The Scarlet Letter :: English Literature

The Scarlet LetterIn most books, readers see events and happenings in their own personalway, which differs slightly from other readers interpretations of thesame book. In The Scarlet Letter, however, a radical new theory hasdeveloped on the death of Arthur Dimmesdale. Originally, it was primarily accepted that Chillingworths part in the death ofDimmesdale was purely psychological, but perhaps he played a greaterrole than thought before.In the book, Chillingworth is a physician who had been captured by Native Americans sometime ago and subsequently released by them into Boston, Massachusetts, who was strictly a Puritan settlement at the time. In the years of his bonds by the Indians, he was taught many native 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 pull together herbs, and the blossoms of wild-flowers, and dug up roots, and plucked off twigs from the forest-trees, like one acquainted with hidd en virtues in what was valueless 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 clear throughout the book, There is a sympathy that will make me conscious of him. I shall see him tremble. I shall feel myself shudder, suddenly and unawares. Sooner or later, he must needs be mine. (p. 80). Chillingworths vengeful record consumed his life and his only goal in life became the torment of Hesters adulterous husband, Dimmesdale. He was already showing signs of sickness, assumed by the reader to be attributed to his blameable conscience, and these were only amplified by the poisoning Chillingworth had inflicted upon him.Dimmesdales physical state and reactions also gave the reader clues to Chillingworths role in Dimmesdales demise. Upon Chillingworths arrival to Boston, Dim mesdale 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 emaciated his voice, though still rich and sweet, had a certain melancholy prophecy 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 sloshed 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.