Pearl In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

Nathaniel Hawthorne makes it clear Pearl serves more as a symbol than a character in the story of The Scarlet Letter. He shows us that she is like an authentic scarlet letter, and Pearl is designated to be in the book as a reminder to Hester that she sinned, and that no matter what she does, nothing will ever be the same. He exemplifies it in a variety of ways, but the clearest ones to perceive can be seen in the time that the letter and Pearl are introduced to the book, how when one of them is absent, the other is as well, or refuses to be and how people treat Pearl, the same way they treat Hester since she starts to wear the letter.

The main reason people find out about Hester's sin, is the birth of her daughter. The first time she makes a public appearance as a sinner—wearing the scarlet letter—she has both of her punishments with her, and she stops herself from carrying her daughter over the letter, because of the fact that"One token of her shame would poorly serve to hide another" (Chapter II, Pg 37). Both, Pearl and the letter are introduced together in the beginning of the book. "with the scarlet token of infamy on her breast; with the sin-born child infant in her arm;…" (Chapter III. Pg 44) Pearl and the letter have allways come together on her bosom, the

decoration with which she was so familiar…" (Chapter 15. Pg 122), a gesture that clearly shows a sense of unity between them. "The child and the mother were estranged, but through Hester's fault, not Pearl's" (Chapter 19, Pg 142) Hester took her letter off. This event comes as one of the most striking when we speak about the symbolism of both, the letter and Pearl. One without the other won't continue it's path, nor their regular life. Pearl wouldn't go to her Mom until she wore the letter again and Hester thought that "Children will not abide any, the slightest, change in the accustomed aspect of things that are daily before their eyes. Pearl misses something which she has always seen me wear!" (Chapter19. Pg 144), but the way Pearl reacts makes it clear it isn't about that. It becomes about the fact Pearl identifies herself with the letter, they are both one and have the same purpose—remind Hester of her sin—, except Pearl is the living version. She is a remainder, but also an anchor, that holds her mother into the life they're living, because as easy as it might have looked at the moment, Hester cannot begin a new life and pretend to forget what happened and one of the reasons why she can't, is Pearl, not only due to her existence, but because she won't go with her unless she reminds herself of her sin, by wearing the letter.
A demon child and a sinner, where the adjectives used to describe the products of an adulterous act.

Both brought after the embroidery is placed over Hester's bosom. The Mother is referred as a "Naughty baggage" (Chapter 2, Pg 36) by one of the women outside of prison, whereas Pearl is described to be "equally in the dark as to her soul" (Chapter 8, Pg 77) by governor Bellingham. They were both outcasts and judged, but we know that Hester wasn't any of that before. Her image turned into that only after she deserved her letter, which means the letter is now a part of her, and since the letter is symbolized in Pearl, she is treated bad since the beginning. This becomes another example of their

connection.
In conclusion, Pearl is shown as a symbol. Intertwined with the letter not only by us readers, but also by her own mother. She adorns the letter the same way she dresses her daughter—in red and gold—which leads us to think that deep inside Hester knows that connection too, she even says it "Pearl punishes me too! See ye not, she is the scarlet letter…" (Chapter 8. Pg 77). She knows that, and also that she can't get rid of neither of her or the letter. Without the letter, Pearl won't cooperate, and without Pearl, Hester wouldn't be happy because she can't live without her "Ye shall not take her! I will die first!" (Chapter 8. Pg 77). Pearl, the sin, the letter and all that came with it are a part of Hester's life and forever will be, and unfortunately she will forever be reminded of it by her letters, both the living and the embroidered one.