What is the relationship between dimesdale and chillingworth?
Relationship between dimesdale and chillingworth?
The Scarlet Letter Questions
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What is the relationship between dimesdale and chillingworth?
Their relationship is pretty twisted. Chillingworth has his suspicions that the ailing young priest is the father of Pearl. Under the guise of helping the priest get better(Chillingworth pro ports he is a doctor), they become roomies. Chillingworth then has free rain to torture this poor guy. Chillingworth doesn't seem so much interested in revenge more than simply controlling and tormenting Dimmesdale. Both men have this morbid co-dependence thing going on. Chillingworth slowly poisons Dimmesdale and mentally tortures him. For much of the novel, Dimmesdale freely submits to this creepy relationship. Chillingworth doesn't want Dimmesdale to come clean about Pearl because it would end his twisted control over the priest.
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