From what does Hester hope to save Dimmesdale by telling him the truth about Chillingworth?

From what does Hester hope to save Dimmesdale by telling him the truth about Chillingworth?

• A. From social shaming
• B. From his own silent guilt
• C. Chillingworth’s continual torture of him
• D. From hypocrisy in the church

Answer: (C)

Dimmesdale’s torment is largely manufactured by Chillingworth, who uses his role as physician to grind away at the minister’s conscience and keep his sin secret in a way that deepens his guilt. Hester hopes to end that external source of suffering by revealing the truth about Chillingworth’s identity and his real purpose—that he has become Dimmesdale’s torturer, not his healer. With this knowledge, Dimmesdale can finally recognize where his misery is coming from and potentially confront both Chillingworth and his own shame, rather than remaining crushed under a manipulated, relentless psychological pressure. The other ideas—saving him from social shame, from his own silent guilt, or from church hypocrisy—don’t capture the immediate danger here, which is the continual, deliberate torment Chillingworth imposes.

Dimmesdale’s torment is largely manufactured by Chillingworth, who uses his role as physician to grind away at the minister’s conscience and keep his sin secret in a way that deepens his guilt. Hester hopes to end that external source of suffering by revealing the truth about Chillingworth’s identity and his real purpose—that he has become Dimmesdale’s torturer, not his healer. With this knowledge, Dimmesdale can finally recognize where his misery is coming from and potentially confront both Chillingworth and his own shame, rather than remaining crushed under a manipulated, relentless psychological pressure. The other ideas—saving him from social shame, from his own silent guilt, or from church hypocrisy—don’t capture the immediate danger here, which is the continual, deliberate torment Chillingworth imposes.