Additionally, Pearl has a very high intelligence level and a very distinctive personality for an infant, making one believe Pearl is an allegorical symbol rather than a real human being. On account of the definition of an allegorical character; in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Pearl’s abstract ideas and personifications emphasize her roll as a symbol throughout the novel, thus making her character more of an allegorical symbol than a real human being.
The product of Hester’s sin and agony, Pearl is a painful constant reminder of her mother’s violation of the Seventh Commandment: Thou shalt not commit adultery. Hester feels that Pearl was given to her not only as a blessing but a punishment worse than death or ignominy. Hawthorne states, “We have as yet hardly spoken of the infant; that little creature, whose innocent life had sprung, by the inscrutable decree of Providence, a lovely and immortal flower, out of the rank luxuriance of a guilty passion” (81).
Hawthorne is using a metaphor to show how Pearl’s birth resulted from her mother’s foul act. Hester lives in fear that Pearl will “detect some dark and wild peculiarity, that could restore to the guiltiness to which she owed her being” (86).
Since Hester believes that the act she committed was sinful, she believes the result of her act will also be sinful; regardless if the result is her daughter. Therefore, Hawthorne uses Pearl as an allegorical character more than a real person. Hester Prynne’s name choice for her daughter is no coincidence.
The Essay on Hester And Hawthorne Scarlet Letter
They both receive jail time and are marked with something that would constantly remind people of what they had done. For Hester it was the eloquent scarlet letter on her bosom; while sex offenders and rapists have to constantly remind the people around them what they had done. Whenever they move to a new place, the people in the community are notified of what that person had done. Both the letter ...
Hawthorne states, “But she named the infant ‘Pearl,’ as being of great price—purchased with all she had—her mother’s only treasure” (81).
This passage alludes to a parable of Jesus found in Mathew 13, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it”(Mathew 13: 44 – 46 New International).
This quote is exemplifying how Hawthorne uses Pearl’s name to convey abstract ideas like consequence and isolation.
Beyond that, the name Pearl usually is representing purity; but in Hester’s case, she believes the opposite. Hence, the ironic usage of Pearl’s name shows how Hawthorne portrays her as more of an allegorical symbol than a real person. Pearl is passionate, she cannot be made to obey rules, and sometimes she seems more spirit than human. Pearl’s more spirit than human characteristics can be witnessed in chapter six on one summer’s day when Pearl throws flowers at the scarlet letter.
Each flower that hits the mark causes a wound that cannot be healed. Hester cries out in agony and asks Pearl what she is doing. Hester believes she possesses’ devil qualities which is re-enforced by the wounds. Hawthorne writes, “The mother’s impassioned state had been the medium through which were transmitted to the unborn infant the rays of its moral life; and, however white and clear originally, they had taken the deep stains of crimson and gold, the fiery lustre, the black shadow, and the untempered light of the intervening substance.
Above all, the warfare of Hester’s spirit, at that epoch, was perpetuated in Pearl”(83).
This quotation is also offering insight towards Pearl’s nature. This is the first time that Pearls’ wildness is linking to the act of sin that helped create her. Pearl’s temper and wildness that reflects her mother is considered a symbol. This symbol lasts throughout the story and also has a double meaning. Because of this, one can infer that Pearl is an allegorical character.
Hawthorne uses many literary devices and figurative language to characterize Pearl, but after analyzing one can infer that she is more definitely an allegorical character. Her representation of her mother’s sin, name and characteristics all lead me to this conclusion. Based on the definition of an allegorical character, in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Pearl’s abstract ideas and personifications emphasize her roll as a symbol throughout the novel; thus making her character have two meanings: a literal meaning and a symbolic meaning.
The Essay on The Scarlet Letter Character Analysis – Hester Prynne
Of all the characters in The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne, the protagonist, is the strongest and most courageous. But, that is not to say that she is unsusceptible to change. Over the course of the novel, Hester remains unchanged in some areas, such as strength and honesty, but her beauty and social status vary greatly. One trait that defines Hester throughout the novel is strength. Strength in ...
