Hester And Pearl In Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter

Hester choosing not to name Pearl’s father is logical. During the time period in which The Scarlet Letter is set, adultery is considered a major sin and crime. Hester, as a woman,

The scarlet letter represents Pearl's emotional attachment to Hester. For instance, Pearl is as deeply affectionate to the

At the scene of Hester’s public shaming, Hawthorne describes Hester’s punishment as vicious and demoralizing. By comparing society’s treatment of Hester to “stings and venomous stabs,” Hawthorne dramatizes the effects of the public shaming on not only Hester’s physical self, but also her mental one. The town’s hurtful actions are meant to torment Hester, and shun her for going against a societal norm. The townspeople’s actions can be described as methodical, since they are all lead astray their own idea of moral righteousness by the imposed common norm that a sinner must be severely punished. Hawthorne conveys to the reader that the punishers and their followers have a utopian idea of society, which is bound to be defied by those, such as Hester, but unlike Dimmesdale, who are unwilling to face torturous punishment to accept the fact that human sin is inevitable.

In the course of most stories, at least one of the main characters changes in one way or another. In The Scarlet Letter, one of the main characters we see a change in is Hester. Through the course of the novel, it appears that Hester changes from an arrogant, unremorseful woman to a much kinder and helpful, repentant woman. Although it appears that Hester has learned a lesson from her sin and consequential punishment, has she really changed her sinful ways? If she has, why, then, is she going to leave for Europe with Arthur Dimmesdale?

Like any novel, The Scarlet Letter, develops tone, mood, and foreshadowing through chapter titles. In the chapter, "The Market-Place", the setting is defined by the ominous tone Hawthorne uses in the beginning of the novel. Despite, "market-place" indicating a lively and bustling community it instead reveals a solemn and condemnatory town. This contrast awakens the reader to the cultural setting with the unlikely disheartening tone. However, the second chapter, "The Recognition", is far more visible as to what the author might lead into. Hester recognizes her husband, Robert Chillingworth as she stands on the scaffolding judged by the religious community. Yet again the foreshadowing is prominent in the third chapter: "The Interview". Using

If someone is convicted of a crime, it is to be assumed that they do not want to have every single other person in society judging them. They want to possibly forget what they’ve done, and move on with their lives. Sometimes, however, this is not possible; because society has the vague idea that because something happened around them, they have full rights to discuss the matter and openly judge the “criminal” as they please. We first meet Hester outside the prison door, when she is first released from prison. Though at first she was a bit hesitant to openly display the scarlet letter embroidered on her gown, she figured it did not matter, for even if she had hidden the letter, there was still a three-month-old baby in her arms, reminding her

Her way of living reflects her loyalty to those more deprived than herself. Her only purpose in caring more for others than herself, especially for Pearl, is reflected in her self-change into a person who no longer cared about her beauty. Her beautiful hair was tucked inside a cap and she felt buried under the burden of the scarlet letter on her bosom. When Hester removes the cap and scarlet letter in Chapter 13, her beauty was once again radiant. Hester is a woman full of motherly love that she lavishes on Pearl.

Throughout The Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne's daughter, Pearl, is portrayed to have a very specific view of her mother and the scarlet symbol which she wears on all of her clothing. Since she herself is often considered a living representation of the letter, her view of it is important in the novel. Pearl is astonishingly perceptive; sometimes so much so that it surprises even Hester. Through this perceptive nature, Pearl develops her own views of the scarlet letter and her mother in relation to it.

The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is an intriguing story which demonstrates how sin changes the way the sinner lives. The story begins when a woman called Hester Prynne is sent by her husband to Boston. Her husband was supposed to come soon after she arrived but, when he never came, it was decided that his ship was lost at sea. Presently, Hester commits adultery with a theologian named Dimmesdale. Once convicted, Hester is forced to wear a scarlet colored “A”. Although everyone believed Hester’s husband had died, he was, in fact, alive. When Hester’s husband, Chillingworth, notices the scarlet letter upon his wife’s clothes, he seeks revenge on the man who slept with her. The sins Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth committed changed their lives forever.

I, your well-respected minister, intrude on your time with well-wishes. In this time of trials and tribulation I beg of you to not resort to bitterness, but to resort to God’s word. Widow Hester Prynne has been a standing member of our society for two years now, earning her place as a wonderful seamstress. Up until the time of her sin Widow Hester was a reputable member of our community, and I beg of you now to not change your opinion on her. In a moment of weakness Widow Hester sinned, and now I rouse you to support her. As the Bible says in Psalms chapter sixty-eight verse five “He is a Father of the fatherless, and a Judge of the widows, even God in his holy habitation”. Instead of tearing Widow Hester down, I encourage our community to

The scarlet letter has affected Hester in many ways. One of the biggest ways it has affected her is in the way of feeling very guilty and shameful. She thinks she “would become the general symbol at which the preacher and moralist might point, and in which they might vivify and embody their images of woman’s sinful passion” (Hawthorne, 76). Hester believes that her sin will serve as a walking example to the whole community and that people will always remember her for her adulterous act. Likewise, when she made the decision to still live in her town, on the outskirts that is, she feels that by facing her sin head-on and cope with the people who will continue to gossip about her, it is her only way to make herself pure again. When she enters

I think it can be said that Hawthorne, for his time, took a mostly pro-feminism stance in The Scarlet Letter, as he made his lead character a female who not only survives, but ultimately thrives in, a society in which she socially does not belong.

Hawthorne used Pearl to depict the conflict of how sin versus purity, while Pearl stands as the picture of innocence and purity. Because they live in isolation, Pearl is the only joy and happiness that Hester receives from watching her daughter enjoy the woods and almost becoming a part of nature. Pearl is a perceptive child, even more so than adults sometimes, she asks innocent seeming questions about the scarlet letter around her mother’s neck. Hester pays for the sin of committing adultery not only by the forced wearing of the scarlet letter but only by the constant living reminder of her daughter. Pearl repeatedly asks the question, "What does the scarlet letter mean?" and it causes Hester concern (Hawthorne 178). Pearl seems almost scared and slightly stunned when Hester tries to lift the burden she carries with the scarlet letter when she attempts to tear it off in the woods. Pearl seems to realize that the letter does have some kind of significance in their lives and that it definitely affects her

When Hester Prynne and Pearl walk into the forest together towards the end of the novel the tone begins to change. The tone shifts from bleak and informational to hopeful and foretelling. At this point, any reader speculations about how Hester receives the scarlet letter come to an end. Readers view Hester as an outcast whose grave sin causes her much pain and anguish throughout her daily routine. If the forest scene with Arthur Dimmesdale were not present in the novel readers would not have been able to see how being around Arthur makes Hester feel. Hester acts in a loving and caring manner towards Arthur and feels sympathetic towards him. The reason that Hester feels sympathetic towards him becomes unmistakably clear once she and Arthur begin

The phrase “Hester At Her Needle” was never used once, however, all but one appeared outside of chapter five, which was ommitted since it appeared within the title. In chapter three, the shortened phrase “at her needle” was used by an aforementioned matron to describe Hester’s needlework, tying it to her fantastical presentation of her punishment and titular scarlet letter. The following chapters “Pearl” and “The Governor's Hall” were not included due to the overwhelming usage of “Pearl” since it was the name of a main character, and “Governor's Hall” did not make an appearance outside of a title, making it impossible to delve deeper into its usage.