How Do Children Seek The Truth In The Scarlet Letter

Hester accounted for pearl’s character by “recalling what she herself had been, during that momentous period while pearl was imbibing her soul from the spiritual world, and her bodily frame from its material of earth.”

In spite of that, what makes her the protagonist of the story is how she is able to overcome her punishment that was meant to give her shame. Throughout Chapter 13 of the book, Hawthorne shows how Hester’s confidence has developed in herself and in view of the town, most noticeably when considering the meaning of the scarlet letter, “Such helpfulness was found in her ... that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength,” (Hawthorne 107). Instead of subjecting to the shame that was forced upon her, she grew above it, conveying a different aspect of the theme of guilt, which is redemption. This is not to say that Hester did not care about the sin she committed, as she is very much reminded of it every day of her life while living with the child of that sin. In fact, the author addresses this by saying, “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,” (Hawthorne 60). Hawthorne is implying how Pearl represents the outcome of a sin and arranged it so that Hester is always living with that sin, therefore, always being reminded of the shame she is supposed to

But in the beginning of the novel, Hester was a strong woman, but because of the public shame she endured and the everyday confrontation of a judgmental community, her perspective of life was change. (quote) she took the shameful sign to something he thought of as good or with pride. We can also see that she is a rebel because she refuses to give the ministers the father of the baby. But, as we go further into the novel, Hester loses all self esteem and lets herself fall by the shame and hate of the people (quote and quote relevance) But when Pearl is born it gives Hester a little bit of hope because maybe the product of her sin (Pearl) might “not be a punishment like men described but a blessing” (Hawthorne 74)

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

First, Hester’s daughter Pearl is portrayed as representative of Hester’s sin in the flesh, or the truth of what she’s done walking around for all to see. She rings of the truth while also being Hester’s sole treasure in life. In the early stages of the novel, the moment in which Hester explains to the men at Governor Bellingham’s mansion that she must be allowed to keep Pearl as she says “‘[God] gave her in requital of all things else, which he had taken from me. She is my happiness!–she is my torture, none the less! Pearl keeps me here in life! Pearl punishes me too! See ye not, she is the scarlet letter, only capable of being loved, and o endowed with a million-fold power of retribution for my sin?’” (p.103), providing a very clear representation of what Pearl is to Hester, and what she represents in her life. She is the truth of the scarlet letter in flesh and blood, and her mother’s torture, reminding her of the sin in which she has partaken. This shows Hester’s feelings of living with the truth: it helps her and teaches her much about life while

In The Scarlet Letter, the children play a variety of roles. "Pearl keeps me here in life, Pearl punishes me too!" (Hawthorne 90) This is a significance that Pearl is both a blessing and a curse to Hester, and she seems at times to serve as Hester’s conscience. The town children, on the other hand, are brutally honest and cruel about their opinion of Hester and Pearl.

The novel, “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a about people from the seventeenth century living under a strict society, where the system and all of its components were based on God (Puritan era). Hawthorne describes Hester, who is one of the main protagonist, by using liminal space through her daughter Pearl and through her actions. He uses it to describe Hester’s passion, sin, and her reason to stay in town. By not giving a great amount of information about her life, he reveals through her public humiliation and subsequent, isolated life in Puritan society that her character is quite remarkable.

Although only a baby when first introduced to Pearl, the reader quickly picks up on the fact that she is a walking representation of Hester’s adultery. Without Hester’s sin she wouldn’t have been born, but because of the circumstances under which she was born, Pearl is considered an extremely unique child by the public. Being described as a dauntless, elfish, and full of malice when she is a younger child and all around is considered completely different than the normal children in the town (Hawthorne 81). However this may just be because of the lack of social interaction that Pearl has and the circumstances under which she was raised in. These circumstances begin to change as time goes on in the novel and as Hester is treated less harshly by society causing Pearl’s attitude to change.

Hester, Pearl’s mother, who watched Pearl grow up with the “quivering sunshine” over her(Hawthorne 84). Pearl had not lived long and was always seen leaping and being wild. She always told the truth and attempted to keep other, including Hester, truthful. While Hester and Pearl are in the forest, pearl notices the “‘sunshine does not love [Hester]’” and every time Hester goes into the sun it does not shine on her, only shines all around her (Hawthorne 174). But Pearl is ”’but a child.’”

Being born as a symbol of her parent’s sin, Pearl displays observant and peculiar attributes. Throughout the book, Pearl is a symbol of the sin her parents committed. Hawthorne describes Pearl as “the scarlet letter endowed with life” (114) and as “the emblem and product of sin” (105). Furthermore, Hester recognizes that Pearl is the symbol of her fall when she tells the governor that Pearl is the scarlet letter that God gave her; the punishment of her sin that she must bear with daily.

In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne characterizes Pearl with contrasting personalities and roles she plays in Hester’s life. Pearl’s conflicting personality components, innocence and defiance, both derive from her isolation from society, which transpired because of her mother’s sin. Pearl represents the conflict between everything good and dark, which reflects in the role she plays in Hester’s life, as the physical embodiment of the A. While Pearl serves as a savior to Hester, representing possible redemption, she is also Hester’s tormentor, a constant reminder of her sin, and the consequences of disobeying her Puritan nature and religion. Hawthorne’s intent is established in the novel through Pearl’s attachment to the A, the mirror

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

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

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,

A way to strengthen this point is to show Nature's reaction to Hester. The strange thing is that the sunshine runs from Hester even though it was her sin against the Puritan laws that produced Pearl who is accepted by the sunshine or Nature. In fact "[the sunshine] runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on [Hester's] bosom" (146), the Scarlet Letter, which represents Hester's acceptance of Puritan law and