... as well as their weaknesses with symbolic names. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses evocative names to portray the characters' inner self and what they represent in the story. The most significant name belongs to the character Pearl. Hawthorne shows that this name has two meanings, but only one is used to describe the importance of Pearl's existence. "For so had Hester called her; not as a name expressive ... of her aspect, which had nothing of the calm, white, unimpassioned luster that ... would be indicated by the comparison. But she named the infant Pearl' as being of great price...

• Word Count: 500
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... Hester Prynne that eats away at him daily. These supernatural events that occur clearly add romanticism to this tragedy. Hawthorne also uses mysteries to betray romanticism. Roger Chillingworth begs Hester for the identity of her partner in crime; however, she swears his secrecy. She replies, "Never! Ye cannot take it off. And would I that I might endure his agony as well ... are used to create a mysterious atmosphere through the story. Finally, intuition is also used to add romanticism to this tragic novel. Pearl, is constantly questioning the meaning of the scarlet letter "A" on her m...

• Word Count: 522
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... shame by having them both touch the stop where the scarlet letter is simultaneously. The second scaffold scene, also the climax of the plot, occurs in chapter 12. As a result of his guilt, Dimmesdale mounts the scaffold late one night, while Chillingworth cautiously watches in the darkness nearby. Hester and Pearl, who are out late because she had taken measurements for a funeral robe, climb the scaffold to join him. While ... on the scaffold, they see a meteor in the sky that resembles a red letter "A". Then, Pearl asks him to stand on the scaffold with them at noon the next day and co...

• Word Count: 443
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• Grade Level: High School

... were communicating their vital warmth to his half-torpid system- (137). Essentially, Hester and Pearl help to bring him to peace. Before he can really enjoy this feeling, however, Pearl brings him back to reality. While the girl has developed many "elfish- qualities, she has a knack for pushing the buttons of human emotion. So when she asks Dimmesdale to join her and her mother on ... the scaffold the following day, the narrator explains his feeling, " with the new energy of the moment, all the dread of public exposure that had so long ... been the anguish of his life had returned upon...

• Word Count: 1627
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... upset with her mother and refuses to cross the stream to run away. This is because Pearl feel that by doing this, her mother is also throwing her own daughter away and she feels rejected. Pearl is a consequence of the passion that Hester and Dimmesdale once had. It's her way of demanding that they take responsibility for their actions. Hester and her previous husband, Chillingworth ... , no longer have the same feelings for each other. She notices changes ... in him over the past seven years. She sees that he has changed for the worse. Hawthorne writes, "He was ... ...

• Word Count: 571
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• Grade Level: High School

... beating heart. Any number of outside conflicts may force this balance towards evil, yet anger and revenge are the most powerful. In the gothic novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorn carefully interlaces the theme of good and evil throughout the complex characters of Chillingworth, Hester, and Pearl. Both the potential for good or evil dwells within each of these characters; however, it is their choice whether or not ... . Hester devotes her energy to saving others, never asking for anything in return. In contrast to Hester's unconditional love for others, Pearl cannot abandon her ...

• Word Count: 1073
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• Grade Level: High School

... shows a love that cannot be. "Mother," said little Pearl, "the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom. It will not flee from me, for I wear nothing on my bosom yet!" This quotation is how I see the love that cannot be. The sunshine is the love of a man (Arthur Dimmesdale) and it does just ... what Pearl says - it runs and hides itself from the scarlet letter. This love must be hidden because of practical reasons; such as ... it would seem as if they were going to see the black, mysterious man that represents evil in th...

• Word Count: 381
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... sympathies, and as her tears fell upon her father's cheek, they were the pledge that she would grow up amid human joy and sorrow, nor for ever do battle with the world, but be a women in it" (234). On the other hand, Pearl was considered to be born evil because she was the product of her mother's sin. Her wild "witch like" behavior ... was caused by her chaotic upbringing, none of which was actually her acting out of the evil in her heart. Pearl showed love and compassion to the ones dear to her. Her father was barely had a presence in her life yet Pearl loved him and shedded tears for ...

• Word Count: 1931
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... chest, which stands for adultery. As beautiful as this symbol is, it "was red-hot with infernal fire" (Hawthorne 82). The letter not only symbolizes the humiliation of the public, but also the deep burn that guilt evokes. The children in the village are taught to look at the woman who bears the scarlet letter "as the figure, the body, the reality of sin" (Hawthorne 74). Pearl, a very smart ... and curious, girl is described as elfish and the devil's child because of her mother. ... even makes her own out of seaweed. Pearl plays as a direct symbol of the scarlet letter, which is a way of...

