The Scarlet Letter #2

"Hast thou not tortured him enough?" said Hester, noticing the old man's look. "Has he not paid thee all?"(118) This quote was said by Hester Prynne on the beach to Roger Chillingworth. Pearl playing by the water not minding Hester and Roger's conversation about Mr. Dimmesdale. Roger Chillingworth felt in his heart that Mr. Dimmesdale being the father of Pearl also needed to be punished the same way Hester was being punished for adultery. Hester not wanting the community knowing who the father of Pearl was and Roger not wanting the community knowing he was Hester's husband took revenge and punishment into his own hands and felt he had to punish Dimmesdale himself. Dimmesdale, because of guilt was becoming very ill and Roger being a doctor lives with him. Roger wants to get revenge on Dimmesdale for committing adultery with his wife and begins slowly torturing Dimmesdale which Hester does not approve of. This quote shows Hester's disapproval and her plea for Roger to stop the torture. She asks him the question of his the torture you have begun not enough, have you not hurt him, punished him enough. She does not want the whole community knowing it was Dimmesdale, that he is the father, that he committed adultery, she wants to protect him, and the motive Roger has is revenge and punishment. Hester believes that since Dimmesdale feels guilty and is becoming ill from that guilt and remorse he has paid the price, and that should be punishment in and of itself. Therefore she makes it clear to Chillingworth that she wants the torture to stop and she is aware of it. This quote is an important one because it is the first time that Hester has confronted Roger about the torture and that she knows his motive and was he is slowly beginning to do. It is the first time she has showed Roger she is trying to protect Dimmesdale from pain and punishment from not just Chillingworth but from the entire community. Chillingworth may feel the need to take punishment into his own hands because he feels it takes two to make a baby and Hester should not be the only one being punished, so should Dimmesdale, Pearls father.