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Summary Of Pearl's Seaweed Costume

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I have researched and studied the novel, “Scarlet Letter,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne for approximately two months and wrote several short essays analyzing the many conflicts about Puritan beliefs on the sin of adultery. My poem and poster,”Pearl’s Seaweed Costume,” by William Yu, is inspired by “Scarlet Letter,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and is based on the scene from chapter fifteen, where Hester asserts that “I hate the man!” The man that Hester hates is Chillingworth because Chillingworth has caused Hester’s lover, Dimmesdale, great pain. Then Hester proceeds to call for Pearl, and sees, “Her[Pearl’s] final employment was to gather seaweed, of various kinds, and make herself a scarf... thus assume the aspect of a little mermaid.” Moreover, “She[Pearl] inherited her mother’s gift for devising drapery and costume,” which shows that this scene is significant because it is ironic in that even though Pearl is supposed to love her mother, Hester, Pearl innocently, and cruelly mocks Hester’s scarlet letter. Moreover, Pearl’s …show more content…

Moreover, the I chose the two images of Hester and Chillingworth on the left side of the poster because I wanted to compare that even though Hester has committed adultery, Chillingworth’s thirst for revenge is a greater sin. In addition, I also added an image of the cover of the book, “Joy Luck Club” by Amy Tan, and an image of the characters, Waverly Jong hugging her mother, Lindo Jong in order represent, Pearl’s relationship to Hester. I also sandwiched my poem in the middle column because I wanted my poem to be the main idea and the images to be a visualization of my idea. Moreover, the empty beach conveys a sense of why Hester is suddenly open when talking to Chillingworth. Lastly, the background of the poster is symbolic of the beach because that is where the scene takes

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The townspeople often despised Pearl, due to her being a representation of her mother's sin. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne describes Pearl as being a real life image as adultery. Hester is constantly reminded of her sin, just by seeing and raising Pearl everyday. Though Hester is reminded about her sin, she takes on the task of being a mother of Pearl. Hester loved Pearl, even though she had to go through a lot to keep her.

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By analyzing Hawthorne’s use of the juxtaposition of Pearl’s mannerisms and the symbolism of the weeds, it is evident that he conveys a disapproval of the rigidity of the Puritans, which establishes his blatant romanticism as an author. Preceding the following passage, Hester Prynne, an adulteress, is given a punishment by the inflexible Puritans of public shame in the form of a red A, which is then represented in the product of that sin, her daughter, Pearl. Hawthorne, after using the symbolism of the rigid, solemn trees and Pearl’s disdain for them, goes on to compare the weeds to Pearl; “...the ugliest weeds of the garden were [the Puritan] children, whom Pearl smote down and uprooted unmercifully” (Hawthorne 98). Pearl exemplifies wildness

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Throughout the passage from The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses Hester’s baby, Pearl, to illuminate the theme of beauty in a dark place. Once released from prison, Hester, an adulterer, becomes a public spectacle. Through this hard time, Hester has her daughter Pearl to soothe her and to bring her strength and hope for a better future. By using vivid imagery and juxtaposition, Hawthorne depicts Pearl as Hester’s happiness, light, and beauty during a sad and lonely time. While in Prison, Hester is all alone and depressed.

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Though Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter two hundred years after the Puritan era, an insight into their community is still seen. Though some characters embody the Puritan era, others are the opposite. Pearl’s strong bond with nature connects her to Romanticism and individualistic spirit disconnects her from Puritanism, and Hester, like her daughter, does not reflect the Puritan era through her indulgence in clothing and emotional characteristics. Pearl’s bond with nature connects her to Romanticism. Pearl’s connection with nature is demonstrated when she is described to be as wild as a bird (Hawthorne 139).

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The oxymoron of death and celebration often occurred in Puritan societies as Puritans viewed public punishment and executions as joyful entertainment. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne examines the concept of guilt and how it negatively affects the human soul. As he reveals a dark and gloomy Puritan society, Hawthorne introduces Hester Prynne, mother of young Pearl, who has recently committed adultery and is being publicly shamed for her punishment. Betwixt and hidden beneath this conflict, is Arthur Dimmesdale, Hester’s partner in crime, who struggles with the guilt of his sin. As the town begins to forgive Hester Prynne, Dimmesdale’s distraught soul causes his physical and mental health to decline.

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In the dance of love and conflict, few bonds are as intricate as that between a mother and daughter. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter," the complex relationship between Hester Prynne and her daughter Pearl serves as a thematic exploration of the intertwining forces of sin, redemption, societal judgment, and the complexities of familial bonds amidst a backdrop of Puritanical values. Nathaniel Hawthorne employs biblical allusions, syntax, and colloquial speech to intricately explore the multifaceted relationship between mother and daughter, revealing layers of internal conflict and external influence. Hawthorne's utilization of religious imagery in Pearl's characterization presents an ironic juxtaposition considering the circumstances of her conception. The introduction of the excerpt portrays Pearl's character with an eerie description, suggesting that "an evil spirit possessed the

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In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a young woman named Hester Prynne moves to Boston, Massachusetts while her husband takes care of affairs back home in England. After about two years’ time she partakes in an affair with the town’s reverend, Arthur Dimmesdale, whom remains her unidentified lover. Soon after the affair she becomes pregnant and gives birth to her daughter, Pearl. The town becomes suspicious of the pregnancy, knowing the insemination occurred after she had come to Boston and the Puritan town accuses her of adultery. As punishment she is sentenced to stand on the town scaffold while wearing a scarlet letter “A” on her bosom, which she must now wear for the remainder of her life as a reminder of her sin.

