Scarlet Letter And Pearl Essays - English-language Films

Scarlet Letter And Pearl One of the most complex and elaborate characters in The Scarlet Letter is Pearl, the misbegotten offspring of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale. Throughout the story Pearl, becomes quite the dynamic little individual, as well as an extremely important symbol- one who is constantly changing. Pearl's involvement in the complex history of her parents inadvertently forced her to be viewed as different and is shunned because of her mother's sin. Pearl is a living scarlet letter to Hester, Dimmesdale and finally the reader, acting as a constant reminder of Hester's, as well as humanity's shortcomings. Hawthorne uses vivid descriptions to characterize Pearl, as he dose to every character thought the story. Pearl is first described as the infant; "...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." . From the beginning of her life Pearl is viewed as the result of a sin, and as a punishment. Physically, Pearl has a "Beauty that became every day more brilliant, and the intelligence that threw its quivering sunshine over the tiny features of this child." Pearl is described as beautiful, with a "Beauty that shone with deep and vivid tints' a bright complexion, eyes possessing intensity both of depth and glow, and hair already of a deep, glossy brown, and which, in after years, would be nearly akin to black." Combined with her lavish beauty Hester dresses her child in copious dresses that are the envy of even the finest dressed adults in the town. The lovely dresses and her beauty cause her to be viewed as even stranger from the other typical Puritan children ,whom are dressed in traditional clothing. As a result, she is accepted only by nature and animals, and ostracized by the other Puritan children. "Pearl was a born outcast of the infantile world... the whole peculiarity, in short, of her position in respect to other children.". Pearl was never accepted by the children even though her inescapable seclusion was due to the sin of her mother. If by chance the children would show interest in Pearl she would "grow positively terrible in her puny wrath, snatching up stones to fling at them..." Because of Pearl's seclusion from society nature seemingly sympathizes with Pearl, which is evident by eerie role of the sunshine in the forest. "The light lingered about the lonely child, as if glad of such a playmate," . The sunshine seams almost grateful for Pearl presence, accepting her as an equal, and illuminating her beauty. Perhaps Hawthorn meant this as a biblical illusion to the light of Gods saving grace, and it's welcoming of even the most sinful person. Hawthorne describes another sign of acceptance as the "Great black forest...became the playmate of the lonely infant." . Suggesting Pearl's close association to evil. Eventually it is stated, "The truth seems to be, however, that the mother-forest, and these wild things which it nourished all recognized wildness in the human child." As a result of Pearl not being accepted by the community she takes on the characteristics of nature because nature accepts her as one of its own. Pearl's character "Lacked reference, and adaptation to the world into which she was born. The child could not be made amenable to rules.". This quote reveals a striking resemblance in description between Pearl and nature. Pearl and nature are referred to as not conforming to Puritan society. For the Puritan's sought to destroy (human) nature, and in the Puritan's eyes Pearl sought to destroy them. This characteristic makes Pearl so different from the rest of society that she is unaffected by the community's harsh reaction to her existence and constant disapproval, and is a product of nature and its ways She is extremely intelligent and always asking questions at the most inauspicious times, such as requesting of her illegitimate father to "..Stand here (in public disgrace) with mother and me, to-morrow at noontide" Her mood swings are also quite peculiar. One moment she is laughing for no apparent reason or at some ill form of malice and the next she is filled with an eerie hush. This anomalous behavior is why she is sometimes referred to by the townspeople as the "elf-child" or "imp." The townspeople even refer to her as a "demon offspring." Hester however sees her as a treasure, a blessing resulting from a bad choice, and thus named her pearl for just as a clam produces a beautiful creation as the result of a terrible incident,