Hester's Relationship With Pearl In The Scarlett Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Pearl’s existence reminds Hester of her act of passion, which the cultural morality of Boston dictates as sinful. This is evident not only because Pearl is the product of Dimmesdale and Hester’s action, but because of who Pearl is at heart. Pearl’s personality is as stated,

She was conceived by mistake, and is born into a miserable life. In other words, Pearl does not fit in. And it is not that she does not want to but for the fact that she cannot fit in. “ In giving her existence, a great law had been broken; and the result was a being whose elements were perhaps beautiful and brilliant, but all in disorder…” (Ch. 6). In this quote, Hawthorne is showing that Pearl is a complicated child. She is conceived within a sin, but turned out to be a truly amazing child. Also, Pearl knows how and why her life is like this. For example, Pearl notices that Dimmesdale is her father, but she wanted him to show it publically. “‘Doth he love us?’ said Pearl, looking up, with acute intelligence, into her mother’s face. ‘Will he go back with us, hand in hand, we three together, into the town?’” ( Ch. 19). Pearl is too smart to let this go unseen. She also notices that Hester takes off the scarlet A in the forest and she throws a

     After her horrible ordeal, and her release from prison, Hester and Pearl reside for the next few years in a hut by the sea. Hester tries to keep her distance from the Puritans. She does not want them to influence Pearl. Hester wants to raise Pearl, and find peace within herself. Pearl, however,

From her initial introduction to the reader as the “yonder babe, (…) of some three or four months old”, Pearl represents the beauty of the truth (54). As she struggles to find answers about her mother’s scarlet A while simultaneously growing up, Pearl identifies as an innocent character, despite her creation. It is frequently noted that she looks similar to the scarlet letter that her mother so reluctantly bears, with her “bright complexion [and] eyes possessing intensity both of depth and glow, and hair already of a deep, glossy brown” (76). Her similar appearance to the scarlet letter furthers her permanent connection to the letter. Additionally, it highlights the notion that her mother will likely never be able to look at her without reminiscing upon her sin. As Pearl develops, her fire-like actions and dark appearance further molds her into the fleshly expression of Hester’s adultery. Furthermore, Hawthorne ensures to characterize Pearl throughout the novel as a friend to the sunlight, a friend to the truth. As she begins to pick determine that Dimmesdale is her father, the sunlight welcomes her. This is because she is the only innocent character who is not afraid to step into the sun’s rays. Pearl recognizes the light’s love for her and audibly notes, “the

Hester harbored an intense love for her child Pearl although the child's mischievous and imp-like qualities brought nothing but pain to the child's mother. This is demonstrated as Hester, after having her talents as a seamstress publicized, began to change the attire of her family. For example, "Her own dress was of the coarsest materials and the most somber

They say that opposites attract and this holds true for the relationship between William and Hester as they learn more about one another. The husband and wife came from different upbringings. William is born with a strict father among the “Back Creek Folk”, while his wife is considered “one of the Gap people” with flexible, supportive parents. The way their parents raised them influences the way they act. William is a hard worker who speaks very little, but his wife Hester does enough talking for the both of them. Hester is a strong woman and manages the family farm very well. She is able to make decisions quickly without William’s input. The farm is considered to be most prosperous in Mcpherson County. The couple’s three sons work on the

Children accept who they are with no influence from society or feelings of guilt. As Hawthorne describes Pearl’s carefree attitude, he writes, “Her final employment was to gather sea-weed… and thus assume the aspect of a little mermaid… Pearl took some eel-grass, and imitated, as best she could, on her own bosom, the decoration with which she was so familiar on her mother’s… the letter A” (Nathaniel Hawthorne 115). As little Pearl plays, the scarlet letter does not symbolize shame for her. Pearl accepts the scarlet letter as nothing out of the ordinary, and even envies its beauty. Through Pearl’s actions, Hawthorne reveals how children view shame and societal pressure. Although the scarlet letter embodies the entirety of Hester’s sin and shame, Pearl does not run from it or feel ashamed because of it. Hawthorne uses Pearl as an example of how adults should view symbols of sin in their society instead of running from the sin, they should forgive readily and accept the reality of their present situation. Furthermore, in his literary criticism, The Obliquity of Signs, Millicent Bell reveals how out of Hester’s societally constructed sin and shame came this perfect example of Pearl. He writes, “Hester’s sin is not only unutterable but involves a name, that of her partner, which she refuses to utter. Her sexual history is so private that it cannot be imagined when we gaze at her in the chaste aftermath of Hawthorne’s novel. And yet that privacy has its public manifestation, the child Pearl” (Millicent Bell 23). Bell reveals how even out of Hester’s most taboo and secret sin came Pearl, whose manifestation publicly

