Pearl In The Scarlet Letter Essay

In Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Pearl serves many roles as a character. In the harsh Puritan society she lived in with her mother Hester, she provides some comical relief into their difficult lives. Hester was condemned her whole life from committing adultery. Her letter was not the only punishment she faced, but the internal guilt of knowing she went against her religion sat with her for life. Pearl was her most precious gift and she gave Hester a reason to keep going and continue on with her life, because she knew that Pearl deserved the best. Lastly, Pearl serves as a device to help further connect Hester and Dimmesdale. Although a result of adultery, Pearl is the result of two people who truly loved each other, which was rare for this
In chapter 12, Dimmesdale is standing on the same scaffold that Hester once stood on during her public shaming. Hester and Pearl walk by and join him on the scaffold, where Pearl stands between them holding both of their hands, as they see a meteor. This meteor is said to be in the shape of an A and is described as “...a shower of crimson light,” This is ironic because it is the first time we see these three and a family, and this meteor is a significant symbol. Dimmesdale thinks it symbolizes his sin and is God’s way of making him feel guilty for leaving Hester and Pearl. The guilt that Dimmesdale feels helps him to eventually become a part of Hester and Pearl’s lives again and doing what he can to help them. Overall, Pearl is as an extremely significant in Hawthorne's “The Scarlet Letter.” She has an extremely distinctive personality that sets her apart from the other Puritan children. Pearl also is the most important part of Hester’s life and she is the reason that Hester continues to work so hard despite the hardships and discrimination that she faces. Lastly, Pearl helps to hold Hester and Dimmesdale together and helps them rekindle their love for eachother throughout the