Pearl as Living Symbol in The Scarlet Letter
Pearl. A child born of sin. Conceived by lust. Created by
impurity.
As the result of her parents fall from grace, she represents the
sinfulness of their act, and is a continual tool for the recollection of
their dubious deed. Sent, was she, from the Almighty God as a gift, and a
burden of the heart.
"'God gave me the child?' cried she. 'He gave her in requital of
all things else, which ye had taken from me. She is my happiness!- she is
my torture, none the less! See ye not, she is the scarlet letter, only
capable of being loved, and so endowed with a million fold the power of
retribution for my sin? Ye shall not take her! I will die first!'"(109)
"'There is truth in what she says,' began the minister, with a
voice sweet, tremulous, but powerful, insomuch that the hall reechoed, and
the hollow armor rang with it - 'truth in what Hester says, and in the
feeling which inspires her!'"(110)...
"'I must be even so,' resumed the minister.'" " 'This child of its
father's guilt and its mother's shame hath come from the hand of God, to
work in many ways upon her heart, who pleads so earnestly, and with such
bitterness of spirit, the right to keep her. It was meant, doubtless, as
the mother herself hath told us, for a retribution too; a torture to be
felt at many an unthought-of moment; a pang, a sting, an ever-recurring
agony, in the midst of a troubled joy! Hath she not expressed this thought
with the garb of the poor child, so forcibly reminding us of that red
symbol which sears her bosom?'"(110-111).
Pearls gestures, and the essence which her presence pours forth,
insinuate to the child's evil roots and the effect there of.
"the child could not be made amenable to rules. In giving her
existence, a great law had been broken, and the result was a being whose
elements where perhaps beautiful and brilliant, but all in disorder."...
"Above all, the warfare of Hester's spirit, at that epoch, was perpetuated
in Pearl. She could recognize her wild, desperate, defiant mood, the
Pearl is a symbol of Hester’s transgressions and even has similar qualities as the sin which she represents. Pearl’s life and behavior directly reflects the unacceptable and abnormal nature of Hester’s adulterous sin. Hester is plagued with more than just a letter “A”; she is given a child from her affair who is just as much a reminder of her sin as the scarlet letter. Ultimately Hester overcomes the shame associated the scarlet letter and creates a sense of family for herself and Pearl. This relationship is integral to the theme of this novel and the development of its characters.
...letter. She begins to symbolize her mother’s conscience. Hester would lead a life less grievous if not for Pearl. Should Pearl not be born, Hester Pyrnne would be less likely to be found guilty of adultery; therefore, never having to wear the scarlet "A" on her bosom. This is the reason of Pearl being the living embodiment of the scarlet letter.
Lady Macbeth is one of William Shakespeare’s most famous and frightening female characters. As she is Macbeth’s wife, her role is significant in his rise and fall from royalty. She is Macbeth’s other half. During Shakespearean times, women were regarded as weak insignificant beings that were there to give birth and look beautiful. They were not thought to be as intelligent or equal to men. Though in Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is the highest influence in Macbeth’s life. Her role was so large; in fact, that she uses her position to gain power, stay strong enough to support her unstable Lord, and fails miserably while their relationship falls apart. Everything about Lady Macbeth is enough to create the perfect villain because of her ability to manipulate everyone around her. It appears that even she can’t resist the perfect crime.
Good writing is meant to elicit an emotional response from its reader, and effective symbolism does just that. Birkerts explains that “A symbol deepens the thematic resonance” of a work of fiction (127). The frequent use of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter adds color and life to an otherwise rudimentary story. Pearl herself seems to function far more effectively as a symbol than she does as a mere character. She lacks many typical human qualities, but serves her purpose as a representation of all the ways her mother’s life changed on the day of her ignominy. The child was named Pearl because she was “purchased with all [Hester] had” (83) and her world would never be the same. With every positive or negative concept that the child represents, Pearl more clearly symbolizes the cost of her mother’s
The Shakespearean play Macbeth is a story of the human nature and of the choice every person
... little girl's banishment from Puritan society she was thrown to another way of life and her wildness and peculiarity is a direct product of her banishment.
Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place...better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life…(47).
Macbeth is a play written by William Shakespeare in the 1600 century. It is one of Shakespeare’s most well known tragedies, and continues to be studied to this day. It is a dark and gloomy play, as the main character, Macbeth, gets a taste for evil and kills the king of Scotland, King Duncan, in order to become king himself. After this moment there is a rapid increase of evil in him, as he starts to kill more and more people who upset him or are a threat to the throne. One of the play’s most important scenes is when Macbeth murders King Duncan, this scene is essential to the remainder of the play and how it unfolds. This murder scene contributes to the play in terms of plot development, it exposes and develops the major theme of how people can turn evil when confronted with power, and it reveals the true character of Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth.
Each year, millions of animals, ranging from mice to monkeys, suffer through the cruel and inhumane practice of animal testing. Scientist throughout the world are torturing animals for mankind’s own benefit, which is unreliable in most cases. “According to Humane Society International, animals that are used in experiments are commonly subjected to force feeding, forced inhalation, food and water deprivation, prolonged periods of physical restraint, the infliction of burns and other wounds to study the healing processes and the infliction of pain to study its effects and remedies.” Although humans often benefit from successful animal research, these animals do not have a voice to say no. The pain, suffering, and deaths inflicted on these animals are not worth the possible human benefits. Scientist test the animals for many products that we humans can use (makeup, medicine, etc.). Many of the items we purchase on a regular basis have been tested on animals first. Most of the animal testing is unreliable.
Often in novels writers use symbolism as a device to make their themes and ideas come across clearly to the reader. In the novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses many forms of symbolism. People and objects are symbolic of events and thoughts of hawthorn throughout the course of the book. The Scarlet letter itself is a symbol he uses to contradict the puritanical society of the story. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses Pearl both as a symbol in the novel, and to work on the consciences of Hester and Dimmesdale.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Pearl, is a symbol of sin and adultery in the sense that she leads Dimmsdale and Hester to their confession and the acceptance of their sins. A beauitful daughter of the towns adulturist has somtimes demon like traits. She is also the only living symblol of the scarlet letter "A". In another way Pearl also makes a connection between Dimmsdale and Hester.
One of the most complex characters in The Scarlet Letter is Pearl, the illegitimate daughter of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale. Throughout the story, she develops into a dynamic individual, as well as an extremely important symbol. Pearl is shunned from society because of her mother's sin. She is a living representation of the scarlet letter, acting as a constant reminder of Hester's sin.
the meaning around in the story to mean able. Now that she has given many
Every year millions of animals are used in medical experiments for the benefits of human health. Animals are used from anything from vaccines and other pharmaceuticals to cosmetics. Luckily, in the latter years scientist have found other ways to test drugs and make-up rather than on animals in some cases. Medical testing, especially in the early stages, can be excruciatingly painful for animals and can even cause death. The same can be said about the cosmetics testing. There are many rallies against animal testing as to where the line is drawn when it comes to animal rights.
For centuries, animals have been known as man’s companions, a form of therapeutic relief, and a source for human joy and entertainment. However, animals are being tortured and treated cruelly for the sake of human prosperity all over the country. Animal testing as a means of researching medical advancements and product quality for consumers is a large problem in today’s society. The research experiments executed with animals in the name of scientific discovery call into question the compassion and integrity of the human spirit. If we do not put an end to animal testing in the United States, many animals will suffer in anguish through the torment inflicted upon them in a product testing lab. Product testing on animals should be illegal, because animals are killed or kept in captivity their entire life, substances that are tested on animals may never be released for human use, and there are alternatives available to testing on animals.