Essay On Pearl In Hawthorne's Romance The Scarlet Letter

657 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: How does hawthorne create the theme nature of sin in the scarlet letter

A child whose sufferable of her mother’s treachery, the consciousness of her parent’s guilt, Pearl is an unique character developed by the elements from the story. Of the article by Dan Quin, “Pearl in Hawthorne’s Romance The Scarlet Letter”, Quin has analyzed the different representations of Pearl. Pearl is symbolized as the ‘real form’ of the scarlet letter, the link between her parents, and the moral guardian of their decisions. Brought together by the same immoral act, Hester and Dimmesdale are connected by their act of adultery and their child Pearl. Quin interprets Pearl not simply being the daughter of Hester and Dimmesdale, but being the connection between the parents. Quin states Pearl, “serves as ―the connecting link‖ (TSL 251) and ―an electric chain‖ (TSL 250) between Hester and Dimmesdale.” Pearl is the link of her parent’s sins, over the time of the story, she has brought them together. Quin infers Pearl to be their token of true love, the reason for being together. Quin proclaim Pearl, “is the embodiment of her parents‘ true love and passion. Because the love between Hester and Dimmesdale is the …show more content…

Quin interprets Pearl gave Dimmesdale the motivation to confess his sins on the last scawfell scene. Quin states Pearl, “particularly provides the motivation for the public confession of Dimmesdale.” Pearl has changed the attitude of Dimmesdale from being hopeless by his guilt into being motivated of his life after his confessions. Quin infers Pearl is the reason for Hester to permit to love for her and Dimmesdale. Quin proclaims, “Pearl‘s function is to chasten and redeem her by making her feel shame and remorse and permit her to love.” Pearl has changed the attitude of Hester by giving her hope for love and follow for true love. So on, Pearl can be symbolized as the moral guardian of her parents of the decision changes she

Show More
Related

  • Scarlet Letter Loss Of Innocence Quotes

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    The naivete of a child is often the most easily subjected to influence, and Pearl of the Scarlet Letter is no exception. Throughout the writing by Nathaniel Hawthorne, she observes as Dimmesdale and the rest of the Puritan society interact with the scarlet letter that Hester, her mother, wears. Hawthorne tries to use Pearl’s youth to teach the reader that sometimes it’s the most harmless characters that are the most impactful overall. In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, Pearl has learned the greatest lesson from the scarlet letter through her innocence as a youth and her realization of the identity of both herself and her mother.

    Read More

  • Scarlet Letter - Pearl as a symbol

    645 Words  | 2 Pages

    Pearl may be Hester’s only hope of a “successful” life after she is convicted of adultery. "' I will not lose the child! '" Pearl says, "'…thou knowest what is in my heart, and what are a mother's rights, and how much the stronger they are, when that mot...

    Read More

  • The Blameless Pearl in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

    1121 Words  | 3 Pages

    From the moment she is born in the cold, heartless prison, Pearl is placed under scrutiny. The townspeople see her as a visible reminder of sin, and it isn't long until even her own mother searches for evil in her. The girl is described as "the scarlet letter in another form; the scarlet letter endowed with life!"(Hawthorne 103). With her fascination from an early age with the scarlet letter, Hester believes that Pearl's very reason for existence is to torment her mother. Hester fails to realize that the letter is just something bright and significant to which Pearl reacts; instead, she sees every glance, every word aimed at the letter, every touch of Pearl's tiny fingers to her bosom as an added torture resulting from her adultery. Hester, considering Pearl's very existence, goes so far as to question if the impish child is even her own. "Thou art not my child! Thou art no Pearl of mine!"(Hawthorne 99) she tells Pearl, only half-jokingly. In her own way, she wonders whether Pearl was sent to her by God or by a demon wishing to cause her pain. She is not alone in this speculation; many of the town's citizens believe there is something of the Devil in Pearl.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Mercy In The Scarlet Letter

    748 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hester thinks about the mercy of God herself in the story and comes to the conclusion that “man had marked [her] sin by a scarlet letter, which had such potent and disastrous efficacy that no human sympathy could reach her, save it were sinful like herself. God, as a direct consequence of the sin [...] had given her a lovely child” (86). Society decides to punish Hester by public humiliation and eternal shame, while God decides to let nature take its own path, and blesses‒or rather curses‒Hester with her own child. Although this is a more merciful consequence, children are still a large challenge in themselves. Young children are difficult, and Pearl especially seemed to be “a demon offspring; such as, since old Catholic times, had occasionally been seen on earth, through the agency of their mother’s sin” (95). Through having to raise Pearl, Hester is still being disciplined for her rash actions, but in a way that will better teach her the lessons she needs to learn from her mistake. When one observes the behaviors of both Hester and Dimmesdale, it becomes clear that Dimmesdale has failed to learn completely from his

    Read More

  • Pearl And Dimmesdale In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'

    361 Words  | 1 Pages

    Dimmesdale set and watched Hester be called a sin and be made fun of for years and he never went by her side to tell them that he was the father of pearl. And Dimmesdale is the town's priest and no one would have ever thought that he was the husband. One day As Hester looked into

    Read More

  • Scarlet Letter, Pearl

    750 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Scarlet letter is a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The plot focuses on sin in the Puritan society. Hester Prynne, the protagonist, has an affair with Reverend Dimmesdale, which means they are adulterers and sinners. As a result, Pearl is born and Hester is forced to where the scarlet letter. Pearl is a unique character. She is Hester’s human form of her scarlet letter, which constantly reminds her of her sin, yet at the same time, Pearl is a blessing to have since she represents the passion that Hester once had.

