Essay on Pearl in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

For example, the first thing she 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” (Hawthorne). Here, Pearl’s aberration illustrates her deviation from normality. While Hester believes Pearl’s outlandish nature is God’s punishment for her sin, Hester also recognizes that Pearl is a gift from God, representing possible redemption. Pearl’s shift from endearing to demon-like behavior reinforces the idea that Pearl is Hester’s savior, yet also her tormentor. Pearl’s attachment to the A was further exemplified when she “imitated, as best she could, on her own bosom the decoration with which she was so familiar on her mother's” (Hawthorne). Despite society’s belief that Hester can only redeem herself through public shame, wearing the A, Pearl believes that the only escape from sin is in nature, as shown through her creation of a green A. Additionally, Pearl intentionally made the A to provoke her mother, wondering “if mother will ask me what it means,” characterizing Pearl as Hester’s tormentor (Hawthorne). Furthermore, while Pearl is physically attached to the A, she is also mentally, as shown through her constant questioning of Hester. “what does this scarlet letter mean?—and why dost thou wear it on thy bosom?—and why does the minister keep his hand over his heart?” (Hawthorne). Pearl is

Also, Pearl has a strange attachment to the scarlet letter. As a baby, she would reach out and try to grab it on her mother's breast (Hawthorne 87). She seems to innately realize that it has great significance, but when she confronts Hester about it, her mother lies to her, telling Pearl that she wears it because of its beautiful gold thread. This scene shows an excellent example of innocent curiosity from Pearl, and Hester's lying because of societal regulations (Hawthorne 164).

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

““There was witchcraft in little Pearl’s eyes, and her face, as she glanced upward at the minister, wore that naughty smile which made its expression frequently so elvish.” (Hawthorne 145) This, is a misleading description that Nathaniel Hawthorne depicts of Pearl, the daughter of Hester Prynne, in his classic novel The Scarlet Letter. Pearl is the living product of sin for her mother. Born out of wedlock, Pearl is a unique child that tends to be very moody and unpredictable. However, Pearl, at such a young age, demonstrates outstanding knowledge and exhibits curiosity to her mother’s scarlet letter, and the hypocrisy of Puritan society. Although Pearl portrays devilish characteristics and performs mischievous behaviour, she

She was such a curious little girl from a very young age, and such a curiosity and boldness towards life was seen as “masculine” and very strange during this time. Her odd personality and strange ways led her to be a bit of an outcast. Fascinated with her mother’s bright red embroidered “A” upon her chest always vexed the young girl. That was the only way she knew her mother, yet she had no concept of what the letter stood for or why only her mother wore one. Her obsession with the letter worried Hester, further peaking Pearl’s curiosity. Many viewed her to be a devil child, and somewhat reasonably so, even her mother began to believe so. Pearl was so curious as to who her father was, yet she somehow always knew that is was Dimmesdale, though her childlike way of understanding kept her wondering why he never would acknowledge her as

“Children build up resentment. They lack their parents’ love and anger builds up.” (Bucknell 1)Pearl was isolated from almost everyone, his only friend in some way is Hester and Pearl hates when Hester don’t tell her the truth. Kids tend to get disappointed with their parents and others who don’t show them love. I can put myself in Pearl´s shoes and imagine how bad she had too feel in that situations that she experienced. We can judge her without knowing the full background in his life. Pearl was paying for a sin she did not commit and she was suffering lack of love from others. In my opinion Pearl´s only purpose in the novel is to show others people sins and to develop themes such as guilt/shame, the hypocrisy of those who pretend to lover her and reject her later, and the isolation that she and Hester lived in. It must have been a hard life for Pearl, a life of suffering and isolation. Watching his mom all days suffer for what she has done and knowing that no one has an affection for her other than his

The third most important scene, which has a great impact in The Scarlet Letter is when Hester and Dimmesdale meet in the forest and talk about making plans to run away from Boston and live together. Dimmesdale is getting very weak from his own guilt and Hester thinks it is best for them to just go away from everything. Also Dimmesdale is noticing that Pearl is starting to resemble him and people will soon start finding out. Hester shows a change in character when she decides to take off her scarlet letter, throw it across the forest, and take off her head cap to let down her beautiful hair once more. It has not been since the beginning of the novel since Hester has had her hair down and showing her beauty on the scaffold. Meanwhile, Pearl is getting upset and throwing a fit towards Hester because she does not recognize her mother without her hair up and the Scarlet Letter, since it has been there her whole life. She refuses to do anything her mother says until she puts the scarlet letter back onto her bosom. “Will he go back with us, hand in hand, we three together, into

