Quote
"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 hime to imagine a more intimate than any mortal had ever wreaked upon an enemy" (127).
Response
This goes back to our class discussion regarding punishment fitting crime, the revenge that Chillingworth is taking out on Dimmesdale does not fit his crime. It does not fit the crime in todays standard but when looked at with historical perspective the revenge is not very far fetched. People wanted Hester killed for committing adultery, Chillingworth is punishing Dimmesdale in a way that society cannot. Another perspective is in regards to Dimmesdale's silence. His tortured soul could be saved if he confessed, not by society, but by God.
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