Hester Prynne, the young adulteress who wears the scarlet letter "A," is portrayed as evil in the novel because of her great sin. This viewpoint is shown most by the attitudes of the stern and grim Puritans, who think of her as the worst sinner in the community and an "unhappy culprit."(p. 53) To them, she is "the common infamy, at which all mankind [is] summoned to point its finger." (p. 71) They also used her action to describe the faults of women, as she "[became] the general symbol at which the preacher and moralist might point, and in which they might vivify and embody their images of women's sinful passion."

(p. 71) The scarlet letter and Pearl, as symbols of her ignominy and evil nature, were further used as visual examples of this point. Throughout the book they make her seem like a reckless and rebellious woman by mocking and mistreating her. Many of these insults are in the first scaffold scene, where Hester's "iniquity is dragged out into the sunshine

When she is good she is considered a gift, "her mother's only treasure." (p. 80) This gift is seen both in her physical beauty and in the times when she is gentle, kind, and loving. Pearl is given by God all of her mother's "proper beauty." (p. 81) In fact, she is so beautiful that she alarms her mother, as Hester is expecting to see "some dark and wild peculiarity." (p. 80) With the "fantastic ingenuity" (p. 75) in the child's "gorgeous robes" (p. 81) that are created by Hester, Pearl has "an absolute circle of radiance about her." (p. 81) Sometimes, Pearl has a "meeting-point of sympathy... and... childlike confidence" (p. 156) in her mother. This is when she "[takes] her mother's hand in both her own and [gazes] into her eyes with... earnestness." (p. 156) Pearl's "unflinching courage,... remarkable acuteness,... self-respect,... and... affections," (p. 157) are some of Pearl's notable aspects that simply need training to become remarkable traits. "with all of these sterling attributes," (p. 157) she has a chance to become a great woman someday, but her bad qualities will impede this chance. Pearl is such a complex character that she cannot be viewed in only on way, as are Hester and Dimmesdale.

Dimmesdale is also viewed as good many times in the novel, especially by the Puritans, who think of him as a "godly" (p. 57) and enlightened minister. They revere him for coming "from one of the great English universities," (p. 61) his "native gifts and scholar-like attainments," (p. 61) and "his eloquence and religious fervor." (p. 61) Although these qualities are important to the people, they love him the most for his powerful speaking voice, which is "tremulously sweet, rich, deep and broken... The feeling that it so evidently [manifests]... [causes] it to vibrate in all hearts." (p. 62) Even when he confesses that he is a sinner, the voice is "high, holy and majestic," (p. 220) and the people still love him anyway because of the captivating feeling that he gives them up to his majestic death on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl. Though the people love Dimmesdale, he still has a ba

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1414
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)