The Leech Good Vs Evil Quotes

500 Words2 Pages
The theme and struggle of good and evil is carried through in Chapter 9, "The Leech," where there is much positioning of characters. In this chapter the reader gets insights into Roger Chillingworth; the man first introduced as mysterious and scary. He incorporates himself into society in the role of a doctor, and since the townsfolk lack skilled physicians, he is welcomed and many believe he was sent from the heavens. The whole town quickly gets to know Chillingworth as "a brilliant acquisition” for his apparent knowledge of both traditional medicine and Indian medical remedies (Hawthorne, 108). Upon his arrival, he declares Reverend Dimmesdale as his spiritual guide, and once he becomes horribly ill, he insists that Dimmesdale moves in with him so he can be monitored and treated accordingly. However, during the progression of the chapter,…show more content…
As he treats Dimmesdale, they frequently discuss their concerns and there suddenly begins to develop "a kind of intimacy” between the two (Hawthorne, 113). Dimmesdale views Chillingworth as a empathetic and an intelligent individual, who seemingly, is very similar to himself. On the other hand, the reader is warned even from the beginning of the novel that there is something peculiar and devious about Chillingworth. So when Chillingworth progressively becomes more intrigued in practicing the black art the citizens begin to observe differences in him, physically, they see “there was something ugly and evil in his face, which they had not previously noticed, and which grew still the more obvious to sight, the oftener they looked upon him” (Hawthorne, 116). With that, many suspicions began to arise about Chillingworth. On top of this, his laboratory appears to be “brought from the lower regions, and was fed with internal fuel” (Hawthorne, 116). Presumably, this fire seems to come from the depths of hell. From this, the townsfolk begin to see evil in

    More about The Leech Good Vs Evil Quotes

      Open Document