The Symbolism Of Pearl In The Scarlet Letter

Pearl is the physical and living embodiment of the sin committed by Hester and Dimmesdale. The name “Pearl” seems almost as a misnomer due to the sinful and shameful roots of the child. Similar to Jesus’ parable in the Bible in which a pearl is bought at a “great price,” to Hester, her child represents all that she had to give. The narrator even goes on to characterize her as “the living hieroglyphic” (page 188) of a broken law. Pearl’s existence as a living symbol of the scarlet letter persistently torments Hester and Dimmesdale throughout the novel, but in the end, Pearl’s rumored happiness as a mother in Europe encapsulates the final triumph of love over a forsaken beginning.

Pearl is an evident symbol that sends multiple messages in the book. In the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne symbolism is quite evident throughout the text. In the case of Pearl, Hester's Daughter, she symbolizes many things in the text. Pearl forces Hester to deal with her sin and learn to cope with the consequences she faces resulting from what she did. Pearl helps send the message of the importance of forgiveness and consequences. She symbolizes the sin that Hester has committed and the shame Hester has to face. Pearl also symbolizes the connection between Dimmesdale and Hester and the guilt that Dimmesdale has to face for hiding his secret sin for so long.

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.

In The Scarlet Letter, Pearl is often regarded as a symbol to that of the suffering of Hester Prynne and the shamed Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale but Pearls significance is more than just symbolizing the sin committed by her parents. She in many ways represents the innocence that the puritan belief is regressing itself to have. Hawthorne constructs Pearl as an evolving symbol for Hester and Dimmsdale and her progression as a character is shown through that of the actions set forth by these characters. Since the inception of the act of adultery by Hester and Dimmesdale, Pearl is developed by sin but she is not conformed to sin and as a result symbolizing a release of sin. She is essentially the road from childhood to adulthood, innocence to innocence lost to finally understanding and accepting the card that we are all delved with and that’s life after sin.

The townspeople characterized Pearl as a witch because she was the outcome of the sin her mother took part in, those same females that were agitated with the way Hester wore the “A” were the same woman telling their children to stay away from Pearl, they excluded her and didn’t consider her being a normal human. Hester was concerned that her only daughter that she loved very much, would be an outcast and would be marked by sin, but Hawthorne describes Pearl as beautiful individual, in fact the exact same way Hester took the scarlet letter that is supposed to leave an awful mark but turned it into a stunning “A”. Hawthorne describes Pearl as Hester’s living scarlet

Pearl, like the scarlet letter, serves a reminder of Hester’s affair. However, Pearl is more than just a punishment to her mother: she is also a blessing. Hester gives her daughter the name Pearl “not as a name expressive of her aspect, which had nothing of the calm, white, unimpassioned lustre that would be indicated by the comparison. But she named the infant “Pearl”, as being of great price,-purchased with all she had” (Hawthorne 69). In a way, Hester sees Pearl as a punishment, and even believes that Pearl will have physical or mental defects because of her actions. Hester even questions if Pearl is truly her daughter, constantly asking “What are you child?” or “Are you truly my child?” Despite all this, Pearl is an important part of Hester’s life and ultimately gives Hester a reason to live. Hester’s love for Pearl also bolsters her when she is tempted to give up. An example of Pearl giving Hester a reason to live is when the ministers and governor try to take Pearl away from Hester, Hester adamantly refuses and defends her right to keep Pearl. The ministers and the governor change their minds when minister Dimmesdale says that they should “leave them as God has seen fit to place them”. Throughout the novel, Pearl mainly serves as a symbolic character. Pearl is a reminder of Hester’s sin, a punishment, and also a

In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the character Pearl is not only a major character, but also a constant symbol of redemption. She is the punishment for Dimmesdale and Hester’s sin as well as their path to salvation. Most importantly, however, Pearl is the scarlet letter itself. Pearl’s behavior and influence establish her role as a key symbol and a means to the evolution of the other characters.

