1)Though Nathaniel Hawthorne's ancestors were Puritans, he did not share Puritan beliefs and values, and wrote the Scarlet Letter to denounce those values. Puritans believed in a theocracy where the church and state are combined into one. This later proved illogical as it interfered with civil rights and essentially one's independence. Puritans were also a very judgmental people, who enjoyed public exposure of sins and those who disagreed with their beliefs. Hawthorne portrayed this aspect …showed first 75 words of 1486 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1486 total…implies is a scarlet letter burned into his skin). He never stops harassing Dimmesdale until the very end, and tries to prevent Dimmesdale from confessing his sin when he is up on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl. He knows that if Dimmesdale confesses, he will find peace. After Dimmesdale dies in Hester's arms, Chillingworth begins to wither away and eventually dies, because getting revenge through "invading" Dimmesdale was all he had to live for.