Symbolism Of Pearl In Scarlet Letter

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“Child, what art thou?” (146). So speaks Hester, the main character of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, to Pearl, one of the most complex characters of the novel. Some believe that Pearl is a mystery because she has a very fickle personality and is emotionally unpredictable. For example, at times, she loves to irrationally torture her mother, but at other times, she cares for her mother and seeks to defend her from Chillingworth, such as when she says, “ Come away, mother! Come away, or yonder old black man will catch you!”. Others believe that she serves as a symbol for her mother’s sin; still others say that she represents an outsider from Puritan influence. Hawthorne seems to show that she serves so many roles and has so many personalities …show more content…
Pearl is trapped under a spell and is alienated from society, destined to continue tormenting her mom by reminding her of the sin. When Hester throws off her scarlet letter, thinking that she can rid herself of this identity, Pearl does not recognize her mother till she puts the scarlet letter on, till “[Hester] has her shame upon her—now that [Hester] is sad”. She persuades her mother to not hide her identity, the truth, and embrace who she is instead. Clearly, Pearl is the ultimate voice of truth because even after everybody acknowledges Hester after Dimmesdale’s confession, she always thinks of herself as a sinner. She also torments her mom for the truth about the minister’s sin, continually asking, “Why does the minister keep his hand over his heart?” Pearl lives beyond the idea of whether the accepted truth is right or wrong; she wants to know it and analyze it as well. This torment is merely inquisitive though, and Pearl displays no signs of …show more content…
For example, Pearl saves her mother from joining the devil. Hester declares, “ Had they taken her from me, I would willingly have gone with thee into the forest, and signed my name in the Black Man’s book too, and that with mine own blood!”. Even though it would have been easier to let go of Pearl, her constant reminder of sin, Pearl keeps Hester sane and shows her the scarlet letter does not represent just sin, but a vivacious child She keeps Hester from running away from the truth, something which clearly has a negative effect on Dimmesdale. In this way, Pearl protects Hester. Moreover, she convinces Dimmesdale to confess, giving him “a sweet and gentle smile over his face, as of a spirit sinking into deep repose; nay, now that the burden was removed, it seemed almost as if he would be sportive with the child”, after being troubled for so long. Because of Pearl’s strong influence on Hester, she fights for her child, even against the most powerful members of society, to whom she usually acts very submissive to. This love is one of the only times we have seen Hester be passionate and “not give up [her] child. And even Dimmesdale, someone who barely knows Pearl, reciprocates her love by “ kiss[ing] her brow” and revealing to the entire public that he sinned with Hester, even though he would
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