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How Does Hester Prynne's Transformation

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The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is about the transformation of Puritan woman known as Hester Prynne who changed from being labeled as an adulterer to somewhat of a living legend. Roger Chillingworth, Hester’s original husband was supposed to follow her in the new world, he only shows up gesturing to his wife during public shaming. She wore a scarlet letter as a result of a secret affair with Dimmesdale; this relationship made the public distrust her after they found out she was pregnant. Pearl and Arthur Dimmesdale are the only people Hester associates with because they share common traits and are a bit weird in their ways. Her daughter starts out as a symbol, and it is not until she is kissed by Dimmesdale at the scaffold, that …show more content…

The reader knows very little about the past, and it is never fully understood why she married Chillingworth. Mrs. Prynne was a strong-willed woman; the lady has memories about her loving parents who had to restrain her for uncareful behavior constantly. Having a secret affair suggests that Hester had a passionate nature towards the men she liked. Pearl, on the other hand, is too young to comprehend what goes on around at the start of The Scarlet Letter. All of the townspeople portray her as a demonic child because she behaves like one and stays around a sinner. Pearl reminds Hester of her sin and wants her to keep the scarlet letter because that is the only identity the children are familiar. Continually questioning adults give Pearl a sense of power over the grownup world because she annoys them and seems to be by finding out secret details not meant to be revealed. A scarlet letter is an object which sparks a great intrigue, and Pearl always questions its …show more content…

She took the scarlet letter, a shameful symbol, and turned it into a symbol of distinction. In Chapter 17, Hester says that the mark on her bosom has made her a better person ¨ that badge hath taught me…, lessons whereof my child may be wiser and better…” Not only does Hester persevere through a sad situation and brightens it, but she also is very good with a needle. Needlework helps her get noticed by society and provide a means for the mother and daughter to live comfortably. Hester gets rid of the pain by assisting others, embodies the true Christian woman, when anger and resentment could have taken her over. By the end of the novel, Hester Prynne emerges as a lady who was grown past problems and will be ready for new one the world throws towards her. Pearl is not regarded as a symbol after Dimmesdale kisses her on the scaffold. She only cared about the people close to her and didn’t attempt to better the community because she has a grudge against them for all the hurting they caused her. Throughout her short little life, the girl was never an innocent little child, only considered a reminder of a bad relationship. This image changes, when Dimmesdale pays attention to his daughter “ A spell, was broken...¨ (Ch.23). Pearl is an ordinary person after this event because the curse disappeared. The girl stops torturing her mother and develops new feelings of compassion and a sense of belonging. With a new identity,

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570 Words | 3 Pages

Much to the surprise of the townspeople, Pearl has become a comfort and vindication for Hester. Pearl has found fascination in the letter making it less of a penalty for Hester. She hasn’t been able to be understood by the townspeople because she is seen as a creature of heaven and therefore not understood by those who have impure motives. But Hester also sees Pearl as a burden of her past because without the pregnancy of Pearl her affair would never have been discovered and she would’ve remained as a part of the town instead of an outcast. She gave Hester a lot of grief because she had such an uncontrollable attitude, she was strong willed and crated many annoyances for her

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1464 Words | 6 Pages

Pearl is a constant reminder of their sin, in which Hester holds onto public guilt, and Dimmesdale onto private guilt. Both Hester and Dimmesdale are destroyed by their guilty consciences, but Hester can redeem herself in the town. Dimmesdale continues to be brought down by sin. In the novel

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849 Words | 4 Pages

One of the most multifaceted, elaborate, and symbolic characters in The Scarlet Letter is Pearl, the daughter of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale. Although she is fairly young during the majority of this novel, she possesses the unique ability to provoke the adult characters in the book. She asks them pointed questions and draws their attention to the repudiated or disregarded truths of the adult world. This typically would be unusual behavior for a child her age, but she continually acts abnormal throughout the majority of The Scarlet Letter. Her symbolism catches the attention of the reader and characters as well.

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1051 Words | 5 Pages

“In a moment, however, wisely judging that one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another…” (p 45). One of the most significant scenes is in Chapter nineteen, when Hester lets down her hair and removes the scarlet letter, causing Pearl to “burst into a fit of passion” (p 180) Pearl was so upset that Hester removed her scarlet letter, because she felt as if she removed a part of herself. Pearl knows what the scarlet letter means, and that it is somehow associated with her. No matter how much Hester wants to cover up her sin, Pearl prevents her

