How Does Nathaniel Hawthorne Use Pearl In The Scarlet Letter

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

“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

Pearl was born in the prison into darkness, she is an elf-like child. She is the result of sin but she is a consient reminder of her mother's guilt. Pearl cried “mother I see you here. Look! Look!” Hawthorne explains “hester looked by way of humoring the child; and she saw that, owing to the peculiar effect to convex mirror, the scarlet letter.” (hawthorne 97) The quote shows that paerl is there to remind her mother of her sin and guilt. When Hawthorne continuous Hester, Pearl, and Dimmesdale are out in the woods. Hester feels free so she took off the scarlet letter. Hester and Dimmesdale are talking about if Pearl would like Dimmesdale, then Heaster calls her over, when she come. She starts “pearl still pointed with her forefinger and frown gathered on her brow the more impressive from the childish the almost baby-like aspect of the features that conveyed it.” (Hawthorne 188) The quote proves that guilt is in Pearl because she has only seen hester with the scarlet letter. That she only knows Hester's guilt and that she has to remind her that it is not there anymore. The symbol of Pearl is a theme of guilt to her mother because she is always reminding her of her

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.

In spite of that, what makes her the protagonist of the story is how she is able to overcome her punishment that was meant to give her shame. Throughout Chapter 13 of the book, Hawthorne shows how Hester’s confidence has developed in herself and in view of the town, most noticeably when considering the meaning of the scarlet letter, “Such helpfulness was found in her ... that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength,” (Hawthorne 107). Instead of subjecting to the shame that was forced upon her, she grew above it, conveying a different aspect of the theme of guilt, which is redemption. This is not to say that Hester did not care about the sin she committed, as she is very much reminded of it every day of her life while living with the child of that sin. In fact, the author addresses this by saying, “In giving her existence a great law had been broken; and the result was a being whose elements were perhaps beautiful and brilliant, but all in disorder,” (Hawthorne 60). Hawthorne is implying how Pearl represents the outcome of a sin and arranged it so that Hester is always living with that sin, therefore, always being reminded of the shame she is supposed to

The punishment for this day and age for adultery was very serious. Hester had to go to jail and then got an “A” to wear on her chest for life to make sure that everyone was aware of the sin she committed. Pearl is a constant reminder to Hester of the serious sin that she committed and how it will affect her life forever. When the book, The Scarlet Letter introduces Hester it says the following, “ the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast….as the figure, the body, the reality of sin” (Hawthorne 76). Hester, her whole life was seen as a sinner and with that came Pearl as the result. One day while walking in the forest, “ Mother, said little Pearl, “the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom. . . . It will not flee from me, for I wear nothing on my bosom yet” (Hawthorne 180). This show Pearl making the connection of her sin and how the townspeople and everything surrounding them acts when they see the letter. Pearl symbolizes adultery because, she is a scarlet letter in the flesh and she is living proof of Hester's and Dimmesdale's

She touches the scarlet letter, but little does she know that she is the reason for the punishment. They are social outcasts, so they don’t leave their house much. Pearl plays alone and has best friends that are imaginary. She distrusts her own imaginary friends for the same reason that she distrusts all the Puritans in the colony. People treat Hester and Pearl differently than everyone else is treated. She only loves Hester, because Hester spends time with her and is a good mother. She plays with her and teaches her Bible stories. Pearl knows the whole catechism at the age of three, but refuses to say it to anyone. She is smarter than everyone thinks she is. Chillingworth speaks to Pearl about the scarlet letter. He asked her if she knew the reason why her mother must wear the scarlet letter all the time. She replies, “Yes, that is the same reason why the preacher holds his hand over his heart.” Pearl asks her mom all the time the reason why she wears the scarlet letter and why the preacher holds his hand over his heart. She knows that they both do, but she doesn’t know why. Hester tells her that she wears it because of the pretty gold thread, but she doesn’t know the minister’s reason. Later in the story, Dimmesdale, Hester, and Pearl meet in the forest, and Hester rips the scarlet letter off. Pearl gets mad then, because she knows that her mother is supposed to wear it. Dimmesdale kisses Pearl, but she washes the kiss off with

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

In the Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, he introduces Pearl as a symbol of adultery committed by Hester and Dimmesdale. Not knowing who her father is, she has been raised solely by Hester throughout the course of this novel. Due to this, Pearl proves to be stubborn or inflexible when it comes to her family and would like to keep Hester’s motherly love to herself, rather than accepting Dimmesdale as her father. Unable to accept change in her family, she refuses to cross the brook and let go of the past for a new future. “Children will not abide any, the slightest, change in the accustomed aspect of things that we daily before their eyes” (165).

