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The Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Decent Essays

In Nathaniel Hawthorne 's, Scarlet Letter, the little girl Pearl, is the living and breathing symbol of adultrey which is proven by her mother and unknown father to admit their sins to all of the townspeople. Pearl herself, is the Scarlet Letter which sometimes leads to her being given the characteristics of a demon. Pearl 's spirit, love for nature and many other characteristics that she carries, reveals her distinct and unusual personality. She also understands many things that a regular 7 year old wouldn 't even think about, proving that she is a symbol. Pearl, is also the biggest connection between Hester, her mother, and the minister, Arthur Dimmesdale, whom is her father.

"In her was visible the tie that united them. She had been …show more content…

The comparison between these magical characters adds to her separation from all of the other towns children. When she is compared to this red bird, the color is emphasized due to the visual we are given through the book and the specification of the bird since she is full of wild energy.

At first, Pearl symbolizes the shame of Hesters public punishment for her adultery. As she grows older, she becomes the symbol of how much of a wreck Hesters life and mental state by making a point of the letter "A" every single chance she can get. Pearl is the living symbol of the scarlet letter. Pearl basically is there to make Hester just accept her sin. Pearl makes sure that Hester never takes off the letter as well. Later in the book, she acts as though she does not recognize her mother when she takes off the letter. Pearl would much rather see her mother stand up to her sin instead of run away from it. So when Hester tries to throw away the letter, Pearl becomes rather upset. Hawthorne also shows that Pearl is not just a symbolic figure for the letter but also a literal figure. Hester even says that Pearl is the living scarlet letter and causes Hester much more stress than the letter itself. Pearl simply wants her mother to believe that she is bigger than the sun she committed. Hester believes that she is the worst sinner and her daughter can sense this. When the town leaders wanted to take Pearl away for Hester, one reason she

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