Pearl Symbolism In Scarlet Letter

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In the real world, pearls are given as gifts of affection to one’s significant other. They represent the polished and pure love between two individuals. However, in The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a little girl named Pearl is used to symbolize the consequences that result from odious actions. When the book first starts, Hester sees Pearl as an unusual child, but still loves her. However, as Hawthorne continues to write he makes Pearl a nuisance to Hester.
When the book starts off, Hester is standing on the scaffold in front of hundreds of people proud of her newly obtained scarlet letter. This is only a temporary spike of pride as she soon realizes what is happening. In her hands she is holding little Pearl, whom she gave birth to after she committed adultery. She looks …show more content…
Pearl began to notice that Dimmesdale covered his heart a numerous amount of times. She then made the connection that Hester’s letter was in the same place that Dimmesdale’s hand covered. Pearl then crafts her own letter “A” out of eel glass. She told Hester that she wanted to be more like her and made the “A” to place on her chest. She meant for this to be a cute gift to show Hester that she loved her, but this caused Hester to remember the embarrassment and ignominy that came with her own letter. So Hester replied to Pearl, “Dost thou know child, wherefore thy mother wears this letter?” (Hawthorne 122). Pearl replied to her mother saying she wore the letter for the same reason that Dimmesdale covered his heart. This shocking remark was not the end of Pearl’s tiny terror. Later in the book, Hester throws her letter of her chest and lets her hair down. As Pearl stands across the brook, she refuses to speak of come to her mother until she puts the letter back on. Just as Hester saw the light in the darkness it became evanescent due to her own personal demon reminding her of her
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