“We love because he first loved us”(1 John 4:19). God loves and will continue to love no matter the sins committed. Sin is wrong but as long as repentance is asked for, then God will forgive us. Forgiveness is not only demonstrated by God but forgiveness among humans is essential for healthy relationships. Initially, Pearl forgave her mother and learned to love her for who she was no matter the sins she committed. In the book, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne, conveys that Pearl's response to sin is with love, by accepting/adapting and using curiosity in certain situations, even though those reactions were not the most quintessential to the beliefs of the Puritan Society.
In some societies, sin is not taken positively and results in
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Pearl had always been extremely curious about her mother's sin and more importantly about the scarlet letter. All through Pearl's childhood, all she had known was the scarlet letter. She had been infatuated by it ever since she was a baby. Pearl's curiosity about the scarlet letter caused her “inevitable tendency to hover over the enigma of the scarlet letter seemed an innate quality of her being”(123). She would constantly belabor her mother about it asking questions such as “what does the scarlet letter mean mother”(124). The scarlet letter had become such a huge part of her life that it had almost become a part of her. It had consumed her life and was the main thing she thought about constantly. In this case, secretiveness from Hester caused major curiosity from …show more content…
It should be condemned and not praised. Although Pearl did not treat her mother's sin as harshly as the others, she did go about it in the wrong way. Sin is not something that should be accepted, it is wrong no matter the circumstances. Romans 6:23a states, “for the wages of sin is death”. The cost of sin is death, sin is not something that should be accepted or even want to be accepted. God hates sin and does not condone it so why should anyone else. Pearl did the right thing by not condemning her mother like the rest of the town did, but instead, she just loved her. In the Bible, God says “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins”(1 Peter 4:8). No matter how much her mother had sinned, Pearl would have loved her anyway. Sin should never be condoned, but with love, sin can be properly punished and dealt with. All Hester had known was hate, but Pearl showed her love when no one else did and that really helped her to deal with her sin. Pearl was one of the key elements that helped Hester to conquer her sin.
Ultimately, sin is inevitable. Pearl was born into sin and had to learn how to deal with it even though it was not hers to start with, but once again God says to love others despite sin and that is exactly what Pearl did (1 John 4:19). She demonstrated love and great candor toward her mother which eventually helped her with her sin. Pearl dealt with sin in a good and constructive way and in the end, it
Pearl is an example of the innocent result of sin. All the kids make fun of Pearl and they disclude her from everything. She never did anything wrong, but everyone treats her like she committed the sin also. Pearl acts out against the children that make fun of her and acts like a crazy child. She cannot control the sins that her parents committed.
Pearls behavior could be described as abnormal, disrespectful, undignified, or altogether opposite of most Puritan customs. “The child could not be made amenable to rules” (p42); she will not conform to the Puritan view of what a child should be like. Pearl’s enduring disobedience is representative of Hester’s disobedient act. Pearl should be constant reminder of personal sin to everyone that meets her; however, as it would be, she only reminds others of Hester’s sin. Around strangers, and at certain times at home, this poor child becomes merely an “unpremeditated offshoot of a passionate moment." (p52)
Hester's daughter, Pearl, functions primarily as a symbol. She is quite young during most of the events of this novel—when Dimmesdale dies she is only seven years old—and her real importance lies in her ability to provoke the adult characters in the book. She asks them pointed questions and draws their attention, and the reader's, to the denied or overlooked truths of the adult world. In general, children in The Scarlet Letter are portrayed as more perceptive and more honest than adults, and Pearl is the most perceptive of them all.
Pearl is first introduced as the young babe clutched to Hester's chest, as she stands before a crowd of puritans beholding her humiliation. Embarrassed of the glaring letter on her chest, Hester thinks to hold little Pearl in front of her scarlet mark; however, she resolves that “one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another” (P.37). It is here that we see for the first time that Pearl has been reduced to nothing more than a symbol of Hester's sin, synonymous with the scarlet letter. As Pearl grows, so does the obvious nature with which Hawthorne portrays her as the scarlet letter. Throughout the book, we see Pearl dressed in bright clothes,
From the moment she is born in the cold, heartless prison, Pearl is placed under scrutiny. The townspeople see her as a visible reminder of sin, and it isn't long until even her own mother searches for evil in her. The girl is described as "the scarlet letter in another form; the scarlet letter endowed with life!"(Hawthorne 103). With her fascination from an early age with the scarlet letter, Hester believes that Pearl's very reason for existence is to torment her mother. Hester fails to realize that the letter is just something bright and significant to which Pearl reacts; instead, she sees every glance, every word aimed at the letter, every touch of Pearl's tiny fingers to her bosom as an added torture resulting from her adultery. Hester, considering Pearl's very existence, goes so far as to question if the impish child is even her own. "Thou art not my child! Thou art no Pearl of mine!"(Hawthorne 99) she tells Pearl, only half-jokingly. In her own way, she wonders whether Pearl was sent to her by God or by a demon wishing to cause her pain. She is not alone in this speculation; many of the town's citizens believe there is something of the Devil in Pearl.