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Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter describes the life of Hester Prynne after she is convicted of adultery, and the ensuing scorn and ostracism she receives from the Puritan society she lives in. If the focus of the novel is Hester’s struggle against a suppressive society, why did Hawthorne include the addition of Hester’s illegitimate daughter, Pearl? The Scarlet Letter is a novel full of symbolism, but none is more significant than Pearl. Throughout the story, Pearl serves as a constant reminder of Hester’s passionate nature, her adulterous act, and Dimmesdale’s inner turmoil.

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Pearl, Hester’s daughter, is eventually tossed into the shame and judgement that is placed upon Hester, and for this reason, they are both outcasts in their society. The town sees that Pearl is a daughter of sin and an outcast, so they they call her names and taunt her publicly. On one of Pearl and Hester’s outings, children from town yell, “Moreover, there is the likeness of the scarlet letter running along by her side! Come, therefore, and let us fling mud at them,” (Hawthorne 91). Yet again, she and her daughter are being publicly ridiculed for a crime that isn’t dispensing any harm to anyone around them.

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The Puritan society openly scorns her for her sin. Hester Prynne, portrayed as a symbol of sin within the puritan society, is an illustration of solidity through her determination, seclusion with the scarlet letter, and hard work ethic. Through all of the mocking and humiliation caused by the colony’s response to Hester’s sin, Hester continues to show strength for Pearl’s sake. “When the young woman--the mother of this child--stood fully revealed before the crowd, it seemed to be her first impulse to clasp the infant closely to her bosom; not so much by an impulse of motherly affection, as

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One day, Hester goes with Pearl to Governor Bellingham's mansion to deliver embroidered gloves that he ordered. Hester is nervous because she has heard rumors that the town leaders think Pearl should be taken from her mother. Hester has a plan to beg for her daughter to stay with her. She dressed Pearl in an elaborate scarlet dress embroidered with gold thread and details, especially for the visit to the Governor’s mansion. On the way to the governor's mansion, two Puritan children see Hester and Pearl and say “Look, there is the woman with the scarlet letter, and a copy of the letter is running along next to her!

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Even though the Puritans may have designated the letter as a representation of sin, Hester’s renewed sense of pride does not want society to define the A for her. Rather Hester wants to define it herself and by doing so she develops responsibility and power over her own actions. Because Hester has the power to change who she is, she also has the power to change what the Scarlet Letter represents. By letting the letter be “embroidered with gold thread” readers are able to see how for Hester sin is not something to be fearful of; furthermore, it allows one to see how Hester has developed into an independent individual who accepts who she is and the situation she is presented with. Hester’s lover unfortunately

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Hawthorne uses Pearl’s affection towards the scarlet letter and her parents in the book to convey how Pearl wants the truth to be in the spotlight of the Puritan society that they were in, as the truth should be according to Hawthorne. In the forest around the brook, after Hester takes off her scarlet letter in front of Dimmesdale and has her youth restored, Hester calls for Pearl to meet Dimmesdale but Pearl stays in place and throws a tantrum while pointing at Hester’s chest, so Hester observes that “Pearl misses something which she has always seen me wear,’” the scarlet letter (Hawthorne 173). Once Hester puts on the scarlet letter again in the forest, Pearl feels familiar with Hester again and runs into Hester’s arms, but “in a mood of tenderness that was not usual with her, she drew down her mother’s head, and kissed her brow and both her cheeks . . . but then — by a kind of necessity that always impelled this child to alloy whatever comfort she might chance to give with a throb of anguish —

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In “The Scarlet Letter” he depicts it as an oppressive 17th – century Puritan society. “The style of Puritanism that Hawthorne presents is drab and gloomy, preoccupied with judgment and punishment, unrelenting and dogmatic,”1 writes Deborah L. Madsen in her book, “American Exceptionalism.” Hester Prynne, the main character accused of adultery, is persecuted by Boston community. Not only adults despise her, but also children who, blinded by the decayed values and norms, humiliate her and her child, Pearl. The character of Hester symbolizes the fight against Puritan enslavement, the need to modernize the prevailing norms that cause nothing but harm to American society.

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In the “Scarlet Letter,” Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays hypocrisy of the Puritan society, where the protagonist Hester Prynne face many consequences of her actions and the how she tries to redeem herself to the society. During the seventeenth puritans believe that it is their mission to punish the ones who do not follow God’s word and it is their job to stop those from sinning. Therefore, the hypercritical puritan society punishes Hester harshly for committing adultery, but in Hester’s mind, she believes that what she did was not a sin but acts of love for her man. Eventually, she redeems herself by turning her crime into an advantage to help those in need, yet the Puritan society still view her as a “naughty bagger.” (Hawthorne 78)

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