The people of Boston see Pearl as a work of the devil because she is the result of a sin. She constantly asks her mother why she has it and where she came from. Once she denies the Heavenly Father the church wants her to be put in a better family. She often questions Dimmesdale and puts her own pieces together of who he is and his relationship to her family. When she asks Dimmesdale to stand beside her on the scaffold with her mother he rejects it showing his failure to admit adultery. Along with the scarlet letter she is a physical reminder of Hester Prynne’s sin and this is how her sin was revealed. She is evidence of her misdemeanor and reminds Hester of her mistake every day. Hester is sometimes scared by Pearl because she sees a demon in her eyes and is different than other kids. Although Pearl was the consequence of her actions she is also looked at as a blessing. She gives Hester a reason to live and is also one of the reasons she gets to keep her when the Church is deciding whether she should be put in the hands of more honorable parents. Chillingworth also uses her to find any clues as to who her father would be because of any resemblance. In The Scarlet Letter she is more of a physical representation of her mother’s sin than an actually

Both Dimmesdale and Hester are skeptical about Pearl’s true nature. Hawthorne describes Pearl as the “living hieroglyphic, in which was revealed the secret they so darkly sought to die-all written in the symbol, all plainly manifest.” Pearl, as a child, represents innocence. Yet, she is the physical, living version of her parent’s adultery. It brings up the question in the readers’ minds of “how something that was evil could be embodied in this beautiful symbol of love and innocence?”

A pearl is highly prized stone hidden in a shell of an oster. It can be white or blueish grey, and it is a precious gem. They looked as pure and objects and that is what Pearl in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is seems to be. She is treasure to her mother, Hester Prynne. Pearl Prynne is one of the significant characters because she is the living proof of her mom’s sin of committing adultery with Reverend Dimmesdale. Even though she is a young girl, she still faces being exiles like her mom by the others in the community. Pearl’s exiles is both positive and negative because it gives her maturity at such a young age, as well as, forming her into the person she becomes.

“Pearl kissed his lips. A spell was broken, The great scene of grief, in which the wild infant bore a part. Had developed all her sympathies; and as her tears fell upon her father’s cheek, they were the pledge that she would grow up amid human joy and sorrow, nor forever do battle with the world, but be a woman in it. Towards her mother, too, pearl’s errand as messenger of anguish was all fulfilled.”(267) She was the one bringing the grief of the scarlet letter on beth her mother and father, whee he died and she kissed him he was released and in that moment so was Hester. She was the reason the scarlet letter was significant in their lives because she was the one controlling it. She was the constant reminder and only when she let them be free were they free, through death or through

Hester Prynne’s daughter Pearl is a blessing to Hester and also to the reader to further understand Prynne. Pearl is an excellent companion for Hester because she reflects how Hester acts, feels, and thinks. This helps Hester remind herself of what she did wrong, and how to change and improve. Although Pearl grows up over the course of the story without friends or classmates; but Hester also does not have friends so her daughter reflects her even more. The reader can gain some insight on Hester’s thoughts and conscience because her daughter is a living representation of her own mother.

Pearl proves herself intelligent when, as a small child, she notices the prejudice directed toward her and her mother. She proves to be most perceptive when she was able to correctly guess her father without knowing a thing about him just by Dimmesdale’s actions and interactions with Hester. Most children are unaware of the issues that concern adults and instead are distracted with child games, but not Pearl. Pearl questioned the whole town for their bigoted values by asking her mother why she had to wear the scarlet letter but not her father. In fact, she was the only person that called Dimmesdale out for his hypocrisy and cowardly behavior.

        Pearl primarily serves the role of silently urging Dimmesdale to overcome the pressures to conform to society, and to allow his guilty inner-self to emerge and receive retribution for his sins. She exists as a constant and living reminder and product of the sin Hester and Dimmesdale committed, and acknowledges the false innocence Dimmesdale tries so desperately to maintain. Her inquisition, "Why does he not wear [a scarlet letter] outside his bosom as thou dost?" (ch 16) to her mother concerning Dimmesdale is evidence of this. Pearl has no chance to conform to society because at birth she is regarded

In The Scarlet Letter, author Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays Hester's daughter Pearl as a unknowingly mischievous child that is in some way always adding to Hester's ultimate guilt and punishment of her past sin. In the story a young, beautiful woman, Hester Prynne, committed a sin which was a very serious offense against the Puritan community. Hester had many different forms of punishment such as guilt, shame, standing on a scaffold in the village, and the scarlet letter. After the initial shock of the sin the people became less interested in how Hester lived her life, but she is still constantly reminded of the misconduct of her past actions through her daughter. Pearl is a constant reminder of the scarlet letter and Hester's sin because she is a source of judgement, her personality reflects the sin itself, and because of her isolation from many people of the Puritan religion.