The Scarlet Letter - Symbolism-

A detailed Summary of The Scarlet Letter - Symbolism-

The Scarlet Letter is a book of much symbolism. One of the

most complex and misunderstood symbols in the book is Pearl, the

daughter of Hester Prynne. Pearl, throughout the story, develops into

a dynamic symbol - one that is always changing. In the following

essay, I will explore some of the symbolism which Pearl came to

In The Scarlet Letter, Hester, for her sins, received a

scarlet letter, "A" which she had to wear upon her chest. This was

the Puritan way of treating her as a criminal, for the crime of

adultery. The Puritan treatment continued, because as Hester would

walk through the streets, she would be looked down upon as if she were

some sort of demon from Hell, that committed a terrible crime. This

would give her much mental anguish and grief. On the other hand,

God's treatment of Hester for her sin was quite differe

price that Hester paid for Pearl. With Pearl, Hester's life was one

wrong, and she could not escape it. In this aspect, Pearl symbolized

she was a kind of burden, yet love for Hester. And as a final note,

which she named Pearl. This punishment handed down from God was a

In closing, Pearl was a source of many different kinds of

symbolism. From being a rose, to representing the scarlet letter "A",

The way Hester's life was ruined for so long was the ultimate

almost surely have committed suicide. Once and a while, Pearl would

have never been found guilty of adultery, and thus never would have

Pearl was more then her mother's only treasure; she was her mother's

with her mother's, trying to hit it with rocks. When Hester would go

into the town with Pearl, the other children would make fun of her,

Approximate Word count = 625
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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