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 ' At the very least, they should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynne's forehead.' (Pg. 59) This is how some people felt about her punishment. 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 oth

er hand, God's treatment of Hester for her sin was quite different than just a physical token: he gave Hester the punishment of a very unique child which she named Pearl. This punishment handed down from God was a constant mental and physical reminder to Hester of what she had done wrong, and she could not escape it 'Thou art not my child! Thou art no Pearl on mine!' (pg.99) At times Hester would get frustrated. In this aspect, Pearl symbolized God's way of punishing Hester for adultery.

that Pearl was her treasure. "...her mother's only treasure!" (Pg. 91) Pearl was really the only thing that Hester had in life, and if Pearl wasn't in Hester's life, Hester would almost surely have committed suicide. Once in a while, Pearl would bring joy to Hester's life, and that helped her to keep on living. Pearl really symbolized a rose to her mother, at some times she could be bright and vibrant, and really love her mother, but at other times, she could be wilting. It was at these times when

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Approximate Word count = 666
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)