The Scarlet Letter is a book with one main symbol. The most complex and misunderstood symbol in the book is Pearl, the daughter of Hester Prynne. Pearl is a real and constant reminder of Hester's sins, she proves as much more evidence than the "A" that Hester wore, for she is a real living breathing person who will always remain a part Hester. Pearl in the novel is a character that is agonizing to her mother and others, but she is the one who questions the behavior and relationship between Hester and Dimmesdale.
Pearl's behavior towards her mother varied at different times. She would often constantly nag her mother and became obsessed with the scarlet "A" that her mother wore. She is anything but a normal Puritan child, and her character is created very interestingly. Pearl was very aware of this "A" even if she did not understand the meaning of it at her young age. She did have a thought of what this letter meant, and would also make her own to wear. This shows that Pearl is constantly curious, and her knowing that the letter her mother must wear restricts her from being able to show her feelings unlike Pearl because she has no sin to show for right now. .
Although Hester had so much trouble with Pearl, she still felt that Pearl was her treasure. Being disconnected from society and without Dimmesdale to confess his part in the sin, Pearl was really the only thing that Hester had in life. Hester cherished Pearl's existence, though she was born out of what Puritans considered a sin. Pearl symbolizes a person that Hester can .
Shiveley, J 2.
hold on to and call her own, when it seems as though she has nothing left in the world.
Pearl is a large part of Dimmesdale's wanting to finally confess his sins as Hester did. He cannot take his emotions bottled up any longer, and being able to love his daughter, and have her know him is something he longs for. Pearl symbolizes Dimmesdale's part in the adultery just as much as she symbolizes Hester's.
Character Analysis : Dimmesdale Dimmesdale is one of the most intriguing characters in The Scarlet Letter. ... Dimmesdale proves that he is a cowardice individual many times in The Scarlet Letter. ... Throughout the book, Dimmesdale was an extreme coward. ... Also, in the book, it states that Dimmesdale "showed nervous sensibility and a vast power of self restrain". ...
Character Analysis : Dimmesdale Dimmesdale is one of the most intriguing characters in The Scarlet Letter. ... Dimmesdale proves that he is a cowardice individual many times in The Scarlet Letter. ... Throughout the book, Dimmesdale was an extreme coward. ... Also, in the book, it states that Dimmesdale "showed nervous sensibility and a vast power of self restrain". ...
An Analysis of the Market Place and the Forest Wilderness of Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter ABSTRACT An Analysis of the Market Place and the Forest Wilderness of Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter This research paper concentrates on the meanings of the two settings of the marketplace and the forest wilderness of Nathaniel Hawthorne's the Scarlet Letter. ... Outline An Analysis of the Marketplace and the Forest Wilderness of Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter I. ... The brief introduction of Hawthorne's the Scarlet Letter. 3. ... Restatement of the ...
Such is the case with the youthful Pearl from the novel The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorn. ... " "Nay, Mother, I have told all I know," said Pearl more seriously than she was wont to speak-But in good earnest now, Mother dear, what does this scarlet letter mean? ... In fact, Pearl is not the demon many consider her to be; instead she is intelligent and sensitive towards her surroundings and can thus understand much about the scarlet letter her mother wears. ... Using Pearl's characteristics of curiosity and sensitivity, one can make assumptions about whether or not Pearl und...
In Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Man, His Tales and Romances, published by the Continuum in 1989, Edward Wagenknecht gives the following analysis of The Scarlet Letter: "Because Hawthorne did not believe that law can deal with sin as distinct from crime, he makes a whole paragraph of the sentence: "The scarlet letter had not done its office." ... She goes on to say that if her sentence to wear the scarlet letter was over, the letter would disappear naturally. ... This is also a view of Wagenknecht that is proven in the book. ... Dimmesdale says, "Happy are you, Hester, that wear the scarlet l...
Evil Within The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays the contrast of good and evil through the Reverend Dimmesdale and through his physician, Roger Chillingworth. ... He lived only for revenge on Dimmesdale, and "this unhappy person had effected such a transformation by devoting himself, for seven years, to the constant analysis of a heart full of torture, and deriving his enjoyment thence, and adding fuel to those fiery tortures which he analyzed and gloated over" (p. 166). ... Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth represented two completely opposite poles in The Scarlet Le...
The Scarlet Letter is about a Puritan woman in Boston, Massachusettes, named Hester Prynne who commits adultry and is sentenced to wear a scarlet A on her breast. ... The letter "A" that was sown onto the bosom of Hester had become a symbol of sin and was intimately associated with her. ... In chapter thirteen (13) Nathaniel Hawthorne refers to the scarlet 'A' as Able, because Hester has become very strong and open about her sin. She also starts wearing her hair in a hat and wears dull clothing, as opposed to her natural beuaty at the beginning of ...
A Burden Will be Lifted The Scarlet Letter is portrayed with profound symbolism and revolves around the idea that hidden guilt causes more suffering than open guilt. ... From careful analysis of the first two scenes, one can predict what will be the approximate outcome of the third. It's apparent that the first scaffold happening was early on in the book, one of the very first scenes. ...
In "The Scarlet Letter," the sin of adultery has had an enormous effect on two main characters in the book, Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmsdale. ... The scarlet was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. ... It was the scarlet letter in another form; the scarlet letter endowed with life. ... Instead of her scarlet letter standing for "adultery," it starts to stand for "able." ... The writing of Hawthorne is marked by subtle imagination, curious power of analysis, and exquisite purity of diction (Themes). ...
