Who is Chillingworth's main suspect and victim?

• A. Hester Prynne
• B. Dimmesdale
• C. Pearl
• D. Governor Bellingham

Answer: (B)

Chillingworth’s revenge is aimed at the minister who secretly fathered Hester’s child, making Dimmesdale the primary suspect and the main target of his torment. He returns as Hester’s husband and immediately focuses on Dimmesdale, whom he believes betrayed his wife. By posing as a physician, he binds himself to Dimmesdale’s side and uses medical access to probe the minister’s conscience and reveal the hidden sin. This prolonged psychic and moral pressure turns Dimmesdale into the chief victim of Chillingworth’s vendetta, as the minister’s inner guilt and public persona collide under the weight of the physician’s scheming. Hester endures public shame and Pearl embodies the consequence of the sin, but neither is the focus of Chillingworth’s vengeance. Governor Bellingham is not involved in this personal vendetta. So Dimmesdale is the one who is both the suspect in Chillingworth’s mind and the chief sufferer of his plotting.