Sacrifice In The Scarlet Letter

     As she stood on the scaffold, Hester held her newborn Pearl. pearl was the outcome of her unfaithfulness. Pearl had been adequately named, for she was of extreme value to her mother. Hester’s subjection to the crowd of Puritan onlookers is excruciating

Hester Prynne's guilt is the result of her committing adultery, which has a significant effect on her life. Hester is publicly seen with the scarlet letter when she first emerges out of the cold

In order to pacify Pearl, Hester decides to put her scarlet letter back on and says, “I must bear this torture yet a little longer” (181). The letter physically and emotionally drains the life out of Hester and yet she still endures this agony to appease her child. Hester constantly puts her daughter over her own feelings and aspires to make her happy and joyful. She reveals how considerate and loving she remains by putting others’ needs above her own. As Pearl throws flowers at Hester’s letter, Hester “[resists] the impulse, and [sits] erect, pale as death…with hurts for which she [can] find no balm in the world” (83). Hester obviously suffers through this pain and torture just so her child will remain content and pleased. She clearly demonstrates her motherly nature by putting Pearl’s wishes above her own. Hester may not verbally announce her feelings to everyone, but her actions show others how kindhearted and compassionate she remains after all this

In page 100, after Mistress Hibbins, the governor’s sister asks Hester to partner with her to a party at the forest where she promises the devil that Hester will go; Hester replies, “Make my excuse to him,so please you! I must tarry at home, and keep watch over my little Pearl. Had they taken her from me, I would willingly have gone with thee into the forest, and signed my name in the Black Man’s book too, and that with mine own blood.” If Pearl is taken away from Hester, The Devil will take advantage of it and drag Hester deep into sin that she’ll end up in hell. This connection between Hester and her daughter cannot be broken. Hester treasures her young one, and sees her as the light of her life. If Hester wouldn't be a quality mother for Pearl, she would have not cared about the naming of her daughter. Hester wouldn't have thought about "Pearl", she would have just named her with any insignificant name. However she did contemplate over Pearls naming, she wanted her daughter to have a significant name that would show how much she means to her. Hester has proven once more that she does worship her daughter and deserves to have her stay in her safe-keeping.

Pearl is the reminder of Hester’s sin that she has committed. Although Pearl represents Hester’s sin, she is also the reason why Hester has never given up and is her reason to live. Pearl is ultimately a blessing to Hester even though she

     Hester Prynne aspires above her torment to give love to her daughter Pearl and Pearl’s father, Reverend Dimmesdale. Even though Hester is an outcast within her people, she cares enough to provide all that she can for the comfort and well being of her daughter

The removing of letter and taking off the cap symbolizes the removing of harsh Puritan social and moral culture. Hester Prynne has a short intermission, because Pearl, her daughter, angrily demands she resume wearing the scarlet A given that she is accustomed to it. With the scarlet letter and her cap back in there familiar place, "her beauty, the warmth, and richness of her

When Pearl is throwing flowers at Hester’s chest, trying to hit her “A,” Hester is reminded of her distressing past. Even though Pearl is a reminder of her past sin, Hester is unable to think of a life without her, even when her fellow townspeople are trying to take Pearl away from her. For Pearl separating from her mother would be strenuous, for Hester is the only thing she has ever known. To Pearl, Hester is more than her mother, she is her role model and icon. With such a powerful female figure, Pearl is set on claiming a strong male mentor to be her fatherly

She reminds Hester that life is beautiful and that in this life there’s always something good out of any evil. Pearl was the result of a major sin, and that makes Pearl a lifetime punishment that gets along really well with the letter A. "But she named the infant 'Pearl,' as being of great price- purchased with all she had- her mother's only pleasure." Chapter VI, 'Pearl'

Sacrifice is to give up something for the benefit of someone else. Sacrifice has many meanings, but the essential meaning is to give up something for the benefit of other persons. Most commonly, we think about sacrifice as taking a person’s life

Hester's emotions and actions are different at the beginning of the story, especially at the beginning during the scene where she appears on the scaffold after leaving the prison cell. "it seemed to be her first impulse to clasp the infant closely to her blossom; not so much by an impulse to clasp the infant closely to her bosom; not so much by an impulse of motherly affection, as that she might thereby conceal a certain token, which was wrought or fastened into her dress. In a moment, however, wisely judging that one token of her shame would poorly serve to hide another" (Hawthorne 80). This first quote explains or shows how protective she is of Pearl. Although in other scenes she is shown letting Pearl do whatever she wants. This might be because it's every mother's natural instinct to protect their child fro the unknown. Another quote is "Had a roar of laughter burst from the multitude- each man, each women, each little shrilled-voiced

Therefore, Hester is bored and sad because of the man she is married to is giving no sign of life. So to compensate this lack of man, she decides to have sex with a priest, which is really bad in this society. But instead of leaving the city like most would do, she stays in the city where all started, and she acknowledges it, because she is kind of proud and is not ashamed. Never has she revealed the name her Pearl’s father, because she is courageous and has pride.

Hester named her daughter Pearl as a significant example of her being someone who doesn’t fear making sacrifices throughout their life. Even the name “Pearl” represents an emotional appeal stating that Hester sees her daughter as the Pearl Of Life, not caring about what anyone says about the custody of her child. There’s significant events proving to the audience that Hester

Scarlet Letter Essay Nathaniel Hawthorne, an American novelist and short story writer, was born on July 4th, 1809. His most notable book is The Scarlet Letter. In his novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the symbolism of Dimmesdale, a black flower, and a burr to contribute to the overall theme of secret sin. First, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses Dimmesdale as a symbol of secret sin. Dimmesdale, the minister of the Puritan town, comes back after some years to visit the scene where he convicted Hester Prynne of her crime, the scaffold.

Hester sacrificed the little respect the townsmen still had for her to save her beloved daughter pearl. She grabbed pearl and refused to let her go, she began to scream and cause a scene, this caused the townsmen to believe that she had gone mad. The way in which hester sacrificed her respect is an example of true love, you must be willing to sacrifice yourself to protect those you truly care about; without sacrifice we cannot have love.