Pearl In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

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,

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

    In Nathaniel Hawthorne's work, The Scarlet Letter, nature plays a very symbolic role. Throughout the book, nature is incorporated into the story line. One example of this is with the character of Pearl. Pearl is very different than all the other characters due to her special relationship with Nature. Hawthorne personifies Nature as sympathetic towards sins against the puritan way of life. Hester's sin causes Nature to accept Pearl.

Nelson Mandela once said, “There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.” In most cases, it is difficult to distinguish and fully understand when you have changed. Whether it be a trivial change in habit to a crucial character transformation, it is best to set oneself up against an untouched canvas, and begin to analyze the newfangled person from there. Throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter, the concept of identifying one’s changes is apparent in two of the main characters, Pearl and Dimmesdale. Both characters experience their own engenderment of maturity and personal growth, though Dimmesdale’s involvement with it is much more deleterious in comparison to Pearl’s.

Hester would sacrifice everything she had for Hester. The importance of Pearl to Hester is expressed when the narrator says “But she named the infant “Pearl,” as being of great price, ---purchased with all she had, --- her mother’s only treasure!” (Hawthorne 82). Hester more importantly wanted to teach Pearl what she learned in her sin. Pearl was the result of her tremendous sin and she saw the beauty in the baby being born while everyone else looked at Pearl as if she were a devil child. Pearl is a representation of the constant guilt and shame that Hester has to continuously live with. This guilt was expressed through public shame and the fact that the first thing that Hester saw when she was born was her mother's Scarlet letter and she would constantly be distracted by the letter and it reminded Hester of the way everybody saw her. Her willingness to do anything for Pearl leads to her giving into her childish demands. Pearl, being born out of her mother’s sin, does not want the scarlet letter to leave her mother. This is expressed in, “The child will not let her mother cast the scarlet letter aside because Pearl herself is emblem of a passion which partook of that same heathen, natural wilderness. ("Hester's Double Providence: The Scarlet Letter and the Green”), which shows how Pearl wants all three of them to stand on the scaffold. Pearl was much focused on the

Hester's daughter, Pearl, functions primarily as a symbol. She is quite young during most of the events of this novel—when Dimmesdale dies she is only seven years old—and her real importance lies in her ability to provoke the adult characters in the book. She asks them pointed questions and draws their attention, and the reader's, to the denied or overlooked truths of the adult world. In general, children in The Scarlet Letter are portrayed as more perceptive and more honest than adults, and Pearl is the most perceptive of them all.

Jenna Freiermuth The Scarlet Letter Essay In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthore, Pearl is described as a mischievous character resulting from an act of sin. In contrast to most Puritan customs, her behavior could be described as irrational, depraved, and disrespectful. This contributes to why many look at her on a negative perspective and label her as evil.

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).

Hester was thrown in jail and left by Pearl’s father and all her friends. Pearl is the only child Hester has, and will have, and she needs to do right by her. To quote her directly: “This badge hath taught me, it daily teaches me, it is teaching me at this moment, lessons whereof my child might be the wiser and better for

The relationship between Hester and Pearl is bittersweet. Pearl is considered both a blessing and a curse to her mother. Since the beginning of her life, Pearl is viewed only as a punishment and the product of a major sin that everybody should avoid at all times. She also lived in a Puritan society, in which she still was not accepted. Even though the other kids all dressed in the traditional Puritan outfits, Pearl was a beautiful, long-haired brunette who was always dressed in extravagant clothing. All these treatments plagued Pearl, making her different from the normal standards of society and makes her seem strange.

From the very beginning of the novel, Pearl was very attached to the Scarlet Letter. For example, the first thing Pearl instinctively clutches to is the “A” fastened on Hester’s chest: “But that first object of which Pearl seemed to become aware was the scarlet letter on Hester's bosom” (*). This “peculiarity of the child’s deportment” portrays that Pearl isn’t like other kids. While Hester believes Pearl’s outlandish nature is a result of God punishing her for her sin, Hester also recognizes that God is giving her a chance at redemption. However, she knows her sin was evil in God’s eyes and therefore, can’t expect a good outcome. This also reinforces the idea that Pearl is Hester’s savior and tormentor, as her behavior ranges from good to demon-like. Another example of Pearl’s attachment to the “A” occurred when Hester was speaking with Chillingworth, while Pearl “imitated, as best she could, on her own bosom the decoration with which she was so familiar on her mother's. A letter—the letter A—but freshly green

In the Chapter named “Pearl” (Hawthorne 61) it talks about Pearl as being a symbol of hope and joy for Hester, a blessing in Hester’s time of need, when she had nothing and no one else. In the chapter, it says, “How strange it seemed to the sad woman, as she watched the growth, and the beauty that became every

Throughout this novel, Author Nathaniel Hawthorne used Pearl as different symbols. Pearl was a symbol of Hester and Dimmesdale’s sin, the innocent reminder of that sin, and balance. He shows her being these symbols often throughout the book. Though, as the book goes on you can notice Pearl start to grow and evolve into the different symbols. Some of her original symbolism stays with her, however, she goes through stages as she ages. She was put through many things she couldn’t understand and endured pain because of her surroundings. When Hester is being screamed at to tell everyone who Pearl’s father, Hawthorne says Pearl, “pierced the air with its wailings and screams.”(Hawthorne 78). Just like her aging, her symbolism

Pearl is sort of a living version of her mother’s scarlet letter. She works as a constant reminder of Hester’s sin. She not only represents sin, but also the vital spirit of that sin. She is more than just a punishment to her mother, but she is also a blessing. Pearl’s existence gives Hester a reason to live, strengthening her when she has temptations to give up.

Pearl is a symbol of love and passion for Hester. To start off, when Hester is first coming out of the jail she doesn't try to hide, ".., wisely judging that one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another..," (46). This starts off showing that Pearl is a result her her sin, but she does not hide her, or try to cover up what had defined her life thus far. Pearl reminds Hester of her passion and how Pearl came into this world. Plus, when Hester and Pearl are on their way to the govenor's hall, it address Pearl's appearance, "..; arraying her in a crimson velvet tunic, of a peculiar cut, abundantly embroidered with fantasies and flourishes of gold thread," (84).