Passage taken from The Scarlet Letter IX. The Leech
As the story continues to unfold we see more into the personality of Mr.Dimmesdale, the young clergyman, who we had been first introduced to in chapter three, during the hearing of Hester Prynne. This minister, who up to now has seemed to remain of slight importance to the whole Hester situation, is now being brought forth with more suspicions and mysteries, leading up to the question on who Mr.Dimmesdale really is. If you piece together some of the evidence from previous chapters, you can see that in chapter eight, Dimmesdale practically saved Hester from losing her daughter, Pearl, by defending her during a meeting with the rest of the ministry in the home of Governor Bellingham. Why would Dimmesdale defend her, though? Doesn't he realize how great of a crime Hester had committed? But wait, why did Hester mention something of a previous relationship they both shared. Obviously with that quote we understand that Hester had known Reverend Dimmesdale before the situation, but what else do we not know of this relationship? What is this "secret" Dimmesdale holds to himself-the secret that at one point will bring in "all its mysteries into the daylight" and flow from the "soul of the sufferer"? Could it be that the Reverend is suffering from another burden other than his illness? I propose that Dimmesdale, in fact, may possibly be the person who Hester had an affair with, as the quote above fits the pieces together in a way that doesn't really reveal itself yet, but rather leaves the reader with a certain thought in mind, a thought that will continue to unravel itself with the chapters to come.
To every situation, though, there is also another side and this time we are also seeing more of the personality of Roger Chillingworth, the husband of Hester Prynne, who keep in mind, had been curious to know the man who Hester had an affair with during their interview in chapter four. At first it only made sense for Chillingworth to take care of and monitor Dimmesdale, being that he was a well-known physician and Dimmesdale, being in the ill condition that he was in, but this quote shows more than just that doctor-patient relationship they both shared. It started to also reveal more of Chillingworth's motives. Sure he was there to try and heal Dimmesdale, but judging by the deeper connection they both shared in discussing other ideas and topics besides those pertaining to Dimmesdale's health, you can see that they are starting to become more of actual friends rather than just that a doctor and patient. Did Chillingworth want to be friends, though, or is he doing this to get Dimmesdale to reveal something? The quote says it all, with mentioning Chillingworth as an "investigator", seeking to not only get to the root of his illness but to his mind and past memories, while also being careful at the same time in slowly uncovering this "secret".
As mentioned before, what makes this quote significant is how much it reveals the motives and secrets behind some of the characters in the story without fully stating the answers. It leaves the reader to take all their evidence and knowledge from previous chapters, put it together, and come up with a guess themselves, but still leaves the reader hanging as to the true answers to this ongoing mystery. Hawthorne gives off this effect through his use of similes, "like a treasure-seeker in a dark cavern" and personification, "soul of the sufferer be dissolved, and flow forth in a...stream". In a way, Hawthorne wants the reader to make these thoughts, as the use of figurative language gives deeper meaning to the secrets these characters share and further allows readers to make inferences for themselves by looking at the valuable information given, through another view and thus make a connection.
Questions to Consider
- Why is chapter nine called, "The Leech"? Is it referring to a person? If so, who?
- How does Hawthorne create suspense in chapter eight during the argument between the clergymen and Hester over the care of Pearl?
- Based on what you know from the previous chapters, who might you think be the man Hester had an affair with? Is it to early in the book to tell?
To answer your last question first, i definitely think Mr. Dimmesdale is Pearl's father, even the way she caressed his hand seemed to have a meaning behind it. How, to answer your first question, the leech is Roger Chillingworth. if you read the title for chapter 10, "the leech and his patient" it pretty much clears that up. He is known as the leech because he is clinging on to Mr. Dimmesdale for reasons you already know, to discover his secret. as you have read, they are spending huge amounts of time together, not just because Roger is the pysician snd dimmesdale is the patient, nor just because they are friends, but because Roger wants to know his secret.
ReplyDeleteThe leech is referring to Chillingworth. During that period, that was another name for a doctor or physician. it can also refer to what Chillingworth is trying to do. Leeches pull blood from people, while he is attempting to pull information from Dimmesdale as to what happened in his affair with Hester.Dimmesdale obviously had the affair with Hester. He defended her as no one else would and Pearl had instinctive knowledge that he was her father.
ReplyDeleteAs stated above the Leech is definately Roger Chillingworth. His whole auroa in the chapter was creepy in some ways. Not once did he evoke a sense of trust or passion as he did with Hester a few chapters back. It's as if his character has a tone shift back and forth depending on the person. Suspense in chapter eight was built because you could almost feel the elephant in the room as if they were all avoiding a certain topic. Not knowing what was going to happen to Pearl, especially when she answered the "creator question" wrong had me on edge. The effects on anyone if their child is taken away can be devastating, but for Hester they could truly destroy any part of her life that she has left due to the reprecussions she faces on a day to day basis with the Scarlet letter. And I still don't know who the man could be I have my guesses but I really don't know.
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