Scarlet Letter Chapters 9-12

Chapters 9-12 of Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter, were in my opinion the most interesting chapters so far. The focus of the chapters strays from the protagonist Hester Prynne and focuses on the characters Roger Chillingworth and Reverend Dimmesdale. I found the contrast between these characters particularly evident in these chapters. When the men first begin to live together, you can see their similarities. They are both intelligent, prestigious men who are venerated by the community, Chillingworth because of his abilities as a doctor and Dimmesdale because he is the preacher and town leader. The interactions between the characters creates a conflict between physical and spiritual solutions. Chillingworth is working to heal Dimmesdale's illness with medicine, but Dimmesdale knows his illness is actually internal and needs to be treated by outing himself to the community. This is showing his people that he is not spiritually perfect. Chillingworth is currently being condemned by society as satan, and Dimmesdale could take his place if he admitted to having an affair with Hester. The town would physically view Dimmesdale as a sinner, but it brings about the question of is it better to admit to your sins then to bury them? When discussing a leave he collected from a grave, Chillingworth says, "They grew out of his heart, and typify, it may be, some hideous secret that was buried with him, and which he had done better to confess in his lifetime" (Hawthorne 119).  Chillingworth clearly states he believes that it is better to admit to your sins, which leads readers to believe he is aware of Hester and Dimmesdale's affair.
Chillingworth is called a leech because the Puritan society referred to physicians as leeches at the time. Physicians used to use leeches to extract blood from their patients giving them the nickname. This is a symbol for the way Chillingworth behaves in these chapters. It is as if he is attached to Dimmesdale's side constantly looking for cures even if Dimmesdale is preoccupied. He is pulling for information from Dimmesdale like a leech would draw blood. Hawthorne also compares Chillingworth to a miner because he is persistently digging for information and solutions from Dimmesdale.
The significance of Chillingworth examining Dimmesdale's chest is his reaction. Although it is not revealed to the reader, it can be assumed that Chillingworth found what he was looking for on Dimmesdale's chest. The fact that Chillingworth looks when Dimmesdale is asleep shows that he thinks the reverend is hiding some information from him. It is ironic that it is on his chest because that is where Hester has her A.
I made a connection to The Grinch by Dr. Seuss. Dimmesdale is like the Grinch because he has an internal issue that is making his outward self different (the Grinch is mean and Dimmesdale is sick). The Grinch was a happy child and Dimmesdale was an esteemed leader until a traumatic experience happened (the Grinch was made fun of and Hester was caught having an affair). The Grinch was miserable until he realized what Christmas was all about and his heart grew 3 sizes. Perhaps, if Dimmesdale is outed to his community, although he will be looked down upon, he will feel free. Pearl is also like Cindy Lou Who because she seems to be aware of what is going on from a young age and she wants Dimmesdale to stand with her and her mom like the Cindy wants the Grinch to come to the Christmas celebration.