Chapters 9-12

Cailey Boumil
Chapters 9-12

In these chapters, Chillingworth and Dimmesdale move in with each other because Dimmesdale seems very sick and Chillingworth is the doctor in town. At first the people in the community are extremely happy to have Chillingworth in town because he is such a great doctor and they think he has been sent to cure Dimmesdale. However, as time passes rumors begin spreading about his past, making the people of town nervous about his intentions. Comments are also made seeming to compare him to the devil or a demon possibly. Even his face has taken on a sort of evil look. While reading these chapters I focused mainly on Dimmesdale's illness. It is said that he looks as though he is wasting away and keeps clutching his chest as if his heart pains him. I find it interesting that although he's sick, neither God (because he represents spirit) nor medicine (which Chillingworth represents) seems to be curing him. This forces me to believe that he isn't truly sick, but it might just be the guilt eating away at him. He knows he has committed a huge sin that he isn't owning up to. He's also letting the woman he possibly loves take on the responsibilities he can not. This is painful to him, not only mentally, but now physically as well. I think that's what his sickness is coming from. It's the pain of the guilt he has producing an actual pain in his heart.

I related this to the television show One Tree Hill. Though it's not the exact same situation it is similar. In this show, a man named Dan finds out that his wife has cheated on him with his own brother. He knows he hasn't treated his wife well and that he was the one who drove her away. You can tell as you watch the show that he isn't exactly angry, but instead seems overwhelmed with emotions, mainly guilt because he knows that it's mostly his own fault. The guilt and pain overwhelms him so much, he ends up having a heart attack and is sent to the hospital in critical condition. It can be related to the way Dimmesdale is overwhelmed with guilt about his sin and how that causes him to feel physically ill.