The Bible equates the knowledge of evil with everlasting corruption and degradation of humanity. In eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Adam and Eve gain awareness of the iniquities and vices around them, but in doing so corrupt themselves, and subsequently the entire human race. They degrade from perfect creatures into sinful individuals influenced by temptations, greed, pride, and evil. Similarly, Nathaniel Hawthorne's characters in The Scarlet Letter develop into less humane creatures as a result of the evil around them. The influence of evil leads to the corruption and degradation of those characters' souls and identities as members of mankind. They become more corrupted as their obsession with the knowledge of the evil around them grows.
Roger, as a member of the human race, is corrupted because he mutilates the ideas of love and compassion. Immediately intrigued by the minister's physical state, the doctor takes it upon himself to dissect Dimmesdale's heart in hopes of finding the root of his patient's condition: "He had begun an investigation [ ] of human passions and wrongs [ ] But as he proceeded, a terrible fascination [ ] seized the old man [ ] He now dug into the poor clergyman's heart [ ] like a sexton delving into a grave [ ]- (113). As Roger and Arthur spend more time together, Roger becomes more persistent in his quest for knowledge of Arthur's condition. A perfect example of Roger's persistency is a conversation the two have about confession and redemption. Like a puzzle, Roger strategically connects what he learns through his conversations with Dimmesdale, until finally, the last piece "the "A- on Arthur's chest "is fit into place and the puzzle is complete. Roger rejoices in the satisfaction he receives upon linking Dimmesdale to Hester and Pearl:.
With what a ghastly rapture [ ] bursting forth through the whole ugliness of his figure, making itself even riotously manifest by the extravagant gestures with which he threw his arms towards the ceiling, and stamped his foot upon the floor! Had a man seen old Roger Chillingworth, at that moment of his ecstasy, he would have no need to ask how Satan comports himself.
