What makes a great story? Well, there are a lot of things. For me, I love a great villain. Heroes tend to be one dimensional, but a good villain is complex. I guess this is one reason why I love some of the older James Bond movies. They had some great villains–Dr. No, Goldfinger, Blowfeld. In fact, some of these early Bond films were named after these villains. Why? Because a good villain makes the story. Think of the original Star Wars triology. The real star was not really Luke Skywalker…it was Darth Vader. That is the reason for making those (disappointing) prequels!
One of my most favorite villains of all time in literature is Roger Chillingworth in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. For those who may not be aware, he is the husband of the adulterous Hester Prynne. With her husband away on a journey, Hester commits adultery with the local town minister, Arthur Dimmesdale. Her indiscretion is found out, yet Dimmesdale’s role remains a secret. While Hester is mandated to wear a scarlet letter “A” and gives birth to a baby girl (Pearl) due to her infidelity, Dimmesdale continues in his pastoral ministry living with the burden of guilt for his unconfessed sin. Chillingworth discovers that Dimmesdale is Pearl’s father and swears to destroy him. Posing as his physician and confidante, Chillingworth begins to torment the guilt-ridden soul of Dimmesdale. As a result of his false words that drive Dimmesdale further into an emotional and spiritual darkness, Dimmesdale’s health increasingly deteriorates, Finally, in the climax of the narrative, Dimmesdale, unable to contain his secret any longer, confesses his sin before the entire town, then dies. Chillingworth, seeing that his life no longer has a purpose with the death of Dimmesdale, also dies.
What a great villain! Even the name sends a “chill” down my spine. He reminds me of a great line from the Godfather, when Michael Corleone says “keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” Chillingworth poses as a friend when he had malicious intent. As an ancient Israelite poet once said, “His speech was smooth as butter, yet war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords” (Ps 55:21). That was Chillingworth. What a brilliant strategy to destroy his foe: pretend to be his friend and use his gullible trust to slowly and methodically wear him down until death. And Dimmesdale never saw him coming. His tactic is almost demonic as he posed as a wolf in sheep’s clothing (Matt 7:15). And, from a certain perspective, he won! Dimmesdale dies. Chillingworth was short sided in that he didn’t foresee a purpose for his life after achieving his revenge. That left him with no purpose for life. But to gain the trust of the one you want to destroy…brilliant!
As a Christian, I wonder if redemption was possible for someone like Roger Chillingworth. The answer is a strong and resounding “Yes, and Amen.” However, this is only found in Christ (2 Cor 1:20)! The power of the Christian gospel can redeem people like a Roger Chillingworth. Although he is merely a literary, fictious character, there are many who may feel such utter hopelessness, whose lives are consumed with anger and hate. We face trials and circumstances that seem beyond what we can manage or tolerate. This website is dedicated to provide hope for the hopeless and life to the lifeless. Such “resurrection” can only come from a foundational grasp of the Christian gospel, which is grounded on orthodoxy and orthopraxy. That is what you will find here: thoughts that articulate the truths of the Christian gospel centered on the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. This is the only hope for our world, this is the hope for “Redeeming Chillingworth.”
Redeeming Chillingworth 