• Word Count: 1253
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... is near a peninsula, because the setting doesn't play a major role in the story except when Hester and Pearl go into the forest, where Hester has a life-turning talk with Mr. Dimmesdale. The forest is like a dark and mysterious place where a dark creature, the "Black Man," lives. The time, however, cannot be changed because the story deals with the beliefs of people from the 1850's. For example people who committed adultery ... were killed for sinning, even the sinner's children were ... lets others know about her sin. Hester, throughout her life, believes that she has to live with the...

• Word Count: 781
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... after this close encounter with Wilson, he spots Hester and Pearl approaching the scaffold. He calls out to Hester and asks Pearl and her to join him on the scaffold. Hester agrees: "She silently ascended the steps, and stood on the platform, holding little Pearl by the hand. The minister felt for the child's other hand, and took it. The moment that he did so, there came what seemed a tumultuous ... because it implies that he may have had an exchange with the Devil. When the reverend arrives home, he tells Chillingworth he has no need for his physical medicines any more and begins to re...

• Word Count: 3653
• Approx Pages: 15
• Grade Level: High School

... herself as best a woman might." He looks past the reason for her situation and recognizes the good in the adulteress. This aspect also foreshadows later events as Hester is the strongest link in the relationship between her, Dimmesdale, and young Pearl. Also, Hawthorne's figurative style and his insight into the characters is shown. He writes, "Pearl looked as beautiful as the day, but was in one of those moods of ... see it on Dimmesdale's chest, the letter becomes a representation of his sin. Even little Pearl represents the "connecting link between the two [Hester and Dimmesdale]." S...

• Word Count: 1296
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... shade are more numerous than any other images in the novel" (Waggoner 160). The color red stands for passion and the anguish felt by both Hester and Dimmesdale. It also stands for the love between the two of them and for Pearl, their daughter. Darkness and light symbolize the ongoing struggle between good and evil. The darkness is generally associated with Chillingworth, and the cold acts of revenge he exacts on Dimmesdale ... . The light stands for truth and purity and Pearl's free nature. A major theme in the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is the consequence of sin is alienation...

• Word Count: 2338
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... is unnoticed. Hester is unable to hide her wrongdoing. Their act of adultery resulted in a child. Her punishment for her crime is to spend a few hours on the scaffold to face public humiliation and wear the letter "A" on her clothes for the rest of her life. The consequences, which Hester faces, are the result of her admission of guilt. This proved to be much less harsh then ... her sin, is something she must always deal with and is something she can never escape. Pearl the product of Hester's sin, is usually dressed in red clothing, representing sin. Pearl is also called the names "Rub...

• Word Count: 1044
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... Prynn, however Randall Stewart has presented an argument that suggesur Dimmesdale as the Protagonist of the story. Hester Prynn is the character that the story focuses on, more then any other character. She is the mother of her only daughter, Pearl, who was conceived in sin with the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Arthur Dimmesdale is the reverend of the small puritan society, and Hester's partner in sin. This also makes ... story. His role is centered on his self-torture that he inflicts on himself because he hasn't the guts or "power" to confess. This story would not have even been formed ...

• Word Count: 855
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... scowl. He is greedy in the sense that he wants to torture Dimmesdale as much as he can. The meteor shows Chillingworth the relationship between Hester, Dimmesdale, and Pearl, and makes his yearning for revenge even greater. Hester is also affected at the second scaffold scene. At the second scaffold scene Hester and Pearl are for the first time privately united with Dimmesdale. The narrator exclaims, "The three formed an electric chain ... ." This illustrates the trinity between Hester, Pearl, and Dimmesdale. Hester's emotion is distinguished ... ...

• Word Count: 1995
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• Grade Level: High School

... plucked from a bush of wild roses instead of being created by God. Reverend Dimmesdale later persuades Bellingham that it was God's will to keep Pearl with her mother. Bellingham's ultimate decision to carry out God's will was the right thing for him to do. However, his initial decision, which would have gone against God's will, was based on religion. This is evidence that ... would disappear naturally. It is God's duty to manage the sins of people and not the magistrates of the government. Although the scarlet letter may not be the sentence of God, it does help Pearl redeem her soul. T...

