, he was taught many natural herbs and plants of the New World, and their uses on the human body. Through this, he entered Boston as a physician, known to have gathered herbs, and the blossoms of wild-flowers, and dug up roots, and force off twigs from the forest-trees, like one ac quainted with hidden virtues in what was worthless to common eyes. ( The Scarlet Letter , p. 120). Chillingworth had the knowledge of a particular drug, Atropine, which caused a sickness that closely resembled the condition of Dimmesdale. Chillingworths motive for retribution to Dimmesdale for his adultery was very(prenominal) clear throughout the book, There is a sympathy that will give rise me conscious of him. I shall see him tremble. I shall feel myself shudder, suddenly and unawares. rather or later, he must needs be mine. (p. 80). Chillingworths vengeful genius consumed his life and his only goal in life became the torment of Hesters two-timing(a) husband, Dimmesdale. He was already showing signs of sickness, assumed by the reader to be attributed to his guilty conscience, and these were only amplified by the poisoning Chillingworth had inflicted upon him.Dimmesdales physical state and reactions overly gave the reader clues to Chillingworths role in Dimmesdales demise. Upon Chillingworths arrival to Boston, Dimmesdale immediately showed symptoms of atropine poisoning, or, to the reader at the time, signs of his guilt and adultery. As the doctor-patient relationship between Chillingworth and Dimmesdale grew, Dimmesdales health faded. His form grew cadaveric his voice, though still rich and sweet, had a certain melancholy portent of decay in it he was often observed, on any slight alarm or other sudden accident, to put his hand over his heart with first a flush and then a paleness, indicative of pain. (p. 119). Also, as time progressed, Dimmesdales symptoms became more severe and resembled like those attributed to atropine poisoning.