And the Sympathy Goes to...

There are reasons for me to be sympathetic for both Roger Chillingworth and Arthur Dimmesdale. However, I probably feel more sympathetic towards Roger Chillingworth. He was away from his wife for two years, comes back excited to finally be reunited with his wife, then figures out that she has cheated on him. I would feel sorry for anyone who had to suffer through hardships like this. Even after Chillingworth passed away, he left a bit of inheritance to Pearl. Pearl was not even his child, but he still cared about her. Yes, Dimmesdale did suffer with his sickness. However, if he had not committed this sin, then he would not have to suffer. Dimmesdale also was supposed to run away with Hester, but him dying before the trip was like his karma. Chillingworth did say he was going to get his revenge, and he did. Chillingworth suffered more, but did not show it as much. In a sense, he stayed strong, not showing emotion towards the events that occurred with his wife, whom he did not even marry because he loved her (which is another reason to why I sympathize for him). Even though Dimmesdale attempted to hide his emotions, Hester noticed that the tone of his sermons were changing, and in my opinion, he was making it seem too obvious that he was the father of Pearl.