Summary—Chapter 9: The Leech
By renaming himself upon his arrival in Boston, Chillingworth
has hidden his past from everyone except Hester, whom he has sworn
to secrecy. He incorporates himself into society in the role of
a doctor, and since the townsfolk have very little access to good
medical care, he is welcomed and valued. In addition to his training
in European science, he also has some knowledge of “native” or “natural”
remedies, because he was captured by Native Americans and lived
with them for a time. The town sometimes refers to the
doctor colloquially as a “leech,” which was a common epithet for
physicians at the time. The name derives from the practice of using
leeches to drain blood from their patients, which used to be regarded
as a curative process.
Much to the community’s concern, Dimmesdale has been suffering
from severe health problems. He appears to be wasting away, and
he frequently clutches at his chest as though his heart pains him. Because
Dimmesdale refuses to marry any of the young women who have devoted
themselves to him, Chillingworth urges the town leadership to insist
that Dimmesdale allow the doctor to live with him. In this way,
Chillingworth may have a chance to diagnose and cure the younger
man. The two men take rooms next to the cemetery in a widow’s
home, which gives them an opportunity for the contemplation of sin
and death. The minister’s room is hung with tapestries depicting
biblical scenes of adultery and its punishment, while Chillingworth’s
room contains a laboratory that is sophisticated for its time.
The townspeople were initially grateful for Chillingworth’s
presence and deemed his arrival a divine miracle designed to help
Dimmesdale. As time has passed, however, rumors have spread concerning
Chillingworth’s personal history. Even more ominously, the man’s
face has begun to take on a look of evil. A majority of the townspeople
begin to suspect that Chillingworth is the Devil, come to wage battle
for Dimmesdale’s soul.
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Chapter 9: The Leech →
Summary—Chapter 10: The Leech and His Patient
The inwardly tortured minister soon becomes Chillingworth’s greatest
puzzle. The doctor relentlessly and mercilessly seeks to find the
root of his patient’s condition. Chillingworth shows great persistence
in inquiring into the most private details of Dimmesdale’s life, but
Dimmesdale has grown suspicious of all men and will confide in no
one. Chillingworth devotes all of his time to his patient. Even when
he is not in Dimmesdale’s presence, Chillingworth is busy gathering
herbs and weeds out of which to make medicines.
One day Dimmesdale questions his doctor about an unusual-looking
plant. Chillingworth remarks that he found it growing on an unmarked
grave and suggests that the dark weeds are the sign of the buried
person’s unconfessed sin. The two enter into an uncomfortable conversation
about confession, redemption, and the notion of “burying” one’s
secrets. As they speak, they hear a cry from outside. Through the
window, they see Pearl dancing in the graveyard and hooking burrs
onto the “A” on Hester’s chest. When Pearl notices the two men,
she drags her mother away, saying that the “Black Man” has already
gotten the minister and that he must not capture them too. Chillingworth
remarks that Hester is not a woman who lives with buried sin—she
wears her sin openly on her breast. At Chillingworth’s words, Dimmesdale
is careful not to give himself away either as someone who is intimately
attached to Hester or as someone with a “buried” sin of his own.
Chillingworth begins to prod the minister more directly by inquiring
about his spiritual condition, explaining that he thinks it relevant
to his physical health. Dimmesdale becomes agitated and tells Chillingworth
that such matters are the concern of God. He then leaves the room.
Dimmesdale’s behavior has reinforced Chillingworth’s suspicions.
The minister apologizes for his behavior, and the two are friends
again. However, a few days later, Chillingworth sneaks up to Dimmesdale
while he is asleep and pushes aside the shirt that Dimmesdale is
wearing. What he sees on Dimmesdale’s chest causes the doctor to
rejoice, but the reader is kept in the dark as to what Chillingworth
has found there.