The Forgiveness Room scenes provide the audience with insight on how being ignorant is blissful to Pearl. Although Pearl was scared of what was happening to her in the Forgiveness Room, she says, “…I feel such relief that I won’t have those feelings anymore,” because Papa S forced her to understand that she was wicked for having feelings for Ellis (pg. 89-93). After Ellis informs her about how Papa S abuses their fear of Mother Nature’s punishments, Pearl is faced with how she thought it would be better if she did not know the truth behind the Forgiveness Room (pg. 282-284). Ellis demonstrated how the Forgiveness Room worked and explained to Pearl, “Nature wasn’t crushing you, it was Papa S...he wants to control you. And if you’re frightened, you’ll do whatever he tells you…” (pg. 284). Pearl is empowered by this knowledge and less naïve because she understands how Papa S used fear to control
The character Pearl in The Scarlet Letter exhibits duality. Pearl is viewed, by many, as a demon who is born into sin. Her mother, Hester, has an affair with a man outside of her marriage and gives birth to Pearl. Pearl is the physical embodiment of Hester’s sin. The narrator describes her as being an outcast in the world. He declares, “An imp of evil, emblem and product of sin, she had no right among christened infants” (Hawthorne 85). The townsfolk believe Pearl does not belong with other children because she is demon born from bitter sin. In the eyes of the Puritan community, Pearl ex...
As evident in The Scarlet Letter, when a person sins they face positive and negative consequences that lead into development of their own personal character. Hester’s scarlet letter gave negative consequences in the beginning, but as Hester persevered she discovered benefits that aided in her becoming a strong woman in society. While Arthur Dimmesdale suffered the guilt and pain of his sin, his sermons benefited from his anguish, making him better than he ever had been. As an ever-constant reminder of sin, Pearl was able to show Hester the goodness in life and keep her going. In conclusion, in modern and past society there has always been sin or badness that people fall into, but it is important to get through these hard times as only then will people grow into who they are meant to be, and not remain stagnant in the pool of the “immaculate”.
Pearl had a great role in the scarlet letter. Her differences from the other Puritan children showed the reader the effect Pearls life had on her personality. Pearl was seen as the Devil’s child or a child from sin. Pearl proved to be quite the opposite, although she wasn't quite a human character but more of a symbol she added a touch of love and beauty to a story filled with hate and pain. Pearl really was the ray of sunshine in this world. Though she came from something seen as a sin she was truly a blessing. She helped her mom through her times of grief and she brought Dimmesdale out of hiding. In the end she was the only pure and true individual. Pearl was an amazing child who gave this story light.
“Pearl kissed his lips. A spell was broken. The great scene of grief, in which the wild infant bore a part, had developed all her sympathies; and as her tears fell upon her father's cheek, they were the pledge that she would grow up amid human joy and sorrow, nor forever do battle with the world, but be a woman in it. Towards her mother, too, Pearl's errand as a messenger of anguish was all fulfilled.” (Hawthorne 281)
Initially Pearl is the symbol of Hesters public punishment for her adultery. As the novel progresses and Pearl matures she symbolizes the deteriation of Hester's like by constantly asking her about the scarlet letter "A". Pearl in a sense wants her mother to live up to her sin and, she achieves this by constantly asking her about the scarlet letter. Another peice of evidence that shows how Pearl symbolizes the sin Hester has committed, is when the town government wants to take Pearl away from her Revrend Dimmsdale convinces the government that Pearl is a living reminder of her sin. This is essentialy true, Hester without Pearl is like having Hester without sin.
She knows she did wrong but shows that she is not ashamed of what she did front of people. “and yet a haughty smile, and a glance that would not be abashed and looked around at her townspeople and neighbors” (37). She did not get any financial support from anyone. She used her ability to make money and raised Pearl by herself.
We are all sinners. Although one may try hard not to sin, all humans eventually succumb at some time or another to sin. While people may not able to avoid the fate which awaits them, the power of free will allows people to decide how they will respond to sin. While some may respond with guilt and regret, others may react with a sense of redemption and a renewed sense of responsibility.
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a book of much symbolism. One of the most complex and misunderstood symbols in the book is Pearl, the illegitimate daughter of Hester Prynne and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Throughout the novel Pearl develops into a dynamic symbol; one that is always changing. In the following essay, I will explore Hawthorne's symbolism of Pearl from birth, age three, and age seven. Also, I will attempt to disprove the notion that Pearl is branded with a metaphorical scarlet letter "A" representing amorality; instead she represents the immorality of her mother's adultery.
The naivete of a child is often the most easily subjected to influence, and Pearl of the Scarlet Letter is no exception. Throughout the writing by Nathaniel Hawthorne, she observes as Dimmesdale and the rest of the Puritan society interact with the scarlet letter that Hester, her mother, wears. Hawthorne tries to use Pearl’s youth to teach the reader that sometimes it’s the most harmless characters that are the most impactful overall. In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, Pearl has learned the greatest lesson from the scarlet letter through her innocence as a youth and her realization of the identity of both herself and her mother.