Tha Scarlet Letter Essay, Research Paper

The Scarlet Letter is a book of much symbolism. One of the most complex and

misunderstood symbols in the book is Pearl, the daughter of Hester Prynne. Pearl,

throughout the story, develops into a dynamic symbol – one that is always changing. In the

following essay, I will explore some of the symbolism which Pearl came to represent

throughout the novel. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester, for her sins, received a scarlet letter,

“A” which she had to wear upon her chest. This was the Puritan way of treating her as a

criminal, for the crime of adultery. The Puritan treatment continued, because as Hester

would walk through the streets, she would be looked down upon as if she were some sort

of demon from Hell, that committed a terrible crime. This would give her much mental

anguish and grief. On the other hand, God’s treatment of Hester for her sin was quite

different than just a physical token: he gave Hester the punishment of a very unique child

which she named Pearl. This punishment handed down from God was a constant mental

and physical reminder to Hester of what she had done wrong, and she could not escape it.

In this aspect, Pearl symbolized God’s way of punishing Hester for adultery. The way

Hester’s life was ruined for so long was the ultimate price that Hester paid for Pearl. With

Pearl, Hester’s life was one almost never filled with joy, but instead a constant nagging.

Pearl would harass her mother over the scarlet “A” which she wore. Pearl would also

make her own “A” to wear, and sometimes she played games with her mother’s, trying to

hit it with rocks. When Hester would go into the town with Pearl, the other children

would make fun of her, and Pearl would yell and throw dirt at them. So, in this case, Pearl

symbolized the decimation of Hester’s life and mental state. Although Hester had so much

trouble with Pearl, she still felt that Pearl was her treasure. Pearl was really the only thing

that Hester had in life, and if Pearl wasn’t in Hester’s life, Hester would almost surely have

committed suicide. Once and a while, Pearl would bring joy to Hester’s life, and that

helped her to keep on living. Pearl really symbolized a rose to her mother, at some times

she could be bright and vibrant, and really love her mother, but 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 with her

association with the scarlet letter. Pearl really was the scarlet letter, because if Pearl had

never been born, Hester would have never been found guilty of adultery, and thus never

would have had to wear that burden upon her chest. Without that burden, Hester would

have led a much better life then the one she had throughout the novel. In closing, Pearl

was a source of many different kinds of symbolism. From being a rose, to representing the

scarlet letter “A”, she was a kind of burden, yet love for Hester. And as a final note, Pearl

was more then her mother’s only treasure; she was her mother’s only source of survival.