The Scarlet Letter Essay

Mager 1
Sam Mager
Ms. Bouch
Honors English
1/8/18
The Scarlet Letter Essay
Of all the symbolism apparent throughout The Scarlet Letter, Pearl may be the most
symbolic character in the entire book. Even her name is symbolic. She serves as a symbol for
several different parts of the story. Pearl is a symbol of sacrifice because her parents both made
sacrifices in order for her to be born. She also is a symbol of awareness for both of her parents
and for the audience, as she has the ability of seeing the truth in people.
Pearl is a symbol of awareness for her parents, who are not always able to understand the
signs shown to them. First, she constantly reminds Hester of the scarlet letter, and in turn, her sin
as well. For example, when Pearl was a baby, she never took her eyes off of her mother’s scarlet
letter. Hester recalls, about Pearl, that the “first thing which she had noticed, in her life was—
what?—not the mother’s smile,…but that first object of which Pearl was to become aware was—
shall we say it?—the scarlet letter on Hester’s bosom! One day,… putting up her little hand, she
grasped at it,…gasping for breath, did Hester Prynne clutch the fatal token, instinctively
endeavouring to tear it away; so infinite was the torture inflicted by the intelligent touch of
Pearl’s baby hand (Hawthorne 66). Not only does Pearl serve as a reminder of Hester’s sin
through her own existence, but she also constantly reminds her mothers of her sin by being so
attached to the scarlet letter. Pearl and the scarlet letter are both connected to Hester’s sin, and
that is why Pearl is so drawn to the letter. This worries Hester, who believes that since Pearl was
conceived out of sin, that she may be evil. As long as Pearl lives, Hester will always carry the
weight of her sin. Next, Pearl is able to recognize the evil qualities in Chillingworth and she tries
to warn her parents about him. Pearl often refers to Chillingworth as the “Black Man.” In one
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specific scene, she warns her mother, saying, “"Come away, mother! Come away, or yonder old
Black Man will catch you! He has got hold of the minister already. Come away, mother, or he
will catch you! But he cannot catch little Pearl!" (92). Lastly, Pearl is a reminder to Dimmesdale
that he must confess his sin. Because her father refuses to stand, publicly, with her and Hester,
Pearl refuses to recognize Dimmesdale as her father. When Pearl is asked by Hester to come
across the brook, to greet her father, she responds, “‘Doth he love us?’ said Pearl, looking up
with acute intelligence into her mother’s face. ‘Will he go back with us hand in hand, we three
together, into the town?’” (145). Dimmesdale will not walk into town with Hester and Pearl
because he does not want anyone to find out of his sin. This causes Pearl to question whether he
really loves them and if he is ashamed of them. Pearl will not show any love to her father until he
does what is right, which is to confess his sin to the public. If he does not confess his sin soon,
his guilt is going to kill him.
Pearl also serves as a symbol of reward through sacrifice. Both of her parents made great
sacrifices in order for Pearl to be born, being as she was conceived out of a sinful act. Since
adultery is a crime in Puritan society, Hester is punished for her actions. First, she is sent to
prison for a year. During her sentence is when Pearl was born. Next, Hester is forced to wear the
scarlet “A” on her chest for the rest or her life. Lastly, Hester is publicly shamed by being forced
to stand on the scaffold in the middle of the town, so that everyone can gawk at her for her sin. In
order for Hester to have her beloved child, with the man she loves, she made several sacrifices.
For the remainder of Hester’s life, she has to live in shame for the sin she has committed. The
townspeople stare as she walks through town, and children throw objects at her and Pearl. Even
though Hester has become a successful seamstress, no one will allow her to create any wedding
gowns, as they view her as evil and do not want to taint their marriage. Hester’s sin followed her
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for the rest of her life, not only because of her letter, but because of Pearl. The last sacrifice is
made by Dimmesdale, Pearl’s father. Because of the sin he committed in order to create Pearl, he
has to live with the guilt of his sin for the rest of his life. He tortures himself with the guilt that
has been built up inside of him, both physically and mentally. He wants to confess his sin so
badly, but he just cannot bring himself to do it. Dimmesdale had to make the biggest sacrifice of
all in order for Pearl to be born.
Pearl is included as a symbol for a few reasons. First, she shows the audience that the sin
committed by Hester and Dimmesdale is not all that bad. While they did both commit adultery,
which was considered to be a very great sin in Puritan society, they created life, which is a
positive aspect. This helps the reader understand that analyzing the situation can bring out a truth
that was previously unknown, because at first Hester appears to be a criminal for her sin, but,
once the situation is deeply looked at, it becomes clear that her sin created a new life, proving
that it is not all that bad. In this way, Pearl serves as a balance between the good and bad
consequences of Hester and Dimmesdale’s sin. Pearl’s ability of awareness also helps the reader
closely analyze characters. She serves as a reminder that Hester’s sin will always be a part of her.
She is also able to recognize that Dimmesdale must confess his sin, or the guilt is going to kill
him. By refusing to love him until he publicly stands, hand in hand, with her and Hester, she is
trying to get him to confess. This allows the audience to realize that Dimmesdale will never rid
of his guilt and will soon die if he does not fess up about what he has done. She is also able to
recognize that Chillingworth is evil, often calling him the “Black Man.” This lets the audience
know that Chillingworth is not to be trusted as he is only out for revenge.
Pearl is a symbol of sacrifice because her parents both had to make sacrifices in order for
her to be born. She also is a symbol of awareness for both of her parents and for the audience, as
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she has the ability of seeing the truth in people. She uncovers hidden truths not only for the other
characters, but for the audience as well. In this way, she plays a very important role for the story
as a whole. Without her judgement, many aspects of the story may have been left unclear.

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What is Pearl's symbolic significance in the story?

How does Pearl serve as a reminder to Hester and Dimmesdale?

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his guilt is going to kill him.

all in order for Pearl to be born.

know that Chillingworth is not to be trusted as he is only out for revenge.

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