Pearl Symbolism In The Scarlet Letter

Pearl, the daughter of Hester Prynne, in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne was an important character to the novel. From the first time we hear of pearl, Hawthorne uses her as a symbol of Hester’s sin. Although at the begging of the novel Pearl symbolized Hester’s sin and shame and was the living embodiment of the letter “A”, its symbol evolved. According to some critics, Pearl symbolizes truth and the natural word because she is not contaminated by society in any way. I agree with the critics, living away from the city allowed her to become the symbol of truth and the natural world because she has not been contaminated by puritan society, she senses the truth around her with a lot of knowledge for her age, and she represents a gift

Since pearl was an infant, the first thing she noticed was her mother’s Letter “A” on her bosom. As she grew older, she saw the Letter “A” as a part of her mother’s identity, not being able to recognize her without it. Although she knew the letter “A” was a part of her mother, she didn’t know what it stood for. Her curiosity of the meaning of the Letter “A” on her mother’s bosom drove her to ask questions about it such as, “what does the letter mean, mother? ‘And why dost thou wear it?”’, curious if the child had an idea of its meaning, Hester asked Pearl, “Dost thou know, child, wherefore thy mother wears this letter?”’, and in response pearl says, “It is for the same reason that the minister keeps his hand over his heart.”. (Hawthorne 101-102). Clearly, Pearl has the ability to sense the truth around her. While not knowing why her mother wears the Letter “A” or its meaning she knew that the Letter “A” and the way Reverend Dimmesdale held his hand over his heart were connected to one another. After discovering that Dimmesdale is her father pearl questions her mother about him, asking her if hell stand alongside them in the scaffold in front of all of the townspeople. In asking those type of questions, she is speaking the truth about Hester’s relationship with Dimmesdale. Her purity allows her to see the truth of all that is surrounding

However, her symbol has evolved into symbolizing a gift from god and hope. She’s a gift from god because she changed her mother’s life. More precisely, Pearl is Hester’s gift from god. Although she is a gift from god, she was raised with the knowledge that god is not there for her and that god is not her heavenly father, insisting that she comes from the Letter “A” on her mother’s bosom. According to Hawthorne, “Thy heavenly father sent thee!’ Answered Hester Prynne. […] [Pearl] put up her small forefinger, and touched the scarlet letter. ‘He did not send me!’ cried she, positively. ‘I have no heavenly father!’ (Hawthorne 185). In other words, Pearl is a gift from god, but she doesn’t believe that god is her heavenly father. Instead, she points upon her mother’s bosom and claims to come from the Letter “A”. Being raised away from puritan society also drove pearl away from having religious beliefs. Nonetheless, despite her lack of religious view she is a gift from god because she changed her mother’s life. If Pearl had not become into Hester’s life, she could have given into her passionate nature. Moreover, Pearl symbolizes hope not only to Hester, but to herself as well. Towards the end of the novel when her father, Dimmesdale, died on the scaffold, she was no longer angry with the world. Hope arose in her and she no longer wanted to be in a battle with the world, but be a woman in it. Being