Hawthorne’s usage of “The Leech” in his description of Chillingworth signifies the parasitic, life-giving, and all-consuming fixation of a repudiated lover to extract truth from and enact revenge upon the one who has wronged him (Hawthorne 80). A parasite feeds through inflicting harm, and through its feeding, removes something of value from its host. Roger Chillingworth’s quest to find truth and his ability to “search into the minister’s … interior” parallels a leech’s need to extract blood from the host (96). The ignorance of the victim and Chillingworth’s inquiry into the “interior” of Dimmesdale emphasize a parasite’s hidden but self-benefitting relationship with its host. The casting off of his previous life allows Chillingworth to gain
