To make you feel not so alone as you read The Scarlet Letter, Ramsey is reading along with you and blogging about his experiences. Missed past installments? They're all collected here.
Chapter 9 – The Leech
Based only on the title of the chapter, here’s what I think is going to happen in this section. Hester and Pearl will walk back to their cabin and decide to stop by the lake. Suddenly, emerging from the depths of the murky deep, a giant leech slumps across the ground, heading directly for Pearl! Pearl, known for her intimidation techniques, throws mud at the leech, forcing it to return to its imaginary lake home. Then Pearl screams at her mother the whole walk home.
*pauses to read chapter*
Okay, so I was close! The chapter begins with a discussion of our favorite Puritan creepazoid, Roger Chillingworth. Since he’s arrived on the scene, Chillingworth has not revealed his true identity, except to say that he's a doctor. He's quickly become the most popular guy in town. Why? Well, let’s just say that health care in the 1700s can be summed up with one word: “horriworst.” It also frequently involved leeches. Wait a second…
Sensing an opportunity to find new and exciting ways to be a weirdo, Chillingworth somehow manages to become the roommate of the local minister, Dimmesdale. It seems that if you’re a doctor in Puritan-era Boston and need a place to stay, you should first find someone in town who's in bad health. We’re talking sinking cheeks, an almost albino-like complexion, chest pains, and a death wish. That kind of thing. Show up at his house all the time and then insist that you’re going to be his medical advisor. Bingo bango! You’ve got yourself a sweet reverend roommate.
Chillingworth and Dimmesdale spend a lot of time together, going on walks to look for medicine in the woods, and just talking about the kind of things that a young man of the cloth and an ancient monster doctor from England have in common. They live in an old widow’s home and basically become The Odd Couple. Dimmesdale's room is decorated with biblical tapestries of punishment,and Chillingworth’s contains a mad scientist’s laboratory. Man, I’d love to hang out with these two party animals!
At first the town is excited to have someone to look after its minister. Then they start to describe Chillingworth as “mysterious,” “old,” and “the Devil.” (Between Pearl and Chillingworth, a lot of people are believed to be evil incarnate in this book. I would love it if we could bring back the tradition of jumping to the most extreme possible insult whenever someone wrongs us. “I said I wanted mushrooms! This is pepperoni! I didn’t realize Beelzebub worked in this pizzeria!”)
Chapter Ten: The Leech and His Patient
Oh okay, so this one is going to be about that giant leech becoming a doctor, right? It’s either that or Hawthorne is maintaining the metaphor that he established in the previous chapter of Chillingworth as a leech sucking out Dimmesdale's energy and soul.
At this point in the novel, Chillingworth turns into Sherlock Holmes. The dude is obsessed with trying to figure why this Dimmesdale guy is so miserable. He sneaks around the reverend’s room and goes through his stuff. Dimmesdale is paranoid and refuses to confide in anyone. And, really, if you were going to confide in someone, it probably wouldn’t be someone who, in my mind, looks like a cross between Santa Claus, Dick Cheney, and Darth Vader.
Dr. ScaryDude sets logic traps for Dimmesdale. For example, when Dimmesdale asks Chillingworth where he got an odd-looking plant, Chillingworth says he found it on a grave and that this plant growing out of a grave is a symbol for the dead person’s unconfessed sin. (Subtle, right?) The two then discuss confessing sins, burying secrets, and redeeming oneself over and over for way too long. I would rather have dinner with my mom as she gives me the sex talk every night than get into a conversation with these two sad sacks.
Suddenly, their uplifting debate is interrupted by the sound of Pearl, outside in the graveyard, dancing. When the girl notices the two, she tells her mom that "the Devil is in charge of the minister and they need to skedaddle or the same thing’ll happen to them." Chillingworth uses this opportunity to talk about Hester’s sin, in an attempt to prod the minister into a confession. Chillingworth finally breaks “the code of dudes” when he asks how the reverend’s relationship with God is and if that’s related to his condition. Dimmesdale stands up and says good night. If he weren’t a clergyman, he’d probably have some awesome Puritan insults for the man.
Dimmesdale's abrupt departure makes Detective Chillingworth take out his clue notebook. He believes his suspicions are correct and that Chillingworth is hiding some dark secret. He then just goes for it, stepping over the line into “stalker” by looking under the reverend’s shirt while he’s asleep. Hawthorne doesn’t tell us what he sees, but he does tell us that it causes the doctor to move into a state of “rapture.”
I hope you’re shuddering as violently as I am right now.
What did Chillingworth see under the shirt? What about giant leeches? They’ll show up eventually, right? Join us next time to find out! If you don’t, I’ll have no choice but to publicly accuse you of being The Devil himself!
For more Ramsey on The Scarlet Letter, check out the index page.
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