Hester Relationship In The Scarlet Letter

“The mother­child relationship...requires the most intense love on the mother's side,” according to Erich Fromm, a German psychologist. The love that Hester expresses toward her daughter Pearl in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, and the lessons that she teaches her are what makes Hester a great mother. In return, Pearl improves Hester’s public image with her beauty and keeps Hester’s emotions and actions in check. The way these two characters subconsciously complement each other forms a strong mother­child relationship in the novel. Pearl influences Hester’s life in both positive and negative ways. While Pearl does have a positive impact on Hester's actions and her public appearance, she has a negative impact on her mother's self­esteem.
She will do anything to improve her daughter’s life, as she does not want Pearl to experience the pain that she went through. Another instance where Hester is looking out for her daughter is when they are leaving the governor's mansion. When Mistress Hibbins, a woman perceived to be a witch, asks Hester to join her in the forest, she refuses. This is because she “‘must tarry home, and keep watch over my little Pearl,’” (89). Hester is asked to join the alleged witches in the forest and is aware of the harsh punishments of being accused of being a witch. If Hester was seen with Hibbins, she could have had Pearl taken away from her, leaving Pearl alone and motherless. Also, while near the forest, Hester “undid the clasp that fastened the scarlet letter...taking it from her bosom,” (156). If any of the reverends or townspeople saw Hester without the letter, she would have been sentenced to death. Pearl refuses to obey her mother without the scarlet letter present on her bosom and as a result, she forces Hester to put the letter back on. For the rest of the novel, and as a result of Pearl’s actions, Hester keeps the embroidered letter attached to her bosom. Her devotion to Pearl is what stops her from being further stigmatized by the
Hester is a victim of this cruelty, however, she and Pearl move on to make the best out of the bad situation that they have been placed in. Fromm writes about the qualities of a mother­daughter relationship, especially true love. Fromm would agree that the relationship that Pearl and Hester possess has the qualities of a true mother­daughter relationship. They are able to show love for each other and are able to supplement each other's positive and negative attributes. The way that Hester and