Pearl In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'Scarlet Letter'
Chapter 6: “Pearl”
1. Hawthorne uses the quote, “Man had marked this woman’s sin by a scarlet letter, which has such potent and disastrous efficacy that no human sympathy could reach her, save it were sinful like herself. God, as a direct consequence of sin which man thus punished, had given her a lovely child, whose place was on that same dishonored bosom, to connect her parent forever with the peace and descent of mortals, and to be finally a blessed soul in heaven.” (86), to contrast how man views Hester’s sin as an unforgiveable act that she deserves to be punished for infintely, and God saw the sin and sent her aid in the form of baby Pearl. Pearl’s purpose on Earth is to show her mother happiness and beauty and lead her to heaven.
2. Although Pearl is beautiful and brilliant, she “lacked reference and adaption …show more content…
Pearl was dressed in a crimson velvet tunic sewn with gold thread when she visited the governor’s mansion. “But it was a remarkable attribute of this garb, and, indeed, of the child’s whole appearance, that it irresistibly and inevitable reminded the beholder of the token which Hester Prynne was doomed to wear upon her bosom.” (98) Hester is making a statement by dressing Pearl this way that her sin and love are connected. Although Hester is ashamed of the scarlet letter, she earned out of loving another person, and she doesn’t regret that. Hester has the same contradictory feelings towards Pearl, she is a constant reminder of her sin, but she is beautiful and a source of happiness in her life.
2. When Hester and Pearl look in the armor’s reflection, their most prominent features are emphasized even further. Hester’s scarlet letter has gigantic proportions and Pearl’s elfish intelligence and “look of naughty merriment” convince her mother that she may be an imp pretending to be a human. This exagerration allows Hester to see what they look like from the viewpoint of the Puritans. To society, Hester is a reality of sin and Pearl is a devil
1. Hawthorne uses the quote, “Man had marked this woman’s sin by a scarlet letter, which has such potent and disastrous efficacy that no human sympathy could reach her, save it were sinful like herself. God, as a direct consequence of sin which man thus punished, had given her a lovely child, whose place was on that same dishonored bosom, to connect her parent forever with the peace and descent of mortals, and to be finally a blessed soul in heaven.” (86), to contrast how man views Hester’s sin as an unforgiveable act that she deserves to be punished for infintely, and God saw the sin and sent her aid in the form of baby Pearl. Pearl’s purpose on Earth is to show her mother happiness and beauty and lead her to heaven.
2. Although Pearl is beautiful and brilliant, she “lacked reference and adaption …show more content…
Pearl was dressed in a crimson velvet tunic sewn with gold thread when she visited the governor’s mansion. “But it was a remarkable attribute of this garb, and, indeed, of the child’s whole appearance, that it irresistibly and inevitable reminded the beholder of the token which Hester Prynne was doomed to wear upon her bosom.” (98) Hester is making a statement by dressing Pearl this way that her sin and love are connected. Although Hester is ashamed of the scarlet letter, she earned out of loving another person, and she doesn’t regret that. Hester has the same contradictory feelings towards Pearl, she is a constant reminder of her sin, but she is beautiful and a source of happiness in her life.
2. When Hester and Pearl look in the armor’s reflection, their most prominent features are emphasized even further. Hester’s scarlet letter has gigantic proportions and Pearl’s elfish intelligence and “look of naughty merriment” convince her mother that she may be an imp pretending to be a human. This exagerration allows Hester to see what they look like from the viewpoint of the Puritans. To society, Hester is a reality of sin and Pearl is a devil