Second, Pearl is a symbol of Hester’s salvation and reason to keep living. Hester names her baby Pearl because she has paid a great price for her. In chapter eight, Hester has to fight to keep Pearl. When they go to the governor’s mansion, he threatens to take Pearl away from Hester. Pearl tells the men at the governor’s mansion that she was picked in the garden by the prison door. They are worried about her well being with Hester and want to remove her from mother. Hester fights to keep Pearl. ‘“God gave her into my keeping,” repeated Hester Prynne, raising her voice almost to a shriek. “I will not give her up!”—And here, by sudden impulse, she turned to the young clergyman, Mr. Dimmesdale, at whom, up to this moment, she had seemed hardly so much as once to direct her eyes” (Hawthorne 124). Pearl is a symbol of Hester’s sin and now Hester has to raise Pearl and teach her what she did wrong. Dimmesdale steps in and tries to back up Hester and tells the governor that Pearl would guide Hester and keep her from making mistakes that she made in the past. God has given Pearl to Hester as a blessing and a reminder of her sin. The mother and daughter have already built a strong bond and Pearl is keeping Hester alive. After all of this, Hester is allowed to take Pearl home with her, but she must follow guidelines. Hester was asked to join the Black Man in the

Pearl also functions as a constant reminder of Hester's adulterous act. Even as a baby, she was always reaching for the scarlet letter. Hawthorne says it is the first object of which she seemed aware. She creates her own letter out of moss, sees the letter in the breastplate at Governor Bellingham's mansion, and points at it in the forest scene with Hester and Dimmesdale.

In the ninth through eighteenth chapters of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, many things are established. The characters in the novel are beginning to be fully characterized, Pearl is described as “elvish” and to have an “elf-smile in her eyes” and at such a young age Pearl displays a supernatural intelligence that most three year-old’s do not possess. Pearl is a living example representing the sin of adultery that Hester Prynne, her mother, has committed, which connects to the theme. Pearl is very much alike her mother Hester, because of their captivating beauty. Another character development is the evolution of Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale’s illness. Dimmesdale becomes extremely ill, and he punishes himself because of the sin he committed which was also adultery, with Hester Prynne. Dimmesdale slowly begins to attempt to reveal his sinfulness through his sermons, but this leads his congregation to believe he is very holy and could never be a sinful being. Hawthorne uses dramatic irony, through this situation because the reader knows who the father of Pearl is and that Dimmesdale committed adultery, but the people of the

Even though she often uses it to taunt Hester, Pearl is a constant reminder of Hester’s sin and is always making sure she has her scarlet letter.

This ridicule has a trickle down effect on Hester as she too is banished from her own community for committing adultery. The comparison between Hester and Hawthorne defines the external struggle for the reader to fully understand the effect of opinions from society on them Although reluctant to allow Hester to leave prison, the members of the town suggest that her punishment be to wear a scarlet red letter A on her bosom, thereby allowing all to know of her crime. The scarlet letter “ was red-hot with infernal fire, ” (Hawthorne 81) and defined the state she was currently in, that being eternal hell. Though she was forced to marry an older man at a young age, her rebellion to have an affair is not seen as an internal struggle that she overcame; rather, it is merely seen as a woman who sinned, a woman who shall therefore endure the punishment for the sin, rather than a woman who was never given a say in what she wanted with her life. Time and again, Hester Prynne is seen defying society by allowing herself to stand out from societal norm just as the roses “with its delicate gems, which might be imagined to offer their fragrance and fragile beauty to the prisoner“ (Hawthorne) did. Instead, she returns to the community and is observed aiding those in need, all with seven year old Pearl by her side.

Pearl is literally a live representation of the scarlet letter and is a constant reminder to Hester, Pearl’s mother, of her sin. In the story, Hawthorne helps to describe Pearl through powerful characterizations. He first describes Pearl as the infant, "...whose innocent life had sprung, by the inscrutable decree of Providence, a lovely and immortal flower, out of the rank luxuriance of a guilty passion"