Pearls Of Wisdom In The Scarlet Letter
Pearls of Wisdom Shame, weakness, lust, and desire tie together all aspects of Hester Prynne’s life when she commits adultery and gives birth to a young girl named Pearl, leading to her ostracization by her community and having to wear a scarlet letter A for the remainder of her life. Nathaniel Hawthorne enhances his novel The Scarlet Letter with extensive attention to character description, especially when referring to Pearl. Through diction and imagery, Hawthorne identifies Pearl as slightly devious and frightening, yet compassionate, beautiful, and intelligent beyond her years. When Hester gave birth to Pearl, the community recognized the infant as a symbol of shame, as apparent as the scarlet letter on her chest. However, the
stunning appearance of Pearl, with her “native grace [and] faultless beauty,... shining through the gorgeous robes which might have extinguished a paler loveliness” led the people around her to believe that she maintained demon-like qualities, as if “an evil spirit possessed [her], fiend-like, smiling with malice,” because how should a product of such a sin attain such a flawless appearance (Hawthorne 62, 66-67)? As Hawthorne illustrates the perfection of the young girl, he also indicates the frightening tendencies of her imp-like nature while employing euphemistic diction. The language Hawthorne uses retains a calm, flowing nature, whether he refers to her “wild-flower prettiness” when he discusses her serenity and placidity, or “the small black mirror of [her] eye,” describing the darkness hidden within Pearl’s vast knowledge which surpasses her age (66). While expressing either aspect of Pearl’s attributes, Hawthorne applies smooth and euphonious diction to complement it and depict his fondness toward the child. Hawthorne uses illustrations of peaceful, serene imagery to demonstrate Pearl’s poised, intelligent, and mature outlook for someone so young as herself. When she goes to the river with Dimmesdale and her mother, she traipses along just in front, with the face of “a young child that was spending its infancy without playfulness, and knew not how to be merry among sad acquaintance” (128). In this reference, Hawthorne implies that Pearl prefers to refrain from childlike activities, and play by herself while enjoying things others her age would not understand. Pearl prefers to pester her mother about her father, about Dimmesdale, and the origin of the letter on her chest, whereas most children her age would enjoy playing with dolls or a sport outside. For example, when Pearl and Hester see Dimmesdale on the scaffold, Dimmesdale apologizes for not standing with them, then joins hands with Hester, and shockingly, he “felt the child’s hand, and [she] took it,...form[ing] an electric chain” (105). In Pearl’s acceptance of Dimmesdale’s hand, she subconsciously reveals that she knows her father’s identity, which the whole community struggled to find out for many years. This event demonstrates her native intelligence and wisdom beyond her years. Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne mentions Pearl in many different ways, whether it be mischievous and frightening to those around her, or an image of perfection, wisdom, and beauty. Using euphonious diction and serene imagery to enhance Pearl’s character, he creates a loving disposition toward her, and frequently comments on her remarkable beauty. Even if beauty stood as Pearl’s defining feature, her wisdom and charisma illustrated by Hawthorne prove Hawthorne’s appreciation toward the spawn of sin who turned into the greatest symbol of love the community had ever known.
Work Cited
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Dover Publications, 1994. Print.
I pledge my honor that I have neither given nor received aid on this test or paper.
stunning appearance of Pearl, with her “native grace [and] faultless beauty,... shining through the gorgeous robes which might have extinguished a paler loveliness” led the people around her to believe that she maintained demon-like qualities, as if “an evil spirit possessed [her], fiend-like, smiling with malice,” because how should a product of such a sin attain such a flawless appearance (Hawthorne 62, 66-67)? As Hawthorne illustrates the perfection of the young girl, he also indicates the frightening tendencies of her imp-like nature while employing euphemistic diction. The language Hawthorne uses retains a calm, flowing nature, whether he refers to her “wild-flower prettiness” when he discusses her serenity and placidity, or “the small black mirror of [her] eye,” describing the darkness hidden within Pearl’s vast knowledge which surpasses her age (66). While expressing either aspect of Pearl’s attributes, Hawthorne applies smooth and euphonious diction to complement it and depict his fondness toward the child. Hawthorne uses illustrations of peaceful, serene imagery to demonstrate Pearl’s poised, intelligent, and mature outlook for someone so young as herself. When she goes to the river with Dimmesdale and her mother, she traipses along just in front, with the face of “a young child that was spending its infancy without playfulness, and knew not how to be merry among sad acquaintance” (128). In this reference, Hawthorne implies that Pearl prefers to refrain from childlike activities, and play by herself while enjoying things others her age would not understand. Pearl prefers to pester her mother about her father, about Dimmesdale, and the origin of the letter on her chest, whereas most children her age would enjoy playing with dolls or a sport outside. For example, when Pearl and Hester see Dimmesdale on the scaffold, Dimmesdale apologizes for not standing with them, then joins hands with Hester, and shockingly, he “felt the child’s hand, and [she] took it,...form[ing] an electric chain” (105). In Pearl’s acceptance of Dimmesdale’s hand, she subconsciously reveals that she knows her father’s identity, which the whole community struggled to find out for many years. This event demonstrates her native intelligence and wisdom beyond her years. Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne mentions Pearl in many different ways, whether it be mischievous and frightening to those around her, or an image of perfection, wisdom, and beauty. Using euphonious diction and serene imagery to enhance Pearl’s character, he creates a loving disposition toward her, and frequently comments on her remarkable beauty. Even if beauty stood as Pearl’s defining feature, her wisdom and charisma illustrated by Hawthorne prove Hawthorne’s appreciation toward the spawn of sin who turned into the greatest symbol of love the community had ever known.
Work Cited
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Dover Publications, 1994. Print.
I pledge my honor that I have neither given nor received aid on this test or paper.