Symbolism is the practice of representing things by symbols. The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a book of much symbolism. Set in 16 th century New England, the book starts with the public punishment of Hester Prynne, a convicted adulterer. One of the most complex and misunderstood symbols in the book is Hester’s illegitimate daughter, Pearl. Throughout the story, she develops into a dynamic symbol – one that is always changing. Pearl represents her mother’s punishment, a rose, and the scarlet letter.
In The Scarlet Letter, the Puritans forced Hester to wear a scarlet letter “A” across for her chest, for the crime of adultery. The punishment continued as Hester was treated as outcast and mocked by the town. “Tomorrow would bring its own trial with it; so would the next day, so would the next,” the narrator explained. On the other hand, God’s treatment of Hester for her sin was quite different than just a physical token: he gave Hester a very unique child which she named Pearl.
The child was a constant mental and physical reminder to Hester of what she had done wrong and how she could not escape it. In this aspect, Pearl symbolized God’s way of punishing Hester for adultery. “She named the infant Pearl as of being of great price-purchased with all her mother had,” the narrator says. Pearl grew to be a very passionate and lively young girl. She becomes a contradicting factor in her mother’s life. To her mother, Pearl symbolized the rosebush outside of the jail, because at some times she could be bright and vibrant.
The Review on Scarlet Letter Book Report
... escorted out from the town's prison with her daughter, Pearl. Hester had a scarlet letter "A" on her bosom. Someone watching from the crowd ... starts to throw a rant and cries. Hester explains to Pearl that she is her mother, finally she calms down. The day ... Hester dies she's buried next to Dimmesdale where they have a scarlet letter "A" on there tombstone. Critique: Personally, I thought the book ...
However at other times, she could be wilting. It was at these times when she was “wilting” that brought Hester the most grief. One final way in which Pearl symbolized something in the novel was her association with the scarlet letter. Hester began to think of the letter and her daughter as both “the object of her affection and the emblem of her guilt and torture.” Hester clothed the child in bright crimson dressed. That, combined with a vivid complexion, gave Pearl the appearance of the scarlet letter.
The townspeople began to notice the similarities, also. While Hester and Pearl walked through town, someone announced, “There is the woman of the scarlet letter; and, of a truth, moreover, there is the likeness of the scarlet letter running along by her side!” In conclusion, Pearl was a source of many different kinds of symbolism. From being a rose, to representing the scarlet letter “A”, she was a burden, yet consolation for Hester. And as a final note, Pearl was more then her mother’s only treasure; she was her mother’s only source of hope.
