Quote #5

In chapter 17 of The Scarlet Letter, Hester and Dimmesdale finally get to escape the town and sit hand in hand by a secluded brook. Hester breaks the news that Chillingworth is really her husband and Dimmesdale becomes furious with her. In the end, Dimmesdale forgives Hester and realizes that Chillingworth is a worse sinner then the both of them. He says, “We are not, Hester, the worst sinners in the world. There is one worse than even the polluted priest! That old man’s revenge has been blacker than my sin.” Even though what Hester and Dimmesdale did was horrible, Chillingworth is more of a sinner than them both and is truly a depiction of the devil.

At first, what Hester did seemed horrible and you would think it would have hurt her husband so badly. However, Chillingworth seemed like he could of cared less. The only thing he wanted was to get back at whoever committed adultery with Hester. Not caring and having revenge the only thing on his mind shows his poor character. He did everything in his power to torture Dimmesdale just like the devil would torture someone for his or her own satisfaction.

This quote tells how Dimmesdale feels about his own sin and about Chillingworth. He knows what he and Hester did was bad, but he believes that what Chillingworth is doing to him is worse. Most people who read this book think that Hester and Dimmesdale are the worst sinners, but Chillingworth seems to be more in the wrong here and even Dimmesdale, the Minster who committed a horrible crime, agrees. Of course he could be trying to protect Hester and himself by saying what Chillingworth is doing is worse, but torturing someone for your own sick, twisted gratification is pure evil.