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 different than just

be bright and vibrant, and really love her mother, but at other times,

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

physical token: he gave Hester the punishment of a very unique child

would also make her own "A" to wear, and sometimes she played games

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

One final way in which Pearl symbolized something in the novel

the scarlet letter, because if Pearl had never been born, Hester would

Although Hester had so much trouble with Pearl, she still felt

Some common words found in the essay are:
Pearl Hester, Letter Hester, Pearl Hester''s, Prynne Pearl, Scarlet Letter, scarlet letter, hester''s life, pearl symbolized, Pearl Pearl, scarlet letter pearl, mother times, pearl pearl, letter pearl, throughout novel, times wilting,
Approximate Word count = 620
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)