¶ … Chillingworth from the Scarlet Letter with Claggart from Billy Budd Herman Mellville admired Nathaniel Hawthorne and presented him as the lucky strike of faith for the American literary world. According to Melville, the genius of Shakespeare had found a worthy follower in Hawthorne. The "villains" in Melville's "Billy Bud" and Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" are characters that challenge the reader into questioning the deeply ingrained and often pain relieving belief that originally there is something good in every human being. They both embody pure evil in human form, with or without an obvious motivation.

In his "Introduction" to the book "Billy Bud," Cyrus R. K. Patell is placing an emphasis on the importance of the influence Nathaniel Hawthorne's writings had on Herman Melville's literary style and more importantly, on his entire artistic vision. Not surprisingly, the two authors created characters that will forever stand as works of art produced in the literary world. Showing a deep understanding of the human nature and proving a great ability to translate their visions on paper, Melville and Hawthorne's characters, both in the realm of good and evil, withstood the proof of time with ease and even grace.

Both Chillingworth and Claggart endeavor to get a fellow man's soul. The narration surprises them at a stage in life when they act driven only by revenge. Revenge is their obsession and the fire that keeps them going. The difference is that, while in Chillingworth's case, there is also some sort of explanation for his hate, in Claggart's case things are obscure. His determination to inflict pain upon another mate is supported by a pure juxtaposition between him and Billy Bud, the object of his hateful passion. Again, both characters show signs of being related in the fact that, regardless of the existence or absence of a reason for their evil actions, they are presented as being born with an all-encompassing evil side.

The puritan town that Chillingworth chose as his new residence could have little in common with a battle ship, the place where Claggart hatches his devilish plans. Yet, both places are governed according to implacable rules that will inevitably end in the punishment of innocent souls, such as Hester or Billy Bud. Leading a new life, under a new name, in a world new to the puritan colonizers, but old to the natives, Chillingworth is briefly and...

Reason and blind faith, two opposites, go here hand-in-hand with those who are willing to inflict pain upon their fellow humans.
On one hand, Chillingworth is the one who was born with a great potential for being evil and has refined his potential along the years using his intellect and the power of education, Hester's mistake acting as the spark. On the other, in Claggart's case, the evil appears to have had no need for the reinforcement of intelligence, science or any motivation for revenge. The narrator leaves no doubt about him, presenting him as "a depravity according to nature." Like the very devil, Claggart cannot help himself when it comes to leading to Billy's end. Billy's innocence is acting like a magnet and Claggart has no choice but to follow the smell of blood and hunt down the one that is guilty of being at the opposite end of the human existence.

"Billy, the innocent, is tempted by the satanic Claggart and breaks the law"(Patell, 2014). He will also commit the sin, but not at the beginning, like Hester, but towards the end. He will also be punished according to the human law, his condemnation and execution reminding of the sacrificing of the innocent lamb. Evil souls like Chillingworth and Claggart can easily find in human laws veritable pillars to support their evil work and ease their actions into completion.

Both Chillingworth and Claggart are guilty of envy. Usually, envy implies that those who suffer…