If you lived in a world where hell was inevitable, society judged you in the harshest ways possible, and your husband had been gone for over 2 years, certain sins wouldn’t seem as bad to you as they do today. Hester committed a sin that completely changed her life, and her daughter Pearl’s life. The book used her misfortunes as examples and messages to the reader. Nathaniel Hawthorne composed a book full of symbols, however the Scarlet letter, Pearl, and the meteor were the most important to develop the major themes! Some of the major themes in the Scarlet Letter include: Morals, Knowledge, Society, Sin, and Acceptance. The Scarlet Letter starts off as a symbol of Hester’s guilt, past, and being an outcast in the harsh Puritan society of Boston. She was given the option to leave her town, but her growing confidence and self-forgiveness/acceptance keep her from leaving. The letter later turns into a symbol of Hester’s power. This letter represents the themes of sin and acceptance; it also shows the ways it changes society. The letter is used as a physical reminder of Hester’s affair with Dimmesdale, along with one of the other symbols in the book, Pearl. …show more content…
Pearl not only represents the sin itself, but the passion and fire that induced it. Pearl acts as a blessing, and a burden to her mother. She gives Hester strength when she is ready to give up. She also provides her mother with company, since they are both outcasts in society. Pearl has an abnormal amount of knowledge and sass for a young child, making her a complex, main character. Pearl’s character uses all of the main