Which character's actions are described as motivated by vengeance against the minister?

Which character's actions are described as motivated by vengeance against the minister?

• A. Hester
• B. Pearl
• C. Dimmesdale
• D. Chillingworth

Answer: (D)

Revenge drives Chillingworth’s choices toward the minister. He arrives, posing as a healer, but his real aim is to uncover Dimmesdale’s hidden sin and to prolong the minister’s suffering as punishment for the wrong he feels was done to him. He keeps his identity as Hester’s husband concealed and uses medical authority and sharp manipulation to probe and torment, rather than to cure. This relentless desire to avenge himself shapes every move he makes, from how he treats the minister to how he revels in Dimmesdale’s growing inner agony. By contrast, Hester acts out of love, Pearl’s impulses come from curiosity and the child’s perspective, and Dimmesdale’s actions stem from guilt and the urge to confess, not from a wish to harm the minister.

Revenge drives Chillingworth’s choices toward the minister. He arrives, posing as a healer, but his real aim is to uncover Dimmesdale’s hidden sin and to prolong the minister’s suffering as punishment for the wrong he feels was done to him. He keeps his identity as Hester’s husband concealed and uses medical authority and sharp manipulation to probe and torment, rather than to cure. This relentless desire to avenge himself shapes every move he makes, from how he treats the minister to how he revels in Dimmesdale’s growing inner agony. By contrast, Hester acts out of love, Pearl’s impulses come from curiosity and the child’s perspective, and Dimmesdale’s actions stem from guilt and the urge to confess, not from a wish to harm the minister.