The Scarlet Letter Literary Analysis

Thesis: Throughout the story, Pearl is first seen as an image of purity, innocence, and beauty, but as the story progresses, she is described more as elfish, mysterious, and demonic. As a result, it is clear Pearl is a very strange and progressively changes throughout the book.

When Pearl is first born, she is constantly explained as innocent, beautiful, lovely, blessing, and also a treasure to Hester. “...and the beauty that became every day more brilliant, and the intelligence that threw its quivering sunshine over the tiny features of this child! (74). Pearl’s name is also an image of purity, because a pearl is white and that is associated with purity and innocence. Children are often associated with innocence and pureness, but it is also
said that they are easily influenced into sin. “In spite of the innocence of every child, however, there is also an inclination to sin in each one. That is why it is such a terrible thing to lead a child astray. Children are corrupted not only by intentionally misleading them to sin, but by exposing them to anything that violates the atmosphere of innocence around them and deprives them of their childlikeness,” (“The Purity of Childhood.”). It is ironic that Pearl could be described as so innocent, while she is also a product of sin. "In their innocence, very young children know themselves to be light and love. If we will allow them, they can teach us see ourselves the same way. " "Michael Jackson The world of children, unlike the adult world, is a world full of beauty and innocence. A child is truth, honesty and sincerity,” (“The World of Children.”). This could mean if Pearl is as innocent as she is described, maybe her pure qualities could affect Hester in a positive light.
As time progresses, and Pearl grows up, and Hester seems worried about how she is changing.
“Day after day, she looked fearfully into the child’s expanding nature; ever dreading to detect some dark arid wild personality, that should correspond with the guiltiness to which she owed her being,” (74). Because of puritan beliefs, Hester does expect something sinister or strange to happen to Pearl just because, she is a product of sin. Pearl is then explained as a free spirit, imaginative, an outcast, imp or elf, and all in disorder. “The child could not be made amenable to rules. In giving her existence, a great law had not been broken; and the result was a being, whose elements were perhaps beautiful and brilliant, but all in disorder;...” (75). The description of Pearl becomes more worrying as she is compared to a demon. “...Hester could not help questioning, at such moments, whether Pearl was a human child. She seemed rather an airy sprite, which, after playing its fantastic sports for a little while upon the cottage-floor, would flit away with a mocking smile. Whenever that look appeared in her wild, bright, deeply black eyes,...” (76). Many times, Hester notices Pearl’s evil and sinister smile, it is not an uncommon description of a demon-like child, “Latoya Ammons said...all three of her children showed signs of being possessed including 'evil' smiles and unnaturally deep voices,...” (“Police and Medical Staff Document America's Real-Life
Possession).