Hester thinks of Pearl as evil. Hester is with Pearl every day, and she knows Pearl best. Pearl is a wicked little girl, and can be a nuisance to her mother. Hester can’t discipline her daughter and “[is] ultimately compelled to stand aside, and permit the child to be swayed by her own impulses.” (81) Hester can always use force to deal with her daughter, but this only lasts for so long. Pearl does her own thing, and Hester is forced not to discipline her, because she is so repugnant. Hester loves her daughter and loves to look in her eyes, but sometimes “[i]t [is] as if an evil spirit [possesses] the child, and … just then [peeps] forth in mockery.” (86) When Pearl looks at her mother Hester can see something evil and know that her child is nefarious. Pearl tells her mother that she has “no Heavenly Father.” (87) Pearl begs her mother to tell who her father is. Pearl gets her roots

Primarily, Hester undergoes a high burden, constantly being reminded of her sin day in and day out. Unlike Dimmesdale, Hester has a reminder standing right in front of her every day. Pearl is the angel child formed by the satanic relationship between Hester and Dimmesdale, which influences Hester to fear Pearl’s future. Every day, Hester “dread[s] to detect some dark and wild peculiarity, that should correspond to the guiltiness to which she owe[s] her being” (Hawthorne 104). The initial frailty of Hester leads to her poor choice in having an affair with Dimmesdale, which then results in the birth of Pearl, causing Hester’s distress.

Hester continues to face conflict, this time with herself. When Hester faces the reality of the unpleasant situation she is faced with, her self conflict begins. Hester’s feelings are expressed when it is stated, “She clutched the child so fiercely to her breast that it sent forth a cry; she turned her eyes downward at the scarlet letter, and even touched it with her finger, to assure herself the infant and the shame were real” (52). Conflict within Hester’s life continues in mothering her curious child. Pearl’s curiosity is revealed when she asks, ‘ “. . . Mother dear, what does this scarlet letter mean? –and why dost thou wear it on thy bosom?” ’ (161). Hester feels the responsibility of protecting Pearl from knowing her mother’s sinful actions. The constant questioning puts Hester in a contradictory position. Mothering Pearl causes conflict a second time when Pearl is considered an outcast from other

Another important scene in the book is when the governor makes the threat of removing Pearl from Hester. One reason that convinces the governor to take Pearl away is she says in the novel, “I had not been made at all, but had been plucked from the bush of wild roses that grew by the prison-door” (Hawthorne 123). This makes the governor even more suspicious of Hester being able to care well for Pearl as a mother. Although Hester responds to the governor’s reaction by saying she’ll die before she gives up Pearl. This response from Hester is important, because it shows how much she cares about Pearl and her well-being. Also, Dimmesdale speaks in Hester’s behalf “God gave her the child, and gave her, too, an instinctive knowledge of its nature and requirements…” (Hawthorne 125).

Pearl: Pearl is the daughter of Hester and Dimmesdale. Pearl is a protagonist in the story, for she serves as a living reminder of Hester’s sin. She is a round and complex character, for she is intuitive, and she is also very dynamic. She is very observant, for when Hester asks why she wears the A, Pearl replies, “‘Truly do I… It is for the same reason that the minister keeps his hand over his heart!” (167). Pearl is also more of a symbol than a character, for she symbolizes many to different characters. To Hester, Pearl is a constant reminder of the sin she’s committed. To Dimmesdale, Pearl is his conscious, for when he tries to warm up to her, she denies him: “The minister… hoping that a kiss might prove a talisman to admit him into the child’s

First of all, Pearl may be the only thing keeping Hester sane. Pearl is described as “A lovely and immortal flower, out of rank luxuriance of a guilty passion.” (Hawthorne 73). Although, Pearl was created out of wedlock, Hester loves her with all her might.

Hester’s battle with herself can only be understood by taking a glimpse into her daily life with her beloved daughter, Pearl. Pearl is the physical manifestation of her sin, of the adultery that Hester committed with her secret lover; with every waking hour, Pearl is always alongside Hester, constantly reminding Hester of her transgression. Whenever Hester sees Pearl, she sees a young and energetic girl, who also possesses the same attributes that she loathes about herself, the difficult and wild side of herself that would never give up. Hawthorne writes that Pearl, “lacked reference and adaptation to the world into which she was born. [Pearl] could not be made amenable to rules” (Hawthorne

Pearl keeps me here in life!" This brief yet vital statement confirms the idea that with Hester's fall a new chance arrives, one for her daughter. And as time passes she receives one as well; for by laboring hard and keeping to her own Hester, who was once viewed as a blasphemous offender, is seen as the epitome of "a women's strength", her scarlet letter reading the word "Able". But even though she has become accepted, she cannot help but feel ever more isolated. Hester, as hard as she tries, cannot repent; her penance is an intangible illusion. She still lacks her former beauty, internal and external, and informs Pearl to, "Gather thine own sunshine. I have none to give thee." Her dearth, caused by her fortunate fall, causes her to question herself and her sex. Her heart, which had "lost it's regular and healthy throb", "wandered without a clew in the dark labyrinth of [her] mind." Her "individual existence" gave her a "tendency [for] speculation", allowing Hester Prynne to examine the "very nature of the opposite sex". But like too often occurs, "[the] persons who speculate the most boldly often conform with the most perfect quietude to the external regulations of society." Hester, although she benefits from her fall and rises above it, is unable to take the final step into the hostile world, the main difference between her