Pearl In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter
She was a Pearl that didn’t want to hide; she wanted to shine brightly. Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of The Scarlet Letter, introduces Pearl as a wise child who’s always striving to learn more. In Hester’s life, Pearl is given to her as a symbol of Hester’s past. Although Hester and Dimmesdale could have committed adultery without having Pearl, Hawthorne made Pearl a character to symbolize Hester and Dimmesdale’s actions. Pearl serves as a living example of Hester and Dimmesdale’s actions to Hester herself, Dimmesdale, the townspeople, and the reader.
The main conflict in the book, The Scarlet Letter, was Hester’s action of committing adultery. I believe that if Hawthorne had not included Pearl as a character in the book then there would …show more content…
The way Hester dresses Pearl makes her resemble an actual Pearl. Pearl’s are beautiful, but they are difficult to break. Just like Pearl in the book, she is tough. The comments from the townspeople just make Pearl a wiser child. As Pearl notices her surroundings and the way that the townspeople are interacting with Hester and herself, she learns a lot more about who she is. Pearl also yearns to learn more about who she is by asking Hester. This is the author’s way of letting the reader know what is going on in the book as well. For example, when Hester and Pearl are in the market, Pearl asks Hester if it were the ‘same minister that kissed her by the brook.’ Pearl also seems to not be afraid of asking questions or receiving answers. Pearl asking Hester about what happened in an open marketplace was risky although she did it anyways. In conclusion, Pearl’s outer appearance plays a massive role on her character. The way that Nathaniel Hawthorne introduced Pearl as a character in The Scarlet Letter lead to a better understanding of Hester and Dimmesdale throughout the story. Pearl serves as a living example of Hester and Dimmesdale’s actions to Hester herself, Dimmesdale, the townspeople, and the reader. Pearl’s confident outer appearance also creates a questioning mood throughout the story that allows the reader to
The main conflict in the book, The Scarlet Letter, was Hester’s action of committing adultery. I believe that if Hawthorne had not included Pearl as a character in the book then there would …show more content…
The way Hester dresses Pearl makes her resemble an actual Pearl. Pearl’s are beautiful, but they are difficult to break. Just like Pearl in the book, she is tough. The comments from the townspeople just make Pearl a wiser child. As Pearl notices her surroundings and the way that the townspeople are interacting with Hester and herself, she learns a lot more about who she is. Pearl also yearns to learn more about who she is by asking Hester. This is the author’s way of letting the reader know what is going on in the book as well. For example, when Hester and Pearl are in the market, Pearl asks Hester if it were the ‘same minister that kissed her by the brook.’ Pearl also seems to not be afraid of asking questions or receiving answers. Pearl asking Hester about what happened in an open marketplace was risky although she did it anyways. In conclusion, Pearl’s outer appearance plays a massive role on her character. The way that Nathaniel Hawthorne introduced Pearl as a character in The Scarlet Letter lead to a better understanding of Hester and Dimmesdale throughout the story. Pearl serves as a living example of Hester and Dimmesdale’s actions to Hester herself, Dimmesdale, the townspeople, and the reader. Pearl’s confident outer appearance also creates a questioning mood throughout the story that allows the reader to