Justice Explored in The Scarlet LetterNathaniel Hawthorne created themes in The Scarlet Letter that were just as significant as the obvious ideas regarding sin and Puritan society. Roger Chillingworth is a character through whom one of these themes resonates, and a character often understated in analysis. His weakness and path toward destruction of himself and others is summed up in one of Chillingworth's final sentences in the novel, to Arthur Dimmesdale: "If you had traveled all the earth...there would have been no no place so secret, no place high or low. place where you could have escaped me, except on this scaffold! (171). This powerful phrase from Chillingworth has three meanings. First, Dimmesdale can only save himself by confessing in public. Second, it shows the true sin and suffering of Chillingworth himself. In this regard, the line is just as important in reiterating Chillingworth's illness as it is in showing Dimmesdale's torment. Finally, this statement creates a parallel between Chillingworth's idea of ​​justice and that of the Puritans. The theme that Hawthorne develops in Chillingworth is not simply his pain and torment. It is a more important representation of the weakness of the people's values ​​during the Puritan era and how their perseverance for "justice" distorted their view of life and forgiveness. Because of his state of mind, Chillingworth torments himself with his goal of destroying Dimmesdale just as much as Dimmesdale tortures himself during their seven years together. Chillingworth is ruining his own life and doesn't realize it because he no longer sees the value of life as he tries to ruin it. The first foreshadowing we see of Chillingworth's obsession begins...... middle of paper.... ..h life because of this. Dimmesdale, on the other hand, suffered Puritan torture under Chillingworth for seven years without benefiting from the release from guilt that Hester found in being in the public eye. Dimmesdale's only freedom from guilt was not the scaffold, but death itself. Hawthorne's statement through Chillingworth offers insight into Dimmesdale and Chillingworth as well as a representation of Hawthorne's disapproval of Puritan values. This disapproval is the driving force of the novel and underpins the relationship between Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, and God's greater justice that prevails. The contrast between the righteousness of the Puritans and that of God makes the message of the story greater than a love story or a story of sin. With this theme, The Scarlet Letter becomes a comparison between the imperfect justice of humans and the divine justice of God..