Scarlet Letter : Importance Of Pearl

In the book The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a character is

brought to life with a patchowrk of personality and her existance is one of amazing

symbolism. Hawthorne introduces young Pearl Prynne. She is a bastard child who

not only puts her unholy mother, Hester Prynne through much torment, but puts through

hell the secret man who fathered her.

Pearl affects Hester deeply in numerous instances throughout the story.

Hester first decides to dress her daughter all in scarlet, the color of the shameful letter on

her chest. During their adventures into the woods Pearl plays a game where she throws

small flower spears at the 'A' on her mother's chest and when each stalk hits its target

Pearl dances around gleefully, as if laughing at the fact of Hester's sin. Later, by the

shore Pearl dons on herself an 'A' made of seaweed and parades around infront of her

mother smiling and pretending to be like Hester:

"Pearl took some eelgrass, and imitated , as best she could, on her own bosom, the

decoration, with which was so farmiliar on her mother's."(Hawthrone pg171)

Her father, Rev. Arthur Dimmsdale, whose identity is kept secret for

most of the story, is tortured by the "elf-child" in many ways, but unlike Hester, he has the

priveleage of not living with her. When Arthur sees Pearl in the Governers hall for the first

time truly, his heart is in pain. The conciousness of his sin starts to weigh down upon him.

Dimmsdale being a clergymen, is constantly begging for forgiveness in the privacy of his

own home, trying to rid himself of the sin, and clean his hands of Peal Prynne, the devil

spawn child of Hester. Later in the book, Arthur is found, half mad, on the scaffold,

where Hester stood just 7 years before. There Pearl sets in her hooks, asking questions

that send Dimmsdale unsteady:

"Wilt thou Stand here with Mother and I, tomorrow

noontide?"inquiered Pearl."(Hawthorne148)

Pearl Prynne is a unique character, and as an authour, Hawthorne gives

her many different hiddden symbols, all of which she was able to express with her fairy

like childhood.

"Pearl has for every reader some unreality too.