What is a single parent? Is it one who destroys their child’s life? Is it one who ultimately cannot raise a minor on their own? Or is it one who dedicates their lives to the well being of their kid? Imagine a parent, and for whatever reason they were left alone to raise a child. That parent you imagined has to work long hours just to put a meal on the table. That parent has to play the role of the mother and father. That parent has no financial support. Unfortunately, in our society, this image of a single parent is looked down upon. There are people that don’t realize how much a single parent goes through to give their child a better life.
When it comes to the controversial issue of parenting, I believe that a single parent has the ability to raise a child just as effectively as two parents can. The reasons why are because the minor can learn life lessons that can only be acquired with a single parent, the single guardian can be the best choice for the young one, and a single parent has the ability to put all their attention and care to the son or daughter. Although some readers may object that it is impossible for a single parent to take care of a child than two parents, I would answer that it is not impossible. In The Scarlet Letter, a woman named Hester and her baby daughter Pearl were ostracized from society; and the young mother was left alone to take care of her daughter. Ultimately, my goal is to demonstrate that a child with a single parent can be raised properly by using the example of Hester and Pearl.
By being with Hester, Pearl got to experience a different manner in life which enabled her to see an outside perspective of Puritan life and learn moral lessons from it. Pearl was not born into the typica...
... middle of paper ...
...” (271). Hester had effectively raised a youngster to become something that was not expected. Despite being shunned upon on, Hester found a way to positively show Pearl moral lessons with the scarlet letter. Even when the townspeople wanted to take Pearl away from her mother, they were not triumphant to do so. The mother’s life was solely about Pearl; to keep her protected, warm, fed, clothed and loved. My conclusion, which is that based on the success of Pearl’s life, is that a single mother can raise a child. A single parent has the capability to nurture and love a son or daughter just as two parents can. A single parent sometimes is the best choice of who the minor can be with. A single parent may have challenges, but they can overcome them just to keep the child they love alive and well. Is it time now to realize what a single parent can truly accomplish?
Hester's child Pearl had to be raised by only one parent and that caused the child to be less disciplined and more outrageous making the townspeople more suspicious of who the child's father was. It also caused the religious leaders to wonder about the religious stability of the child, and if there might be witchcraft involved, "The little baggage have witchcraft in her"(p112).
As a living reminder of Hester’s extreme sin, Pearl is her constant companion. From the beginning Pearl has always been considered as an evil child. For Hester to take care of such a demanding child, put lots of stress onto her life. Hester at times was in a state of uncontrollable pressure. “Gazing at Pearl, Hester Prynne often dropped her work upon her knees, and cried out with an agony which she would fain have hidden, but which made utterance for itself, betwixt speech and a groan, ‘O Father in heaven- if Thou art still my Father- what is this being which I have brought into the world!’” (Hawthorne, 77).
The conclusion in Chapter Twenty-four proved that Hester's decision was the best for Pearl, which was all she had wanted. "Pearl was not only alive, but married, and happy, and mindful of her mother" (177). Pearl was successful after her outcast childhood, free from the mistakes Hester had made and able to be true to everyone around her. Pearl was a better person because her mother was brave enough to keep them there in the fire and teach her daughter how to lead a life without shame.
The bond between a child and a parent is undeniable. A child entrusts their parent as a young child and throughout their life. In The Scarlet Letter, the attitude Pearl has towards her father, Dimmesdale, changes throughout the novel and as time progresses. Dimmesdale and Hester, who are Pearl’s parents, are two individuals who committed adultery under a Puritan society. Hester is publicly scrutinized and receives the punishment of having to wear the scarlet letter on her clothing, but can not be executed because there is no evidence of her having a husband. The result of their sin was their child, Pearl, who is seen as just that. She has wild behavior and serves as a reminder to Hester of her sin, as she reminds her of the scarlet letter. Pearl plays a vital role in the couple’s future throughout the novel.