    Read More

  • Pearl in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    756 Words  | 2 Pages

    At the first of Pearl’s role in the story, it appears as though someone so grounded in her beliefs, spiritual and mental, would never be dynamic in character. However, that is not the case. This character analysis will explain the life of Pearl, and what she meant to other roles of The Scarlet Letter.

    Read More

  • Relation between Pearl and Nature in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

    1051 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Nathaniel Hawthorne's work, The Scarlet Letter, nature plays a very symbolic role. Throughout the book, nature is incorporated into the story line. One example of this is with the character of Pearl. Pearl is very different than all the other characters due to her special relationship with Nature. Hawthorne personifies Nature as sympathetic towards sins against the puritan way of life. Hester's sin causes Nature to accept Pearl.

    Read More

  • Nature And Pearl In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

    688 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, nature and Pearl are depicted as innocence and evil. Hester brings her daughter, Pearl, to live in the forest because they are not accepted by society due to the Scarlet letter. The relationship between these two is Pearl creates a bond with nature mentally since society rejects her as a product of sin. Nature is viewed in the eyes of a Puritan as a place where witches live to perform witchcraft and where darkness inhabits. However, the relationship between nature and Pearl gives her freedom and growth.

    Read More

  • Hester Prynne's Courage In Scarlet Letter

    622 Words  | 2 Pages

    She is able to defend herself as a woman and a mother, in spite of living in a male dominant society. Her influence upon Dimmesdale is so powerful, as he was able to convince the governor that Pearl should remain with Hester. Dimmesdale knows that he must defend Hesters rights as a mother, or he would risk exposure of himself. Hester dealt with her punishment with courage and strength, she did not give up. She loved Pearl and raised her as best as she could alone. She turned a very unfair into a victory because of her determination to see that things were set right in the end. Hester suffered tremendous humiliation for seven years while her “partner in crime” Dimmesdale got away with it and the townspeople adore

    Read More

  • Children in the Scarlet Letter

    649 Words  | 2 Pages

    Pearl and the other Puritan children have a huge role in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Pearl is displayed as very different from any of the other children in the book. The attitudes of the children tell the reader a lot about the lives of the Puritans. The story emphasizes that children were to be seen but not heard however, Hester chooses to let Pearl live a full and exciting life. Hester does not restrict pearl or hide her from anyone or anything. This is part of the reason that Pearl becomes such a colorful child. People see Pearl as a child of sin; the devil’s child. Pearl is quite the opposite. She is a happy and intelligent little girl. Pearl is born with an incredible sense of intuition. She sees the pain her mother feels but does not understand where the pain is coming from. Pearl knows somehow deep in her heart that Dimmesdale is her father. She takes a very strong liking to him. This makes it much harder on dimmesdale to work through the guilt seeing what a beautiful thing came from his terrible secret. Pearl serves as a blessing to and a curse to Hester. Hester Prynne loves her daughter dearly but she is a constant reminder of the mistakes she has made.

    Read More

  • The Lasting Effect of Sin and Guilt on Hester and Dimmesdale

    1448 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...is the guilt, which they are left with in the end. On the fateful day where the two committed adultery, they had no idea that this mistake would turn out to be like an ominous black cloud that they would never be able to escape from. When they chose to have Pearl, they unknowingly signed a contract that said they would have to suffer with their guilty conscience as a consequence for having Pearl. At the time, they did not think that they would feel much guilt, but when the word got out that Hester had a baby, everything changed. The mistake had been made and they would now be forced to live with it whether they liked it or not. In the end, Hester and Dimmesdale both sacrifice their peaceful lives to live with the guilt of giving birth to a child who should have never been born.

    Read More

  • Pearl as a Symbol in The Scarlet Letter

    372 Words  | 1 Pages

    Pearl is not only a symbol of Hester but also a symbol to Dimmsdale. Pearl will not let him into her life until he accepts his sin. She wants him as a father but will not let him until he will not hide his sin in public. Pearl knows that Dimmsdale will not be seen holding her hand in the public eye and this bothers her. She asks her mother, " wilt tho promise to hold my and thy mothers hand to-morrow?"(105)

    Read More

  • The Worst Sinner in The Scarlet Letter

    982 Words  | 2 Pages

    While Hester tries to protect Dimmesdale by not giving the name of Pearl's father, she actually condemns him to a long road of suffering, self torture and disappointment. She does this by letting him keep the sin he committed in secret while he watches her being publicly punished. Chillingworth observes Dimmesdale's desire to confess, as well as his lack of willpower to do so. Dimmesdale rationalizes not confessing; all the while Chillingworth is torturing with constant reminders of his hypocrisy. Hester never voluntarily confesses to committing adultery, and never feels any remorse for it. Her public punishment comes not as a result of her having any contrition, but rather her apparent pregnancy. She stays in the town to be close to Dimmesdale, as a reader would find on page 84, "There dwelt...the feet of one with whom she deemed herself connected in a union..." She also stays in town to convince others, as well as herself, that she is actually regretful for her sin even though she knows in her heart she is not. She does this to appease her guilt. As Hawthorne puts it on page 84, "Here...had been the scene of her guilt...

    Read More

  • The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    912 Words  | 2 Pages

    The historical context, psychological exploration of the characters, and realistic dialogue make this fictional novel more realistic. The symbolic representation of the scarlet letter, Pearl, and the settings along with the morals taught by the stories of the characters make the novel more insightful, symbolic, and allegorical. These aspects of The Scarlet Letter make the novel a brilliant combination of the literary devices of Realism, symbolism, and allegory, and fill the novel with profundity, suspense, romance, and tragedy.

    Read More

More about Essay On Pearl In Hawthorne's Romance The Scarlet Letter

Open Document