Gothic Romance has been defined as a genre that includes "dark secrets or mysteries, corrupt priests, diabolically clever villains and/or mad scientists, beautiful female victims, torture, revenge, vampirism, witchcraft, an element of the supernatural, and an atmosphere of horror." The Scarlet Letter fits this definition in a number of ways; here are a few examples.
Arthur Dimmesdale shows examples of three of the categories; dark secrets or mysteries, corrupt priests, and torture. Dimmesdale kept Hester and Pearl a secret from the entire town for seven years and then proceeded to preach to the Puritans as if he had not committed a brobdingnagian sin, making him a corrupt priest. Along with his secret came an immense feeling of self-guilt, …show more content…
Despite many efforts, Hester never revealed the father of her child. Hester and Pearl were also female victims; they were outcasts from the rest of the town. The duo was required to live on the outskirts of town. In contrast to Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth exhibits three examples of Gothic Romance: clever villains, mad scientist, and vampirism. Chillingworth disguises himself as a doctor to spy on Hester when he comes to town, and the people are eager to accept him because they did not have an actual doctor. The townspeople are concerned about Dimmesdale declining health, so they arrange to have Chillingworth live with Dimmesdale to have maximum care provided for the beloved priest. This arrangement is perfect for Chillingworth, because he has suspicion about Dimmesdale. While living with Dimmesdale, Chillingworth makes his half of the house into a science lab to test out new medicines. The novel portrays Chillingworth as a dark, eerie man and even calls him a leech, or a vampire. A metaphorical dark shadow follows Chillingworth wherever he goes. Ultimately, the Scarlet Letter portrays various examples of Gothic Romance in various characters. Secrets, corrupt priests, female victims and many other characteristics are revealed in the novel. Hester, Pearl, Roger Chillingworth, and Arthur Dimmesdale are just a few characters that convey Gothic character
Arthur Dimmesdale shows examples of three of the categories; dark secrets or mysteries, corrupt priests, and torture. Dimmesdale kept Hester and Pearl a secret from the entire town for seven years and then proceeded to preach to the Puritans as if he had not committed a brobdingnagian sin, making him a corrupt priest. Along with his secret came an immense feeling of self-guilt, …show more content…
Despite many efforts, Hester never revealed the father of her child. Hester and Pearl were also female victims; they were outcasts from the rest of the town. The duo was required to live on the outskirts of town. In contrast to Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth exhibits three examples of Gothic Romance: clever villains, mad scientist, and vampirism. Chillingworth disguises himself as a doctor to spy on Hester when he comes to town, and the people are eager to accept him because they did not have an actual doctor. The townspeople are concerned about Dimmesdale declining health, so they arrange to have Chillingworth live with Dimmesdale to have maximum care provided for the beloved priest. This arrangement is perfect for Chillingworth, because he has suspicion about Dimmesdale. While living with Dimmesdale, Chillingworth makes his half of the house into a science lab to test out new medicines. The novel portrays Chillingworth as a dark, eerie man and even calls him a leech, or a vampire. A metaphorical dark shadow follows Chillingworth wherever he goes. Ultimately, the Scarlet Letter portrays various examples of Gothic Romance in various characters. Secrets, corrupt priests, female victims and many other characteristics are revealed in the novel. Hester, Pearl, Roger Chillingworth, and Arthur Dimmesdale are just a few characters that convey Gothic character