“Alone in the world, cast off by it, and with this sole treasure to keep her heart alive, she felt that she possessed indefeasible rights against the world, and was ready to defend them to the death…God gave me the child!...She is my happiness – she is my torture, none the less! Pearl keeps me here in life! Pearl punishes me, too...She is the scarlet letter, only capable of being loved…Ye shall not take her! I will die first!” (The Scarlet Letter). Women who are alone often confided in their children for support. Their children bring them happiness, even though they can be a constant reminder of what they have done at times. Mothers have a right to defend their children and anyone who threatens to take them away, they are willing to do anything to keep them. “All the light and graceful foliage of her character had been withered up by this red-hot brand, and had long ago fallen away, leaving a bare and harsh outline…Even the attractiveness of her person had undergone a similar change. (The Scarlet Letter). People who have traumatic experience are often changed in some way, shape, or form. They can change in a positive way or a negative way; it all depends
Pearl, the leading child in the novel, is an excellent example of childish innocence combined with almost preternatural perception. Her willpower and imagination make her a blessing and a curse to her mother, who has paid such a dear price for her child. "After testing both smiles and frowns, and proving that neither mode of treatment possessed any calculable influence, Hester was ultimately compelled to stand aside, and permit that the child be swayed to her own impulses" (Hawthorne 82).
To be a “good mother” many sacrifices must be made and Hester Prynne is a prime example of this and more. Instead of giving into all the slander that was thrown at her by the villagers she pressed on with her life for her child. Most women would go crazy or commit suicide if they endured the beatings Hester received or hate their child, but Hester did the complete opposite, she wore the ‘A’ with pride, and actually became a symbol of righteousness in the town because she sacrificed her own needs and catered to others. Hester put up with Dimmesdale, the cowardly father to her child, and still loved him even after years of him hiding from his responsibility and duty to her and her child. Not only did Hester sacrifice herself for her child’s well-being, but Dimmesdale as well. Dimmesdale helped Hester bring that child into the world, but was so too afraid
Pearl lived a different life than any of the other puritan children. She is a free spirited child. Hester lets her blossom intointo the brilliant child she blooms into through the story. Pearl is not afraid to speak her mind. “She could recognize her wild, desperate, defiant mood, the flightiness of her temper, and even some of the very cloud-shapes of gloom and despondency that had brooded in her heart” (Hawthorne 93). Hester saw the light in her child and embraced it. The other Puritan children are confused by Pearls behavior. They have never been around a child li...
Every individual at some point has questioned their mother’s effectiveness and ability to do her job, be a mother. However, many still ponder at what qualities actually describe a good mother, and sometimes causes legal issues and debate. One of these debated mothers is Hester Prynne, the malefactress who committed adultery and gave birth to a daughter, whom she named Pearl. That said, Mrs. Prynne also shows signs of being a very good mother, whereas she teaches her daughter about the religious practices of the time, she never lets her daughter out of her sight, and she actively cares about her daughter’s well being. Overall, Hester Prynne is a good mother and should be able to keep her fateful daughter, Pearl.
Hester was willing to do whatever was necessary to make sure that her punishment wouldn’t defeat her. She took every challenge that was thrown at her and used them to overcome the very obstacles they placed in her life. For example, "‘I can teach my little Pearl what I have learned from this!’" answered Hester Prynne, laying her finger on the red token. "‘Woman, it is thy badge of shame!" replied the stern magistrate. ‘It is because of the stain which that letter indicates that we would transfer thy child to other hands.’" "‘Nevertheless,’" said the mother, calmly, though growing more pale, ‘this badge hath taught me--it daily teaches me--it is teaching me at this moment--lessons whereof my child may be the wiser and better, albeit they can profit nothing to myself’" (Chapter VIII). Many people were unsure as to whether Pearl was in a fit home with her mother, Hester. Hester could have easily allowed them to take the constant reminder of her sin away, but she finally stood up for herself. She was no longer going to sit back and allow someone else to dictate the results of her life. She fought for her daughter and won. Her daughter wasn’t the ...
