Pearl's role in the Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorn is a novel which deals much with symbolism and character. The characters of The Scarlet Letter are multifaceted and complex. Hawthorn's writing is full of symbols describing a character or a theme. Each character has its own role in setting the scene of the novel. An example of this is Pearl, the scarlet letter's life form. Hester held Pearl tight in her arms on the scaffold. She is not like any other type of character in the novel. In the novel, Pearl is used to convey certain ideas or messages to the reader. Pearl is Hester's sole reason to live. If it weren't for Pearl, Hester would have probably left the Puritan community of Boston or she would have committed suicide. "'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! Pearl keeps me here in life! Pearl punishes me too! See ye not, she is the scarlet letter, only capable of being loved, and so endowed with a millionfold the power of retribution for my sin? Ye shall not take her! I will die first!'" This is a good example of how much Hester loves Pearl. This passage is the first tim
e and I think the only time that Hester herself expresses that Pearl symbolizes the scarlet letter. Hester knows she has sinned and Pearl is a constant reminder of her sin. "In the Afternoon of a certain summer's day, after Pearl grew big enough to run about, she amused herself with gathering handfuls of wild flowers and flinging them, one by one, at her mothers bosom, dancing up and down like an elf whenever she hit the scarlet letter." This passage shows an example of Pearl reminding Hester of her sin. Pearl is constantly giving attention to the scarlet letter so that Hester will never forget what she did. Also it shows symbolism of the Puritan community. The wild flowers that are chosen by Pearl to throw at Hesters bosom are a minority among the forest, the majority are the weeds. The sinless Puritans are the weeds of the forest, but the outcast sinners are the rare wild flowers that bloom. The flowers are not afraid to show their beauty, much like Hester and Pearl Throughout the novel you get a sense that Pearl is associated with wild colors or wild creatures. Pearl is fascinated with the scarlet letter A and everything that resembles it. Pearl is referred to as at least once as an im
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 815
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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