Pearl: The Living Symbol Of Hester And Arthur's Sin

Though Pearl portrays many unique qualities, she is ultimately just the living symbol of Hester and Arthur’s sin. According to Hester, Pearl is her greatest treasure, she is all Hester has. Though, to the townspeople, Pearl is the product of evil. She was born in sin and will not escape the sin that her parents committed. Hester wears the A in hopes of cleansing herself from sin Eventually, her time will come when the townspeople allow her to remove the A from her gown and not wear it anymore. However, she cannot escape her greatest punishment, her daughter, Pearl. Pearl is the result of her parents’ adultery; therefore, she represents the A. Hawthorne says:

The child could not be made amenable to rules. In giving her existence, a great law

She is the product of a broken Puritan law. She has no place in the Puritan society. McPherson believes that all the meanings that Hawthorne writes about are suitable to the novel. All of the meanings and symbols are combined in Pearl, the living symbol of the A (90). All of the symbols that Hawthorne uses in the novel are found in Pearl. The scarlet letter is Hawthorne’s symbol of the human heart, and its mix of good and evil (McPherson 90). The human heart can persuade a person to commit both good and evil actions. The scarlet A is just a representation of the good and evil that can come from the

The first chapter of The Scarlet Letter introduces a scene describing a rose bush next to a prison door. The same prison is the one that will house Hester Prynne until she is free to leave. Hawthorne personifies the rose bush to represent human frailty (Daniel). In the same way that Pearl is a symbol of Hester’s punishment, the rose bush represents Hester’s kindness in an evil place. Though Hester does not spend a long time in the prison, the townspeople still harshly punish her for committing a harmless sin. The only result of the actions of Hester and Arthur is Pearl, and although she is a disobedient child, she is a child nonetheless. Hester did not do anything to harm another human being. She and Arthur just followed their hearts, but according to Puritan society, they followed their hearts in the incorrect way. Hester has a kind heart, and she is being punished for a terrible mistake, so the rose bush represents the good found in a terrible place. Hawthorne writes that the rose bush may “symbolize some sweet moral blossom, that may be found along the track, or relieve the darkening close of a tale of human frailty and sorrow” (10). The kindness found in Hester may be the “sweet moral blossom” (Hawthorne 10). In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne writes that Hester’s nature is “warm and rich.” People found helpfulness