While reading The Scarlet Letter, I couldn't help but notice how similar Chillingsworth is to the Governor. The Governor, for those who don't actively follow The Walking Dead, was one of the main villains in seasons three and four. He had set up a town, a refuge of a sort, named Woodbury, and appeared to be a heroic figure. However, Woodbury, the supposed sanctuary, had it's dark secrets, as did the Governor. These were well concealed by his intelligence and cunning nature. It was revealed that the Governor had been hiding his zombified daughter in his apartment, and when Michonne "killed" the already dead girl, the Governor developed a personal vendetta against Michonne. This started a war that I won't go into detail about, but suffice it to say that the Governor conned his town into fighting with him against good people. Twice.
(Spoilers and some violence)
Chillingsworth happens to display many of the same characteristics of the Governor. He too is primarily motivated by revenge. He makes it his life's mission to repay Dimmesdale for the affair Dimmesdale had with Hester. However, to the public, it appears that Chillingsworth is a good and noble man. His intelligence aids him in his quest for revenge.
The downfall of these two characters shows what happens when one is primarily vengeful, harboring a deep vendetta inside of him or her. Inevitably, the hunger for vengeance will cause destruction, to not only an enemy, but to the holder of it him or herself.
The Walking Dead theme on your blog is really cool. I liked how you actually analyzed their similarities instead of simply listing them.
ReplyDeleteI love how you tied in Chillingsworth and Governor from the Walking Dead. It was really clever!
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