Pearl in Scarlet letter :: essays research papers

unmatched of the most labyrinthine and elaborate characters in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet letter is Pearl, the daughter of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale. Pearl, throughout the story, develops into a dynamic individual, as tumefy as an extremely important symbol. Pearl is involved in a complex history, and as a result is viewed as different and is shunned be creator of her mothers sin. Pearl is a living Scarlet A to Hester, as well as the reader, acting as a constant reminder of Hesters sin. This connection leads to many different views of Pearls character.Hawthorne uses vivid descriptions to condition Pearl. She is first described as the child, whose innocent life had sprung, by the unknown decree of Providence, a lovely and immortal flower, out of the rank lushness of a guilty passion. (81). From the beginning of her life she is viewed as the product of a sin. Physically, Pearl has a beauty that became every day more brilliant, and the learning that threw its qui vering sunshine over the tiny features of this child. (81-82). The exquisite dresses and her beauty cause her to be viewed as even stranger from the other typical prude children, whom argon dressed in traditional clothing. As a result, she is reliable by nature and animals, and ostracized by the other Puritan children. Pearl was a natural outcast of the infantile world the whole peculiarity, in short, of her bit in respect to other children. (86). Pearl was not accepted by the children her unavoidable seclusion was due to the sin of her mother. On the rare antecedent that the children show interest in Pearl, she lashes out at them.The members of the Puritan confederacy view Pearl as a weird, strange little girl, born from a sinful act. However, the characters with a closer, more in depth kindred to the child, feel differently towards Pearl. She is a strange child I precisely comprehend her But thou wilt love her dearly, as I do, and wilt advise me how to deal with her (186). Hester describes her unbalanced feelings and emotions to Dimmesdale. This statement shows that although Pearls quirks and oddities cause her to become strange in the eyes of others, they form into a love from Hester. This relationship between Hester and Pearl is important because both are ostracized for their irregularities and for the sin and shame of Hester. Dimmesdale responds to Hesters statement with, I have yen shrunk from children, because they often show distrust- a backwardness to be familiar with me.