A Comparison of Arthur Dimmesdale and Pearl
In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and Pearl are two essential characters. Because they are father and daughter, they have some similar qualities, but also some different ones. The apple does not fall far from the tree: the apple is the child of the tree (the parent); therefore, it inherits similarities in personality, but it also retains its own individual qualities. Dimmesdale and Pearl share few similar traits, but Hawthorne makes these similarities significant. Passion greatly affects the lives of both Dimmesdale and Pearl. Dimmesdale commits adultery -- a sin of passion. Pearl inherits "all this enmity and passion [ . . . ] by inalienable right" (Hawthorne 87). From the moment Hester Prynne gives birth to her daughter, the sin of adultery marks Pearl permanently just as the scarlet "A" marks her mother. Throughout the entire novel, Pearl serves as a symbol of Dimmesdale and Hester's passion. Although the same force of passion affects Dimmesdale and his daughter, he makes the choice to commit adultery while Pearl does not have the power to decide to be borne out of a sin. This sin inflicts grief upon both the father and daughter. Dimmesdale, "overcome with a great horror of
On the other hand, Dimmesdale lacks the honesty and innocence that Pearl possesses. She is the "little creature, whose innocent life had sprung [ . . . ] out of the rank luxuriance of a guilty passion" (Hawthorne 81). Although her birth comes from a sin, Pearl maintains her honesty and innocence throughout the novel. She even tries to get her father to acknowledge publicly her as his daughter, therefore acknowledging his sin, but he disagrees. Dimmesdale "[longs] to speak out [ . . . ]and tell the people what he [is]," but he refrains from doing so until the end of the novel when the guilt becomes too much for his soul to bear (Hawthorne 132). Although a man of the cloth, he lacks honesty, unlike his daughter. Pearl may be slightly eccentric, but she speaks the truth to other people; however, the harsh Puritan community still shuns her. Hawthorne describes them as "the most intolerant brood that ever lived" (86). The hypocritical Puritans reject Pearl and Hester, while they hold high respect for Dimmesdale - - Hester's accomplice in sinning. The church members "believed that he would go heavenward before them" (Hawthorne 131). At this point, the society, unaware of Dimmesdale's p
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Approximate Word count = 806
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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