What happens to Roger Chillingworth within a year of Arthur Dimmesdale's public confession and death?
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: He loses his purpose, withers like an uprooted weed, and dies, leaving a fortune to Pearl.
Chillingworth's life was entirely fueled by his intellectual revenge against Dimmesdale. Once the minister confesses and escapes his control through death, Chillingworth has no purpose left, causing his physical and mental collapse. In a surprising final act, he leaves his substantial estate to Pearl, providing her with financial independence.
Keep practicing
More The Scarlet Letter questions
- Years after the main events of the novel, what does Hester Prynne do that cements her legacy in the Boston community?
- Where is Hester Prynne buried at the conclusion of the novel, and what is unique about her final resting place?
- In the introductory essay 'The Custom-House', how does the narrator claim to have discovered the story of Hester Prynne?
- What reason does the town leadership give for attempting to legally separate Hester Prynne from her young daughter, Pearl, when she is arou…
- How does Arthur Dimmesdale secretly punish himself in the isolation of his study to cope with his unconfessed guilt?
- Over the seven years narrated in the novel, how does the townspeople's ideological interpretation of Hester's embroidered scarlet letter ch…