"The Leech and His Patient"

"They grew out of his heart and typify , it may be, some hideous secret that was buried with him, and which he had done better to confess during his lifetime". This quote is referring to the leaves that were growing out of the grave, but it symbolizes Chillingworth's suspicions of Dimmesdale. He believes that Dimmesdale could possibly be the one who has stolen Hester from him. He begins to pry into his life. Chillingworth believes that all secrets are buried beneath a person's heart. He mentions how maybe Dimmesdale has some secrets of his own that he should confess. It becomes evident that Chillingworth, thinks that Dimmesdale could have possibly been the man who slept with Hester. He feels that Dimmesdale's main secret could be his love for Hester. You then get into the mind and body of Dimmesdale. He feels weak and guilty about the situation and that he should confess his actions, but he cannot. He is the MAN in town, he is the minister. Dimmesdale controls the faith of everyone. If people witness that he was the one who has sinned so deeply, being the father of Hester's child, then they would all lose their grip on their faith. He needs to set the example for the town. He cannot sleep at night because he is in such distraught over this matter. He is literally dying of guilt. Overall it is a sick twisted idea of irony. The two men are living together, one man Hester's past lover and husband, and the other the father of her child. I'm interested to see the outcome of this crazy story.