To begin, Hawthorne uses the scarlet letter “A” to reinforce the theme of Guilt. Hester Prynne, the protagonist of The Scarlet Letter, is forced to wear a scarlet letter “A” upon her bosom because she has committed the sin of adultery. This leads Hester to feel guilty for the rest of her life. Hawthorne states, “... that scarlet letter, so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom. It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and enclosing her in a sphere by herself” (Hawthorne 51). The quote shows how feeling guilt has made her much more distant from the rest of the townspeople. Hester experiences this agonizing guilt whenever she glances in a mirror, or down at her chest. Pearl is the result of Hester’s

“But she named the infant ‘Pearl’, as being of great price, --purchased with all she had, --her mother’s only treasure!” (73). In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hawthorne utilizes characters’ names to reveal a deeper meaning within a character or the plot. For example, Pearl’s name reflects many of her attributes throughout the novel. Pearl is beautiful, rare, and worth a great price. Through Pearl’s actions and words, the reader can clearly see the close resemblance between the meaning of her name and her personality. Pearl not only symbolizes beauty and grace, but she is also adultery, pain, and truth. As the plot advances Pearl’s name becomes more evident in its truth. For example, Pearl resembles a great price and expense to her mother. On the other hand, she is valuable since she is the most valuable person to Hester. Hawthorne chose her name as Pearl to reveal a deeper meaning of physical beauty, inner value, and universal truth.

Children accept who they are with no influence from society or feelings of guilt. As Hawthorne describes Pearl’s carefree attitude, he writes, “Her final employment was to gather sea-weed… and thus assume the aspect of a little mermaid… Pearl took some eel-grass, and imitated, as best she could, on her own bosom, the decoration with which she was so familiar on her mother’s… the letter A” (Nathaniel Hawthorne 115). As little Pearl plays, the scarlet letter does not symbolize shame for her. Pearl accepts the scarlet letter as nothing out of the ordinary, and even envies its beauty. Through Pearl’s actions, Hawthorne reveals how children view shame and societal pressure. Although the scarlet letter embodies the entirety of Hester’s sin and shame, Pearl does not run from it or feel ashamed because of it. Hawthorne uses Pearl as an example of how adults should view symbols of sin in their society instead of running from the sin, they should forgive readily and accept the reality of their present situation. Furthermore, in his literary criticism, The Obliquity of Signs, Millicent Bell reveals how out of Hester’s societally constructed sin and shame came this perfect example of Pearl. He writes, “Hester’s sin is not only unutterable but involves a name, that of her partner, which she refuses to utter. Her sexual history is so private that it cannot be imagined when we gaze at her in the chaste aftermath of Hawthorne’s novel. And yet that privacy has its public manifestation, the child Pearl” (Millicent Bell 23). Bell reveals how even out of Hester’s most taboo and secret sin came Pearl, whose manifestation publicly

In chapter six’s passage, Hawthorne emphasis Pearl’s beauty and her grandiose character, even though she was created out of sin and guilt. Hawthorne juxtaposes the town’s perspective of Pearl, as being a child of wrongdoing, to Hester’s view of her being an angelic figure, which a glowing spirit. The text presents the idea that although the town forced Hester to wear the scarlet letter to repent for her sin; however, its effect entirely contradicted its purpose. Not only did the scarlet make Hester realize the beautiful, self-fulfilling outcome of her actions, but it also altered her perception of the difference between wrong and right to one that negated society’s imposed beliefs.

Symbolism is a literary style that uses symbols to represent ideas or qualities. Symbolism plays a very important part in The Scarlet Letter because it uses the characters to develop the main idea of the story. The symbols used by Nathaniel Hawthorne help the reader to visualize and understand the meaning of the story. Hawthorne uses Hester Prynne, Pearl, and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale as symbols throughout the book. They are the main characters of the story and they all overcome some difficulties by the end. The lives of the characters help to serve as symbols of the Puritan religion that existed during this time.

Within Chapter Seven, Hester makes a poor choice in sending Pearl to the Governor's hall dressed in a red and gold dress. This only defies the Governor and proves why they should be outcasts. Through Pearl’s clothing, Hester may be trying to say that Pearl is her daughter and no matter what he does she will always be a child of sin. It may also symbolize her bold personality never dying. In the end of this Chapter, Hester is aware of the image she is creating for Pearl but, is unsure if that is the life she wants for her daughter as pondered, “feel as if it could not be the image of her own child.”(p.97)

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

Pearl’s Name: In the beginning of chapter 5 it says that Pearl got her name because she was “ of great price-purchased with all she had,-her mother’s greatest treasure.” Her name is symbolic of the price that Hester payed for Pearl to enter the world. She sacrificed everything, her life, reputation, and any real chance at happiness.