Studying Revenge in The Scarlet Letter and Moby Dick

Abstract

This essay considers the theme of revenge in two novels: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Moby Dick by Herman Melville. In The Scarlet Letter, Roger Chillingworth finds out that he has been wronged by the priest Arthur Dimmesdale, who has had a relationship with Chillingworth’s wife, Hester Prynne. Hester’s daughter Pearl is born out of this relationship, and Hester has to spend a term in jail, stand on the scaffold for three hours, and take all the blame of the merciless Puritan community in Boston. According to Chillingworth, this is also enough to justify inflicting all sorts of pains on the priest or even killing him. Of course, Hester is not exempted from Chillingworth’s wrath, but as she is exposed to public shame, Chillingworth decides that that is enough for her and that he must direct his revenge upon her partner, who decides to keep his sin a secret.

In Moby Dick, Captain Ahab, who has lost his leg while hunting the white whale Moby Dick, does not take the loss of his leg to Moby Dick as an accident that might befall any whaler. This loss touches his deepest sense of honour, and he decides to avenge himself upon the whale. He feels insulted and the artificial leg, which replaces his real one, works as a constant reminder of his wounded pride and urges him to go on in his revenge scheme.

The two men’s schemes of revenge reach extreme levels. This essay will compare the concept of revenge between Hawthorne and Melville as they explore it in the presentation of the characters of Ahab and Chillingworth.