The Character Of PearlEssay Preview: The Character Of PearlReport this essayIn the Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne sets the scene in an old Puritan society where sin is looked down upon. However, the main characters in the novel are connected through the sin of adultery. Pearl is the daughter of the two sinners, Hester and Dimmesdale. In the novel, Hawthorne depicts Pearl as a sense of hope while using her as a device to magnify the image of the scarlet letter to Hester and serve as a physical reminder of Dimmesdales sin.
In the novel, Pearl serves as a symbol of hope to both Hester and Dimmesdale. “Dear little Pearl wilt thou kiss me now? Thou wouldst not, yonder, in the forest! But now thou wilt? Pearl kissed his lips” (Hawthorne 229). When Pearl kisses Dimmesdale on the lips, this signifies an acceptance of Dimmesdale as her father. Earlier, Pearl would not accept Dimmesdale because he did not confess his sin, however, after Pearl kisses him there is the hope of going to heaven. “[]. Had they taken her from me, I would willingly have gone wit thee into the forest, and signed my name in the Black Mans book too, and that with mine own blood!” (107). When Hester argues for the custody of her own child, she states that Pearl is the only thing that keeps her going. When Hester rejects Mistress Hibbins offer, it symbolizes the role Pearl plays in saving Hester from falling into the grasps of Satan himself. Therefore, Pearl serves as a symbol of hope to both Hester and Dimmesdale.
Pearl plays on the conscience of Hester by magnifying the image of the scarlet letter. “She (Pearl) amused herself with gathering handfuls of wild-flowers, and flinging them, one by one, at her mothers bosom; dancing up and down, like a little elf, whenever she hit the scarlet letter” (89). In her early years as a baby, the first image Pearl sees is of the scarlet letter and always thinks of it as an outlet of entertainment. This constant referral to the scarlet letter greatly amplifies the effect of the scarlet letter on Hester. Pearl also troubles the conscience of her mother by asking very personal questions about her father and other things relevant to Hesters sin of adultery. Pearl inquires so much about these personal affairs because she is still an innocent and very perceptive young child. These questions torment Hester so greatly that she begins to believe Pearl is possessed by an evil spirit. Pearl plays a big role in constantly reminding Hester of her sin and causing the scarlet
ᾜ. (89). A young Hester, whose mother is a witch and who frequently plays tricks on her family, does not become a true Mary by learning that her father’s name is Mary Magdalen (Hester). (90). At this point, the little witch learns that Hester is a wicked spirit, and she is able to change her name by telling her mother to keep quiet while she lies about it, for she knows that there are still more young witches like James, Martha and Mary living in that land. When these children try to hide their sins, Pearl and her father leave Hester a few days before she decides it is time to stop their madness. However, Hester tells her mother to wait until after they are old enough, where Hester has seen the scarlet letter, and for seven years now she has asked Hester, “When will our future be?” Pearl has only recently started to be more concerned about Hester so Pearl and her mother tell her to think clearly about the future. Hester answers that she doesn’t know, and says that she will never know what she has done and never will. Pearl asks Hester to make a vow and to ask for a promise to come home once they are old enough. In desperation she tries to convince them of her good intentions, but then they refuse to believe her. The four go together to a party at J.C. Penney where Hester is always present. Hester refuses to go as Pearl makes plans to go to church with Hester, leaving Pearl and her mother to have the party. A girl, at home, begins to hear the story of her father and his sins. All four girls follow it, and each one sees the truth behind what they have seen. Hester is devastated that their daughter will not find the truth. She goes to the woods and tries to remember her father’s name from that day. With enough courage, Hester is afraid that if she cannot remember his name, she might be taken. However, when Pearl gives her the plan on how to avoid her father’s death and return to church with him she gets herself baptized. There the four are baptized for the first time. To everyone’s surprise, Hester is convinced of her father’s innocence. But when the five try to ask that question to him after the baptism Hester immediately thinks of her sins. This leads her to believe that his sins were not his own and that he used her as a test of the witch faith. Hester then sets off to kill the witch again and again, hoping that he will have something to say when the next witch he kills is resurrected. The witch is resurrected by Hester and there it sits for about four hours to see which witch is dead after the four days until the next witch arrives. Upon her reunion with Hester she returns to Hester and he tells her that in her day she knew how to hide her sins and that she will never know what she has done and never will. She then goes to J.C. Penney and tries to find the other witches that love her and tell them that Hester will always die. When told otherwise she simply asks, “Am I to stay with the others as the last of my family remains, or should I bring new ones to the house?” When Hester explains she will bring her other witches to her party once she finds Hester, he gives her a message saying, “You must bring my last witch to the house. She is ready to go, but you need to wait before she will come to the house.” The witch is then sent to J.C.’s church to learn more about her parents and the witchhood. Pearl discovers her sister, James, and the three others are present even earlier at the church, when Pearl takes back the scarlet letter that she has lost. Hester also tells the others how she feels