Pearl is an offspring of sin whose life revolves around the affair between her mother and Reverend Dimmesdale. Due to her mother's intense guilt during her upbringing, she is not able to become more than a mirror image of her surroundings; like a chameleon, she mimics everything around her, and the changes that occur externally affect her internally. Pearl stands out as a radiant child implicated by the sin of her parents. Without a doubt, if Pearl hadn't been born and such a burden had not been put upon Hester, she would have experienced a life without visible ridicule. It is only when the sin is publicly revealed that she is liberated by the truth.
McNamara writes, “Pearl has been sent as a blessing and as a reflection to remind Hester of her fall from grace and to teach her the ways of heaven” (McNamara 86). Throughout the story, Pearl blindly encourages her mother do do what is right, and hester is always trying to make the right decisions, therefore, this results in her being a good mother. In chapter eight, Chillingsworth is trying take Pearl away from her mother because he believes she not doing a good duty to her, which I believe is not true. Hawthorne says, “This badge hath taught me, it daily teaches me, it is teaching me at this moment, lessons where of my child may be the wiser and better, albeit they can profit nothing to myself” (Hawthorne 107). In this quote Hester is telling them that she is in the middle of learning from her mistake and she will teach her child otherwise. Pearl will turn out wiser and better. Another example of Pearl keeping Hester on the right path is when Mistress Hibbins comes along and asks Hester to go into the woods with her to meet the Black Man. She tells Hibbins, “Must tarry at home, and keep watch over my little pearl. Had they taken her from me, I would willingly have gone with thee into the forest, signed my name in the black man's book too, and that with my own blood!” (Hawthorne 113). Therefore, if it wasn't for Pearl, Hester would have willingly gone into the woods to meet the black man. McNamara states that
The Family structure has changed significantly in the last fifty years. With higher percentages of marriage ending in divorce, and higher rates of childbearing out of wedlock, single parent families are increasing rapidly. “Seventy percent of all the children will spend all or part of their lives in a single-parent household.” (Dowd) Studies have shown that the children of these families are affected dramatically, both negatively and positively. Women head the majority of single- parent families and as a result, children experience many social problems from growing up without a father. Some of these problems include lack of financial support, and various emotional problems by not having a father around, which may contribute to problems later in life. At the same time, children of single-parent homes become more independent because they learn to take care of themselves, and rely on others to do things for them.
For many years, children growing up in a single parent family have been viewed as different. Being raised by only one parent seems impossible to many yet over the decades it has become more prevalent. In today’s society many children have grown up to become emotionally stable and successful whether they had one or two parents to show them the rocky path that life bestows upon all human beings. The problem lies in the difference of children raised by single parents versus children raised by both a mother and a father. Does a child need both parents? Does a young boy need a father figure around? Does the government provide help for single parents? What role do step-parents and step-siblings play? With much speculation, this topic has become a very intriguing argument. What people must understand is that properly raising a child does not rely on the structure of a family but should be more focused on the process
Today, single parenting seems to be a prevalent issue. Ben’s mother underwent so many struggles in life. She was a foster child and got married when she was thirteen years old and found out that her husband was cheating on her and divorced him. She was illiterate and at times called herself dumb, she feared that her two children would turn out like her. As a single mom, she was the main driving force in her sons’ life. She even became strict because she was serious about her sons’ education. She wanted them to achieve what she couldn’t when she was younger. She was an authoritative parent as she gave them reading assignments to complete and allowed them to study their time tables. Because of her parenting style and her role as a single mother Ben excelled in school and defied the odds. Natalie C. Ernst in her article “The Psychology of Parenting styles” stated that “Authoritative parents are classified as the healthiest parenting style…they are demanding and responsive, assertive but not intrusive or restrictive…It also has an influence on psychological maturity while often helps children perform better in