Evil Characters in Hawthorne, Melville, and Twain Compared
This paper examines three iconic villainous figures from canonical American literature: Captain Ahab in Herman Melville's Moby-Dick, Roger Chillingworth in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, and Pap Finn in Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. It compares and contrasts each character's nature, the sources and methods of their evil, the effects of that evil on those around them, and each author's apparent moral attitude toward his villain. The paper also argues that Captain Ahab is the most deserving of condemnation because his all-consuming obsession destroys not only himself but the lives of those under his command, making his evil uniquely communal and catastrophic among the three.
- Introduction: Evil in Classic American Literature: Good vs. evil theme across three classic novels
- Captain Ahab: All-Consuming Obsession in Moby-Dick: Ahab's obsession destroys himself and his crew
- Roger Chillingworth: Calculated Vengeance in The Scarlet Letter: Chillingworth's cold, deliberate revenge against Dimmesdale
- Pap Finn: Ignorance and Petty Malice in Huckleberry Finn: Pap's drunken cruelty shapes Huck's resourcefulness
- Comparing the Three Villains: Contrasting sources and methods of evil influence
- The Most Condemnable Character: Captain Ahab: Ahab's evil spreads beyond himself to others
- Conclusion: Good Triumphing Over Evil: Each author's moral message about good defeating evil
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper uses direct textual quotations from all three novels to ground every claim about character behavior, giving its comparative argument concrete evidentiary support rather than relying solely on summary.
- It moves systematically from character description to authorial attitude to the consequences of evil, maintaining a consistent analytical framework across all three figures.
- The concluding judgment — that Ahab is most condemnable — is built persuasively throughout the body rather than introduced only at the end, making the verdict feel earned.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates comparative character analysis across multiple primary texts. It identifies a shared theme (evil influence on a protagonist) and uses that lens to measure three very different villains against a common set of criteria: source of evil, method of influence, effect on others, and authorial stance. This technique shows how a single thematic question can yield differentiated insights when applied consistently across works.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a thematic framing of good versus evil across all three novels, then devotes individual attention to each villain before pivoting to explicit comparison. A focused section argues for Ahab as the most condemnable figure, and the conclusion reflects on each author's broader moral message. The structure moves from description to analysis to judgment — a classic rhetorical progression suited to comparative literary essays.
Introduction: Evil in Classic American Literature
This paper examines three villainous characters from canonical American literature: Captain Ahab in Herman Melville's Moby-Dick, Roger Chillingworth in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, and Pap Finn in Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Specifically, it compares and contrasts these three characters in relation to the evil that dominates them, indicates what the attitude of each author is toward his villain, discusses the source of their evil nature or acts, examines the nature of the evil deeds they commit, and considers the results of their evil designs. It also selects the character who should be most strongly condemned and fully justifies that choice.
Each of these novels features a character dominated by the evil influence of another, and each faces that domination in a different way. Each character grows stronger from this evil influence and learns how to remove it from their life. Evil is present in all three novels, and much of each novel's theme revolves around the age-old premise of good versus evil. Captain Ahab, Roger Chillingworth, and Pap Finn each influence the characters around them — especially each novel's protagonist. Each character reacts differently to that influence, but each emerges stronger and more self-aware by the end of their novel. Each author thus seems to be saying not only that good can triumph over evil, but that the influence of evil can bring out the strength and core resolve of a person.
Captain Ahab: All-Consuming Obsession in Moby-Dick
In Moby-Dick, Herman Melville creates one of the most evil characters in fiction in Captain Ahab. Most people know about Ahab even if they have never read the novel. Ahab's evil is all-encompassing because he is so obsessed with finding and killing the whale that took his leg. One character describes him this way:
"He's a grand, ungodly, god-like man, Captain Ahab; doesn't speak much; but when he does speak, then you may well listen. Mark ye, be forewarned; Ahab's above the common; Ahab's been in colleges, as well as 'mong the cannibals; been used to deeper wonders than the waves; fixed his fiery lance in mightier, stranger foes than whales" (Melville 79).
Ahab's evil is more frightening than Chillingworth's or Pap Finn's, because Ahab's evil touches everyone around him and creates their fate as well as his own. Ishmael is the only one to survive Ahab's madness, and so Ishmael triumphs over evil, having learned the ultimate lesson: that revenge is deadly. Ishmael was always a strong character, but he emerges stronger at the end because he has learned from his experience. Dimmesdale, by contrast, does not learn — he is encompassed in his own misery and destroyed by his sin.
References
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Bartleby.com, 2004.
Melville, Herman. Moby-Dick; Or, the Whale. Hendricks House, 1952.
Twain, Mark. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. P. F. Collier & Son Company, 1912.
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