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Hester, Pearl And Dimmesdale's Sinful Conception

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To Live Beyond the Battles of her Sinful Conception Throughout Hester, Pearl, and Dimmesdale’s lives together depicted in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, they are all uniquely victim to the strict moral bindings present in the Massachusetts Bay Colony’s society. Hester and Dimmesdale, through an unlikely union, commit a sin which would prove to upend their lives in ways previously unimaginable. As a result of this gross breach of morals, an illegitimate child is born. Pearl is the physical manifestation of this particular action committed by her parents, however, the further actions and beliefs of her parents undoubtedly contribute to Pearl’s growing up to become a woman in the world. Despite the obstacles her and her family faces …show more content…

Pearl’s ability to demonstrate resilience, not only from the perpetual shame her and her mother face, but in regards to her rejection of the everbearing religious institution in her society, is truly remarkable. To some in the colony, the circumstances in which she was born is enough to consider her a demon child, and she is treated accordingly. While her and Hester are being harassed by a group of towns children during their journey to the Governor's mansion, Pearl decides to act “With a variety of threatening gestures… and put them all to flight” (69). This moment, in addition to substantiating the proposition of Pearl’s resilience to her family shame, demonstrates to the reader that Pearl possesses a considerable self-awareness of the impression her circumstances of birth have on the people of the town. Pearl, even being a little girl, has the ability make a crowd of hasslers disperse with merely a few hostile gestures. Although she is faced with nothing but disadvantages thus far in her life, Pearl possesses the self-awareness of her situation to use the fear and animonisty thrown at her as means of leverage to preserve her well-being. These two examples of consequences stemming from Hester’s sin- the traits of resilience in terms of public disdain as well as the precocious self-awareness- developed within Pearl alongside each other. These attributes continue to be displayed throughout Pearl’s development into a young adult, and contribute to her eventual integration into

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In Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter, Pearl abandons her once wild, untamed nature for a mature and humane lifestyle, because of her father's public confession. Pearl is originally described as a wild, inhumane child with no regards to the laws of both the town and the Puritan society. Pearl often surprised her mother with her elfish behavior: “It was a look so intelligent...but generally accompanied by a wild flow of spirits, that hester could not help questioning, at such moments, whether Pearl was a human child” (Hawthorne 84). At first Pearl can be seen acting out in direct defiance to the law.

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Even thus early had the child saved her from Satan’s snare.” This passage further supports the previous evidence, and it suggests that Pearl will continue to save Hester throughout the text. Although some may say that Hester, because she is not very caring, should not be able to keep Pearl, they are mistaken. Because of her crime, Hester is learning many lessons which she can pass on to Pearl. “ ‘this badge hath taught be,­­it daily teaches me,­­it is teaching me at this moment,­­lessons whereof my child may be the wiser and better…”’

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There are many ways in which Pearl serves as a symbol, whether it’s the way she dresses, or the vehement attitude which seems to reflect the adulterous act in which she was conceived. Functioning as a symbol in multiple ways, Pearl catches the attention of many. One way that the young girl is symbolic is how she constantly serves as a reminder of her mothers passion. Her mother, Hester, realizes this during the first

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941 Words | 4 Pages

Her defiance becomes stronger and will carry her through different hardships. Her determination and lonely stand repeats again when she confronts Governor Bellingham over the issue of Pearl’s guardianship. When Bellingham wants to take Pearl away from Hester, Hester reply’s with, “God gave me the child! I will die first!”(Ch.). When also pressured even more for the child’s care, Hester pleads, “God gave her into my keeping.

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Established in the later parts of the novel Nathaniel Hawthorne exhibits that Pearl is becoming more of an adult and through her experiences she has procured knowledge becoming a more intelligent character. As Pearl converses with her mother she questions if “[Dimmesdale] [will] go back with us, hand in hand, we three together, into the town” (Hawthorne 316). Pearl manages to comprehend that Hester had an affair with Dimmesdale before others in the colony. Pearl is also able to connect simple observations that she has made over time like that of Dimmesdale grasping his heart to that of the scarlet letter on Hester’s bosom.

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Hester and Pearl do not regularly attend church. This takes away from Pearl’s spiritual growth. When Pearl was asked about her Heavenly Father, she said she had none. “He did not send me!’ Cried she, positively.

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Even though he tries to overcome and forget that he committed a sin, subconsciously he is aware; therefore, he is fragile and prone to anything. Dimmesdale tries to distort the reality, and soothes himself. Hester, on the other hand, accepts what she has done and develops individually. She is not devoted to any institution; she tries to find her inner peace. Herein, Pearl’s place is undeniable.

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Hawthorne presents Pearl as very intelligent, determined and curious; she is a mixture of moods, silent with a mix of fierce temper. Pearl is a type of gem, made from an oyster and sand, that forms when an irritant of sand gets into the oyster and creates layers of nacre. Pearl is the result of the constant reminder of Hester’s sin, however she is a treasure, she came out of an irritant Pearl. She brings out the liveliness in Hester, she is always so curious of why Dimmesdale, Hester and her all couldn’t be seen together in the light or the public, she constantly asks her mother if, “‘he [can] go back with us, hand in hand, we three together into town?’”(198). By Hester having the A, Pearl pushes Hester into realizing that the shame shouldn’t be held in; she can have the right to love again, because of Pearl’s fresh liveliness and free spirit, she kept love alive, playing the conscience of Hester.

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Pearl, since the day she was conceived, was thought of as a child of sin because of her mother’s adultery. She found herself being introduced to a cruel world of discrimination from inside a jail. Born in a jail, she found herself in a cruel, discriminating world of the Puritan religion. The harsh Puritan ways punish Hester through banishment from the community and the church, simultaneously punishing Pearl in the process. This isolation leads to an unexpressed detachment and hostility between her and the other children.

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Pearl keeps me here in life! Pearl punishes me too!’ ” There is something riveting and unrelenting in the way a daughter can be a punishment for the guilt-ridden actions of her mother. In both the cases of Sethe and Hester they experience this punishment from their

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Now, let’s move to the analysis of the cheerful character of the novel - Hester’s daughter. Pearl, from the very first pages stands out against the dark Puritan society not only by her bright clothes, but also by her indomitable spirit. But we cannot say that Pearl is a fully independent image.

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Hester perseveres through the years raising Pearl against all odds. People were crude and cold towards Hester but

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I will not give her up!’” (Hawthorne 78). Yamin Wang views her statement as proof that “the femaleness is not the weak, but to the opposite, the strong, who is able to find out methods to rescue themselves” (Wang 896). By living independently of the “mainstream of Puritan life,” Hester and Pearl find that the “outcome of their alienation” is a good one (Houston 238-39). Thus, Wang and Houston agree that Hester’s independence plays a crucial role in her development into a strong, feminist character and role model for Pearl.

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1146 Words | 5 Pages

This effects her every day life going out in public and getting ridiculed by all the towns people she is surrounded by. Hester Prynne doesn’t just have to live with a mistake right on her shirt, but people also help her remember past. She does have her daughter or her “sole treasure.” The young girls name is pearl and she is not exactly like the others. It isn't easy because her and her mother are considered different in the community so she is lonely but very

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Pursuing them, Pearl seemed like a baby pestilence... She screamed and shouted so loud that the children’s hearts must have quaked with fear. Victorious, Pearl returned quietly to her mother and looked up, smiling, into her face.."(87) Even the young kids think that Hester should not be a mother. They all assume that because Hester committed a big sin she is an evil person, but she is not.

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