The Symbolism Of Pearl In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Scarlet Letter is a classic piece of American literature. The story was written by the author Nathaniel Hawthorne. The story focuses around a mother and her daughter. The name of the woman is Hester Prynne and her daughter’s name is Pearl. The story takes place during the 17th century in a puritan colony. Hester was married woman, that cheated on her husband. Afterwards, the people in this community discover Hester’s act of infidelity. The people in this community punish her for committing a crime against god, and her husband. the people in this community even make Hester wear the letter “A” on her clothing. This “A” is the symbol of the crime that she committed. Another outcome of this act of infidelity is pearl. Pearl is the bastard child
Is one of the worst ways to be punished for a sin. The reason why is because that “A” makes you an outsider. People look down on you and want to avoid you. They no longer see you as one of them, they see you as a sinner. This view of the woman that must wear this symbol of infidelity on her chest. Causes the alienation or isolation that makes this punishment almost unbearable. Hester must go through this because she cheated on her husband. Hester was force to live on her own with her daughter. She could remarry or live a normal life ever again. Since she was labeled as a sinner and an outcast. The only things that keep her company most of the time is the “A” and Pearl. The letter that she wears on her chest that symbolizes her unholy actions. Pearl on the other hand is the living constant reminder of Hester’s crimes against God. However, Hester was able bear the weight of her punishment. She created the “A” in a way that made the symbol of infidelity
But the point which drew all eyes, and, as it were, transfigured the weather, so that both men and women, who had been familiarly acquainted with Hester Prynne, were now impressed as if they beheld her for the first time, was that SCARLET LETTER, so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom” (Hawthorne, 2005, p.40-41). Secondly, there is the way that Pearl suffers from isolation. Pearl is more of a victim of her mother’s actions with Dimmesdale. Pearl is viewed as a living representation of Hester’s sin. There are moments in the story that depicted Pearl as a demon child. A creature that was created from an unholy union. A union between an unfaithful wife and some mysterious stranger. Pearl suffers from isolation by being denied a normal childhood. Pearl was not giving a chance the grow up around other children because of the actions of her mother. They were both viewed as social outcasts (Miller, n.d.). However, the isolation that Pearl and Hester experience in their lives. Does have a surprising outcome that most did not