Monday, November 18, 2013

S.L. chp. 11

#23

Calm gentle, passionless, as he appeared, there was yet, we fear, a quiet depth of malice, hitherto latent, but active now, in this unfortunate old man, which led him to imagine a more intimate revenge than any mortal had ever wreaked upon an enemy.

Chillingsworth has unsknowingly become evil through an act of silent revenge. What was at first simple suspicion has become a full blown unplanned scheme for the death of a man. A minister no less. The word intimate caught my eye here and I thought it could relate to two ideas. One, by intimate he could mean the private past relationship between Hester and Arthur. I think this because this is the sin that in turn kills Dimmesdale. Another view could be referring to Dimmesdale and Chillingsworth's relationship since they have only recently met.

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