Yin And Yang In Scarlet Letter

In Chinese Philosophy Yin and Yang, also known as Tai Chi, is a representation of two forces in the Universe. Yin is the passive, negative force, while Yang is the active, positive force. When pictured, Yin is black, and Yang is white. The symbol is a visual balance of Yin and Yang. However, in the middle of each, the opposite energy is apparent. This portrays that there is Yin in Yang (bad in the good) and Yang in Yin (good in the bad). Pearl, in Hawthorne's “The Scarlet Letter” is an accurate representation of Yang in more than one way. Pearl symbolizes an electric chain, she is much more than just the result of her parents’ sin, and she is the living “A.”
French dramatist Jean Racine states, “There are no secrets that time does not reveal.” In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, we meet Hester Prynne who is, at the beginning of the novel, battling to keep her child’s father a secret. Eventually we come to find out that the father of her daughter, Pearl, is no other than minister Arthur Dimmesdale. However, if it had not been for Pearl, the reader might suspect that Hester and Arthur would have kept their relationship discreet. Arthur Dimmesdale seeks to hide the truth of his relationship with Hester Prynne, while she refuses to reveal the name of her child’s father to her husband, Chillingworth. As Racine said, secrets will be revealed in time, and eventually Pearl came along and became the one article that

linked Hester Prynne to Arthur Dimmesdale--or the “electric chain.” If it was not for Pearl, Hester and Arthur would have never had to speak of their actions or face the wrong they had done. The reader can suspect that without Pearl, Hester would still be married to Chillingworth, which was not an enjoyable marriage, and more importantly, Hester would have never found her way to Arthur. Although in the end of the story, Arthur goes the way of all flesh, we come to realize that like Romeo and Juliet, Hester and Arthur are star crossed lovers. And in their last moments together, he openly acknowledges his relationship with Hester and declares Pearl to be his child. Dimmesdale might have expired, but Pearl is the embodiment of her parents’ love and passion. At the beginning of the story Hester didn’t want anyone to know of the father of her child but as time went on, something brought them together and that something was their daughter. Pearl was the opposite force bringing her parents together, as fate would have it. Aware she is the outcast of society, Hester embraces her punishment by embroidering her scarlet letter to be prepossessing and by never showing her emotions to anyone. In relation to her inclination, it is no surprise that Hester would have her daughter’s name have some sort of ironically religious connotation. “But she named the infant ‘Pearl’ as being of great price,--purchased with all she had...” (Hawthorne 168) Pearl’s name serves as a reminder to Hester of her wrongdoing. Even as an infant, Pearl is intrigued by the scarlet letter and desires to be in contact with it. Although in the beginning of the book we see Pearl as a constant reminder to Hester of her sin, to Arthur of his own private affair, and to the rest of society and their sins, we perceive that over time, Pearl matures and becomes much more than just a mental note. A now lively seven year old, Pearl is intelligent, independent, observive, and exceedingly wise. The fact that Pearl inquires about the truth and troubles adults fail to notice exhibits her intuition and just how perceptive she is of others and the world around her. When Pearl and Hester meet with Arthur in the woods, Pearl asks out of innocence and curiosity “Doth he love us?” “Will he go back with us, hand in hand, we three together, into the town?" (Hawthorne chp 19) Somehow Pearl discovers that Dimmesdale is her father and she wastes no time in interrogating him. With Pearl being so questionative to both her parents, the reader can clearly suspect that Pearl is of much greater importance than just a love child and anything but a mistake. Pearl is one of the most complex characters in the story, so it is no surprise that Pearl is a challenge to decipher. However the reader interprets Pearl, we can all agree that she is the living “A.” Even Hester believes this to be so! Just as Hester says, she is “the scarlet letter in another form; the scarlet letter endowed with life!” This quote from the novel portrays that Pearl is symbolic. She is a reminder to Hester and to Arthur of the crime they committed, and she is a symbol to society of the sin she was produced from.
The motion of Yin and Yang generates all things in nature so it is no surprise that the concept “Tai Chi” greatly applies to Pearl’s characterization.

Like Yin and Yang, Pearl generates all things around her and is a necessity to this story. Without Pearl, there would be no story. Pearl teaches everyone in the novel and the readers that someone or something can be what brings two people together, good outcomes can arise from irresponsible choices, and finally that in our own way we all symbolize something greater than we consider ourselves to

be.