# IV: The Interview explained — The Scarlet Letter

> Chapter companion for The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

## What happens

In her prison cell, Hester Prynne is in a state of nervous excitement, and her infant daughter suffers from convulsions. The jailer, Master Brackett, brings in a physician, Roger Chillingworth, who calms the child with medicine. Chillingworth, revealed to be Hester's long-absent husband, confronts her. He insists she keep his identity secret and vows to discover and psychologically torment the man who wronged them both, while Hester refuses to name Dimmesdale.

## Themes in this chapter

### Sin and Guilt

Hester's guilt is manifest in her physical and emotional state, and Chillingworth's obsession with discovering her lover is driven by a sense of betrayal and a desire for retribution.

### Revenge and Forgiveness

Chillingworth explicitly rejects vengeance against Hester but vows to find and torment her lover, setting the stage for a calculated revenge rather than forgiveness.

### Public Shame vs. Private Truth

Hester's public shame is contrasted with the private secret of her husband's identity and her lover's name, which she must conceal under oath.

## Character check-ins

### Hester Prynne

In a state of nervous excitement after her public shaming, she is visited in prison by her husband, Roger Chillingworth, who she does not recognize at first. She refuses to reveal her lover's identity and agrees to keep Chillingworth's secret.

### Roger Chillingworth

Introduced as a physician called to treat Hester and the child. He is revealed to be Hester's husband, who has been living among Native Americans. He vows to discover Hester's lover and exact a subtle revenge, forcing Hester to swear secrecy about his identity.

### Pearl

Hester's infant daughter, who suffers convulsions from the turmoil of the day. Chillingworth administers medicine that soothes her to sleep.

### Master Brackett

The jailer who introduces Chillingworth as a physician and expresses frustration with Hester's insubordination.

## Key lines

> My old studies in alchemy... and my sojourn, for above a year past, among a people well versed in the kindly properties of simples, have made a better physician of me than many that claim the medical degree.

Chillingworth claims his knowledge of alchemy and his time with Native Americans have made him a skilled healer.

_Chillingworth establishes his medical credentials and hints at his mysterious past._

> I shall seek this man, as I have sought truth in books; as I have sought gold in alchemy. There is a sympathy that will make me conscious of him.

Chillingworth declares he will find Hester's lover using an intuitive connection, just as he pursued knowledge and treasure.

_This reveals Chillingworth's obsessive and methodical approach to revenge._

> I will keep thy secret, as I have his.

Hester agrees to conceal Chillingworth's identity, just as she hides her lover's name.

_Hester binds herself to a double secrecy, deepening her isolation._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_scarlet_letter_se/chapters/iv-the-interview
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_scarlet_letter_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_scarlet_letter_se/chapters