• Word Count: 942
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• Grade Level: High School

... Roger Chillingworth get married even though they knew it was not going to be a truthful love relationship. Back then, women often married for stability, rather than love. Hester makes choices without using her insight or realizing the result of her actions. For example, Hester never loves Chillingworth but she marries him. She figures he would be a good companion because he is an educated ... man and he would be able to support her financially. Hester can not love her husband, and she can not remain faithful. She commits the sin of adultery with a minister, Arthur Dimmesdale and has a c...

• Word Count: 1002
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• Grade Level: High School

... mine. He bears no letter of infamy wrought into his garment, as thou dost; but I shall read it on his heart."" (75). This was the first but not the last time for which he will declare his revenge for Pearl's father. This fatal flaw leads to his sins of both anger and envy. "I must seek this man there is a sympathy that will make me conscious ... not as yet find utterance, save in this murmur that rolled so heavily after the departed spirit."" (269). Chillingworth's final negative effect on Dimmesdale was causing his death. However, not only did Dimmesdale death have a negative impact on...

• Word Count: 1529
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• Grade Level: High School

... , but his real intentions are revealed only to the reader. The underlying aspects of the characters in the book and their "twist of fate- will expose themselves in the novel. During the seven year span of the book, Chillingworth's kind fazade slowly becomes an evil obsession, the obsession being destroying his "closest friend,"" for Chillingworth suspects that Dimmesdale is the father of Pearl. Chillingworth becomes a type of parasite, and one night ... letter's role in her life and is not afraid to hate Dimmesdale. She is true to herself and her emotions and allows people to make the de...

• Word Count: 995
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• Grade Level: High School

... revenge was through her daughter, Pearl. Everywhere Hester went, Pearl was right beside her. Pearl was just a smaller version of the scarlet letter. Even though Dimmesdale seemed to suffer more than anyone else in the novel does, he also distributed a fare amount of revenge. When Hester was on the scaffold with Pearl in her arms, being punished in public, Dimmesdale abandoned her. For the next couple of years he ... does not even make an effort to see her, let alone give her any financial help for their daughter. Minister Dimmesdale continued giving his ... excellent sermons to the con...

• Word Count: 1589
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• Grade Level: High School

... deep character who underwent a major transformation. Chillingworth was the worst sinner in the book, and eventually that sin consumed him and all that was left was his need for revenge. It was thought that he had "made it his principle to consist in the pursuit of revenge"(175) In the beginning of the book, when Hester and baby Pearl were in jail, Chillingworth produced a very natural medicine ... to cure them. Chillingworth seemed the all-around-good-guy that everybody wants to befriend ... ...

• Word Count: 473
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... revenge was through her daughter, Pearl. Everywhere Hester went, Pearl was right beside her. Pearl was just a smaller version of the scarlet letter. Even though Dimmesdale seemed to suffer more than anyone else in the novel does, he also distributed a fare amount of revenge. When Hester was on the scaffold with Pearl in her arms, being punished in public, Dimmesdale abandoned her. For the next couple of years he ... does not even make an effort to see her, let alone give her any financial help for their daughter. Minister Dimmesdale continued giving his ... excellent sermons to the con...

• Word Count: 1480
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• Grade Level: High School

... to his demise. Hester is the most immediately affected by guilt, which is openly shown to the public by the scarlet letter, that she bears on her clothing. Another visible sign of her guilt is the embodiment of it in Pearl, who is the direct result of Hester's sin and is therefore a constant reminder of guilt for both Hester and Dimmesdale. Pearl is also always doing something to ... further her mother's guilt. The first thing she recognizes in the world is the scarlet letter, she often throws things at the letter, and she even makes one for herself out of seaweed. Hawthorne even shows ...

• Word Count: 917
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• Grade Level: High School

... and then slowly made his way down from the podium. He walked from the podium and made his way to the scaffold. He stood up on it and called for Hester and Pearl, and then holding Pearls hand he confessed his sin to the public. After that he kneeled down to Pearl and asked for her to kiss him on the forehead. Pearl did and at that moment Dimmesdale fell ... over and died (Hawthorne 225-228). He had done it; he had finally released himself from the pain that had tormented him ... for years. In conclusion Dimmesdale went through extreme torment ... ...

• Word Count: 1813
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School