Why is Chllingworth called a leach and later on compared to a miner Or the negative role of Chillingworth in The Scarlet Letter Roger Chillingworth is the husband of Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne's - historical fiction The Scarlet Letter In the novel he is often compared to a leech and a miner due to his aggressive and parasitic behaviour He has versatile roles in the novel Chillingworth as a leech Generally in the th century the word leech was used to describe physicians because leeches were used medically to suck blood from patients However the word leech has a double meaning in the novel Here Chillingworth is portrayed as a physician and a life sucker He disrupts Arthur Dimmesdale's everyday life Chillingworth's relationship with Dimmesdale gradually becomes parasitic He gradually destroys Dimmesdale's mental vitality under the guise of medical care Chillingworth as a Miner A miner is a person