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How Does Captain Ahab Portray Evil In The Scarlet Letter

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Comparison of Chillingworth and Captain Ahab The American gothic novel, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, portrays evil in the character of Roger Chillingworth; he is a fake doctor who is sought on bringing revenge to the person who committed adultery with his wife. Another American gothic novel is Moby Dick, written by Herman Melville. This story shows that Captain Ahab’s revenge on the whale that took his leg can cause more harm than good. Roger Chillingworth and Captain Ahab both portray evil in these great American classics, and both have many similarities on how they show evil to the people around them. Roger Chillingworth is first seen in tattered, unruly clothes and dirty skin with the town at the scaffolds watching Hester …show more content…

Although you do not see his face, Captain Ahab first appears when he walks out of his house with his wooden leg in the middle of the night. You then see his wife and son cowering in a corner because of the fear they share of him. Once out at sea on the Pequod, Captain Ahab disappears for several days and neglects his duties as captain to direct the ship’s crew. He relies on his first, second, and third mate to make sure things run smoothly while on the water. When Captain Ahab finally appears, he makes the harpooners take a blood promise to find and kill Moby Dick. Throughout the story, Captain Ahab directs the ship into harsher conditions and away from the whale oil profits to instead follow the path of Moby Dick in hopes of getting his kill. Even when the ship’s supplies get low and whale oil depletes, Captain Ahab continues to move forward in finding Moby Dick. The captain’s resentment toward the gargantuan white whale eventually gets him and almost all of his crew killed. His actions prove that revenge can blind one’s sane thoughts and instead make rash decisions that lead to be harmful to

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