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Scarlet Letter Misunderstood Quotes

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Scarlet Letter Misunderstood Quotes
Imagine living in Salem during the 1500’s and being punished for things that are now widely accepted in our generation. The threat of punishment is what Hester and Pearl had to endure throughout the entire story. In my opinion Pearl is the most misunderstood character throughout the book. She is very intelligent but can be troublesome at times. On top of that, she is the product of sin which could only make things harder. I think Pearl is ultimately misunderstood because she is feared by the Puritans and the Puritans children. For example, as Hester and Pearl were leaving Governor Bellingham’s mansion, some of the children recognized Hester as the woman of the scarlet letter and decided to fling mud at them. Pearl then became angry and …show more content…
An imp of evil, emblem and product of sin, she had no right among christianed infants” (97). This is why the townspeople see her as evil and ungodly. Since Hester holds the scarlet letter, the townspeople know Pearl isn’t Chillingworth's daughter which means Hester committed adultery. During this time period, religion was a huge part of everyone's lives so committing sin was seen as blasphemous. What the townspeople didn’t know is that Dimmesdale is Pearl’s father. This wasn't revealed until the end of the book. I also think Pearl is pretty intelligent for only being 7 years old. In conversation with her mother, Pearl stated, “The sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom” (191). I feel like this is Pearl realizing the scarlet letter had a negative impact on how others viewed her mother. I remember Pearl questioning her mother on the scarlet letter earlier in the book and her mother becoming frustrated with her persistent curiosity. This is why I find it interesting that Pearl had such an infatuation with the scarlet letter at only 7 years old. Overall, I think Pearl had the most interesting story and background in The Scarlet Letter. Her journey definitely showed the most growth. Even though the townspeople had such negative opinions about Pearl, I don't think Pearl ever really cared. I think she just brushed off most of the negative opinions

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