Pearl

’s Contribution To The Scarlet Letter Essay, Research Paper


Pearl’s Contribution to the Scarlet Letter


In Hawthorne’s epic novel, The Scarlet Letter he discusses Pearl, a


main character, and her contribution in making the novel a romantic one.


Hawthorne uses three types of romantic topics relating to Pearl. Stereotypical


characters, supernaturalness of characters, and the imaginary aspect of


characters are all qualities of romantic language Hawthorne uses to better


develop Pearl’s character. Over the course of the novel Hawthorne uses all of


the aspects of romantic language to unfold the life of Pearl and how she acts


having these qualities.


Pearl’s quality of being a stereotypical character makes her blend into


some situations and not into others. Pearl was portrayed as a stereotypical


“victim of Hester’s sin”, adultery, because as she walks through town with her


mother the other kids shout and curse at her. Pearl takes it in stride and


defends her mother and fends off the evil children. The adults of Boston,


mostly Puritans, talk behind Hester’s back about the child being one of a


sinner. Another common stereotype filled by Pearl is whenever an adult is


occupied with something then the child finds something to do. When Hester


went to the woods to meet with Dimmesdale, Pearl went off to play in the


brook while the two adults talked and then she stopped when her mother


called. A second example is when Pearl accompanied her mother to the


seashore where they met Chillingworth, Pearl wandered off by herself and


occupied her time by playing with seaweed and the various animal life that


happened to be around. Children can also notice small differences in their


surroundings that are normally familiar to them. When Hester and


Dimmesdale where in the woods and decided to flee Boston and travel to


Europe, Hester removed her scarlet letter happily and threw it into the brook.


When she called to Pearl to tell her the news of them leaving Boston, Pearl


went into fits of rage and temper tantrums and would not come to her mother.


This was because she was so used to seeing the scarlet letter on her mother’s


bosom. Pearl’s quality of being stereotypical, compared to all children and


characters in general, is highly unlikely and only adds to the amount of


romanticism in the novel.


The supernatural aspect of Pearl makes her out to be what many of us


would call monsters or beings from fairy-tales. Pearl is considered by the


denizens of Boston to be a “devi

l-child” and not belonging in such a society.


She is also referred to as an “imp” as well as being “elf-like” and that she


would be void of “human joy and sorrow”. Although she may have been


supernatural to the readers of the novel and perchance to the Puritans of


Boston, this all is washed away in the final chapters as she begins to show


warmth and caring. This was the completely different than the image created


at the beginning of the novel. Hawthorne’s awareness to this supernatural


appearance makes this one of the most interesting aspects of romantic


language in novels.


Children are known for the things they do, but it is taken for granted


that all children are like this, but not Pearl because of the imaginary


characteristics that Hawthorne gives her. First of all, at a very young age,


Pearl became interested in the true meaning of her mother’s scarlet letter.


Small children do not usually become interested in complicated topics such as


adultery, and Pearl became more persistent when her mother tried to ignore


her repeated attempts to find the meaning. Pearl also became interested in


finding her real father and took an interest in Dimmesdale. She was assuming


that he was her father, and she kept questioning him on whether or not he


would hold hands with her and then join them on the scaffolding each


afternoon. Most children do not show affection so openly to other people, like


Pearl did. Finally at the end of the novel, when Dimmesdale was dying, Pearl


bent over and placed a kiss upon his forehead, out of the kindness of her heart.


Children may kiss people out in public, but not anyone who had previously


locked their loving feelings inside and who have been referred to as monsters.


These examples of how Pearl was portrayed as being imaginary, give


character to Pearl and make her a well rounded person in the novel as well as


to give meaning to why Hawthorne put her in the novel.


Pearl is the character who makes this novel a romance and Hawthorne ,


who tries and succeeds in using Pearl as a link between Dimmesdale and


Hester, because of her romantic qualities. He wanted her to be different from


all the other children, but still have the qualities of a normal child. I think


Hawthorne wanted her to be a bridge of emotions for Hester, for when Hester


thought that life could no longer go on, Pearl would step in and cheer her up.


Hawthorne’s well developed characters, especially Pearl, made the novel one


that was interesting to read as well as discuss.

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