Scarlet Letter : Importance Of Pearl :: essays research papers

In the book The crimson Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a character is brought to life with a patchowrk of personality and her existance is whiz of amazing symbolism. Hawthorne introduces young Pearl Prynne. She is a bastard child who not only puts her unholy mother, Hester Prynne through much torment, but puts through funny farm the undercover man who fathered her.          Pearl affects Hester deeply in numerous instances passim the story. Hester head start decides to dress her daughter every in scarlet, the color of the scurrilous letter on her chest. During their adventures into the woods Pearl plays a game where she throws excellent flower spears at the A on her mothers chest and when each stalk hits its intention Pearl dances around gleefully, as if laughing at the fact of Hesters sin. Later, by the shore Pearl dons on herself an A made of seaweed and parades around infront of her mother joyful and pretending to be like Hester "Pearl took some eelgrass, and imitated , as dress hat she could, on her let bosom, the decoration, with which was so farmiliar on her mothers."(Hawthrone pg171)          Her father, Rev. Arthur Dimmsdale, whose identity is kept secret for most of the story, is tortured by the "elf-child" in many ways, but unconnected Hester, he has the priveleage of not living with her. When Arthur sees Pearl in the Governers hall for the first time truly, his heart is in pain. The conciousness of his sin starts to weigh down upon him. Dimmsdale macrocosm a clergymen, is constantly begging for forgiveness in the privacy of his own home, trying to rid himself of the sin, and clean his hands of Peal Prynne, the devil do child of Hester. Later in the book, Arthur is found, half mad, on the scaffold, where Hester stood just 7 years before. There Pearl sets in her hooks, asking questions that send Dimmsdale unfirm"Wilt thou Stand here with Mother and I, tomorrow midday?"inquiered Pearl."(Hawthorne148)     Pearl Prynne is a unique character, and as an authour, Hawthorne gives her many different hiddden symbols, all of which she was able to express with her fairy like childhood. "Pearl has for every lector some unreality too.