The Scarlet Letter의 Dimmesdale과 Chillingworth의 심리분석

Abstract

Human beings have ceaselessly continued longing for freedom. However, some people think it's very comfortable to live relying on religion, system, authority, customs, etc of their society. They would rather feel at ease under those kinds of rules than dream of breaking away from their peaceful lives. Worse still, some people are under the illusion that they disport themselves freedom under their society‘s controls. But they are more likely to evade freedom rather than be eager to be free. The setting of The Scarlet letter is the society of Puritanism in the 17th century of the U.S.A. The Puritans live a very strict life on religious grounds and their ways of thinking are inflexible in the religious society. Therefore, the Puritans in this community don't accept immoral behavior of religion, just like adultery. However, the Puritans who live in this society are not simply human beings, but also have emotions of their own. So does a clergyman. In this novel, Dimmesdale and Chillingworth are abnormally obsessed with authority even after they committed each sin. And to evade their agonies, Dimmesdale is relying on Masochism and Chillingworth is relying on Sadism. So let's take a look at The Scarlet letter focusing on Masochism and Sadism. First of all, take a look at the clergyman Dimmesdale who has been respected by the Puritans. He committed adultery with Hester. By moral standards, his behavior is unacceptable to himself, even though his sin is hidden by the minister's authority. The loss of an ethical life leads to spiritual, intellectual, and moral anarchy. He is drowned in his hidden sin. He is left with a sense of guilt. So he depends on Masochism to relieve his guilt. It means it is morally too much for him. Dimmesdale goes in for self-torture and self-lashing, becoming thin, turning white, seeing mirror and illusion. Finally, he confesses his sin on the scaffold where Hester was judged by the public. However, we can't say this is a real confession because the clergyman Dimmesdale calls himself, the sinner Dimmesdale as the Other, 'He' not 'I'. He doesn't want to lose his authority until his death. Finally, Let's examine Chillingworth. He is an old scholar and a physician who pretends to treat Dimmesdale's disease while he represses his emotion to take revenge against Dimmesdale. This is because Hester, his wife, has betrayed him. Shorn of his authority of paternalism, Chillingworth depends on Sadism to torture Dimmesdale. He enjoys Dimmesdale's suffering. However, he lost the aim of his life after Dimmesdale's death. Chillingworth leaves his fortune to Pearl who is "the direct consequence of sin" between Dimmesdale and Hester, but we can't say it means reconciliation. It means he wants to exercise a paternal leverage for which he could not do anything for Hester because of Dimmesdale. He namely wants to show his authority of paternalism until his death. Conclusively we can say that both of them have ceaselessly clung to authority. Death finally brings an end to their suffering which they can't stop. death is only a turning point and they can't get true freedom from their last deeds before death, though they are pleased with themselves.