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502 Words | 3 Pages

While reading The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, it is obvious that he uses a lot of symbolism throughout his writing to give the readers a deeper understanding of the Puritans and their views in these times. In this book, the community forces Hester Prynne to wear a scarlet letter on her chest to show her abashment for committing adultery and having a child, Pearl. However, Pearl is actually used as a symbol throughout this book to represent the physical embodiment of Hester’s sin, the repercussions of her breaking the law, and an unworldly being in the usual strict Puritan society. In the beginning of the book, Hawthorne uses Pearl as a way to constantly remind Hester of her sin and as a link between the secret relationship of Hester

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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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1294 Words | 6 Pages

Hester dislikes the fact that the “scarlet letter” may be perceived as a sign of weakness, and instead learns to be empowered by the “A”. Ultimately, Hester actively made a positive impact on the community and proceeds to raise pearl, her child, without any assistance from Roger or Arthur Dimmesdale. Hester exemplifies her independence through her ability to maintain financial stability while raising her daughter and working. Hester eventually morphs the public's view of the scarlet letter into something positive. The narrator says, “many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification.

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496 Words | 2 Pages

In the story, The Scarlet Letter, Pearl is a symbolism for numerous different contents. Pearl was a child of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale. In the story, Pearl was known to be a mistake, but also a blessing to her mother. Pearl is a young but odd. In the story, Pearl made her own letter out of eelgrass.

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562 Words | 3 Pages

Pearl is the living embodiment of of the scarlet letter. Pearl constantly reminds Hester of her sins, without meaning to. Whenever she asks questions about Dimmesdale or about the scarlet letter, Hester is reminded of the things she did wrong. Pearl is very smart child, and she likes to ask questions and learn about things. If she sees something that confuses her, she will ask her mother about it.

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712 Words | 3 Pages

Looking at the situation from a different perspective, it seems that Hester has two scarlet letters to burden her for the rest of her life. The beautifully embroidered one that will forever be placed on the chest of her clothing, and the physical living letter that embodies her daughter Pearl. Even though Pearl Prynne is a secondary character in this novel, she still plays an essential role in the plot. As she is the reasoning for the scarlet letter, without her none of this would’ve happened.

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641 Words | 3 Pages

The book, “The Scarlet Letter” written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a thoughtful story about a woman named Hester Prynne, who’s married to Rodger Chillingworth, had been living in the new colonies of America while her husband was still in England. Whilst her husband was nowhere near her, she cheated with none other than the new preacher of the town, Arthur Dimmesdale, and a child, Pearl, was conceived from their secret affair. The town, in response, shunned her, and when Chillingworth surprisingly arrived he soon found out who the father was and sought to destroy Dimmesdale for not coming forward to the public. Although Chillingworth is depicted as a cold-hearted, revengeful, old man, he also exudes characteristics of protectiveness, compassion

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748 Words | 3 Pages

This child is not meant to be a realistic character but rather a symbol of Hester’s sin, blessing and scarlet letter. Pearl is the scarlet letter, a blessing and curse, and the love and passion of a dangerous relationship. More than a child Pearl is a symbol of the love and passion between Hester and the minister. Pearl is a symbol that connect her parents forever even if they couldn’t be together. The narrator says, “God, as a direct consequence of the sin which man thus punished, had given her a lovely child, whose place was on that same dishonoured bosom, to connect her parent forever with the race and descent of mortals, and to be finally a blessed soul in heaven!”(86)

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744 Words | 3 Pages

It is quite obvious in Nathaniel Hawthorne 's The Scarlet Letter that Pearl, Hester Prynne 's daughter, plays a major role. Not only is she one of the main characters, but she is prevalent theme in the novel, as well. Pearl is not written like a regular character. Most of the other symbols in the story, such as the scarlet letter or the rose bush, lead back to Pearl. Pearl takes on many symbols and serves great purpose.

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1142 Words | 5 Pages

The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, was published in 1850. It focuses on the life of the main protagonist, Hester Prynne, living in a Puritan community. Both Yamin Wang and Maria Stromberg offer insight into The Scarlet Letter and analyze multiple aspects of the story.. Both Wang and Stromberg claim that there is an underlying ideology hidden in the texts of the book. Wang approaches the story from a feminist approach and states that Hester represents the feminism in the Puritan community, and she analyzes the Puritan’s outlook on women in their society.

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1544 Words | 7 Pages

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this report, is to illustrate the importance of transferable skills. It is a known fact, that in the evolved and rather demanding society that we live in, now more than ever, skills are of vital importance and special skills, such as the transferable ones, are what make résumés stand out, which in turn is what will lead to the employment of an individual. By the word “skill”, we are referring to an ability, stemming from one 's experience, practice, in other words the ability to use one 's knowledge effectively and readily in execution or performance (Merriam-Webster, 2016). Everybody has skills, whether they were born with a natural charisma or acquired them over the years, those skills are what will

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