... she speaks (Lawerence 66). Hibbins is quite inexplicable in naturalistic terms, despite Hawthorne's perfunctory suggestions that she is simply insane (Kaul 104- 105). Pearl is Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale's daughter. Impulsive, uncanny, and ungovernable, she is a symbol of natural instinct and distinction. At one point in the novel the elders of the colony try to take Pearl away from Hester ... Indian sorcerers, Pearl is at home among its creatures. The forest became a playmate of the lonely infant and put on the kindest of moods to welcome her (Bloom 23, 25, 39-40). Besides bein...

• Word Count: 1147
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... the man in which she has had an affair with. That child's name is Pearl. One of the most complex and elaborate characters in The Scarlet Letter is Pearl, the daughter of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale. Pearl is involved in the complex nature of the story, as a result of her mothers adulteress ways she is shunned from society and even ... human emotion and treats her in many different ways at certain times. Hester displays her feelings towards Pearl by the way she dresses Pearl, and the way she treats her daughter with ambivalence. Hester dresses Pearl in clothing that is made of a ...

• Word Count: 767
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... of the Puritans. They believe that the forest was "the Devil's last preserve."33 Hence, when the Salem minister, Reverend Parris, discovers a group of girls from the town, including his daughter, Betty, and niece, Abigail, dancing and "conjuring up spirits"34 with his slave girl, Tituba, "the rumor of witchcraft [spreads] all about."35 Betty will not wake from what seems ... ?"38 This clearly illustrates how instinctive and deeply entrenched was this desire for the supernatural. Exasperated, Reverend Parris calls on Rev. Hale, who is an expert in the "demonic arts,"39 to evaluate the sit...

• Word Count: 3126
• Approx Pages: 13
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... by the community. Because of her public shame and constant ridicule, Hester becomes an outcast to society. Her love for Arthur Dimmesdale, their minister, and the creation of Pearl, her daughter, has forced her to live in seclusion. The only times she even comes into the city is to sell her very well-crafted clothing. This in turn causes the Puritan ... another way. Although she questions Hester about the "A", she is not told the true meaning. Pearl suffers a loss of identity and her mother's refusal to tell the truth keeps her daughter in the dark, not knowing of her illicit birth and ...

• Word Count: 1366
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... and dreary a penance, but of her many good deeds since" (Hawthorne 1411). In the final chapter, it is learned that Hester moves back to the town she fled with her daughter so many years prior. However, she again returns to the residence in the forest where she lived fulfilling her punishment. Since she does not live for profit, people, mostly women ... . Their mode of thinking was characterized by the habit of interpreting everything that they saw, everything that happened to them, as a message from God with specific import to them" (Baym 39). It is in this fashion that all of the Purita...

• Word Count: 1915
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... throughout the novel The Scarlet Letter. The Puritan community was a dark, strict society, feeling indifferent to the humanity of the woman standing before them on the scaffold, with her infant daughter against her chest. The beautifully embroidered letter does not glow in the eyes of the people. The letter shapes the way they look at Hester and the way they treat ... in the opening scaffold scene, Hawthorne remarks that "never had Hester Prynne appeared more lady-like, in the antique interpretation of the term, than as she issued from the prison" (39). The way Hawthorne chose to illust...

• Word Count: 1352
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... and the Puritan cycle in American writing in many of his works. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories "The Minister's Black Veil," "The Birthmark," and "Rappaccini's Daughter," the common theme of pride were presented throughout these stories. In "The Minister Black Veil" was about a minister named Mr. Hooper who placed a black ... Prynne and Arthur Dimmsdale. The sin has a positive affect on Hester, enabling her to gain insight into the personalities of others, and providing her with a daughter who becomes her life while this same sin has had a negative affect on Arthur, causing him to...

• Word Count: 1373
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... novels and short stories. The Scarlet Letter was considered Hawthorne's greatest masterpiece and became the first symbolic novel to be published in the United States. "The Birthmark" and "Rappaccini's Daughter" were well known short stories wrote by Hawthorne. In each of these stories, a distinguished mark caused lovers to be doomed due to an unpardonable sin. Hawthorne demonstrated his belief how ... Dimmesdale after her husband was assumed dead. Alymer was interested in science, but he left his laboratory when he married Georgiana in "The Birthmark". A window and curiosity, in "Rappac...

• Word Count: 672
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... Hester is made fun of and stared at with disgust, but still maintains the will power to look away and continue on with her life. Her daughter is also forced to suffer because of her decision. Not only do the elders of the community look down upon Hester and Pearl, so do ... the children. They have learned from their parents that Hester is a bad woman and that her daughter has also sprung from evil's web. "'Behold, verily, there is the woman of the scarlet letter; and, of a truth, moreover, there is the likeness ... she hopes her soul will be purged (74). Not only do the townspeople asso...

• Word Count: 1678
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... note who the separation from society was supposed to punish. Hester was the sinner and she committed the crime therefore why was it right to punish the daughter? It was not and that is clear. It is not fair that Pearl was treated unfairly and looked down upon. Even though her mother had sinned ... A single mom that is an outcast of a community will not be able to raise a child effectively. It is already difficult for a mom to take care of a daughter or son all on their own. But when the mother is along and shunned by a city the challenges that a mom would face would be immense. It is obvi...

• Word Count: 1359
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... lover, settles in Boston, while Hester, supporting her family by working as a seamstress, moves to a small cottage on the outskirts of town. Hester's daughter Pearl grows up into a capricious, precocious, and very observant child. Pearl delights in the scarlet letter and enjoys emphasizing the symbol on her mother's breast. ... mean, mother? and why dost thou wear it? and why does the minister keep his hand over his heart?" Hester is surprised by her daughter's ability to connect the scarlet letter to the minister's ailment; in response, the mother denies the true meaning of the letter...

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

... realizes they have found the window to the soul. The character Pearl in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is one of great intrigue and symbolism. More than just the illegitimate daughter of two star-crossed lovers, Pearl is a living representation of the scarlet letter. Not only do her physical properties allude to this, her personality and views on life do as ... and inquisitive nature ends up causing her mother much anguish, much like the scarlet letter. Everyday, Hester is reminded of her sin, not just by looking at her daughter, but by observing her daughter's alienation and ...

• Word Count: 790
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... to men in every aspect. Despite that, Hester has a strength that can rival a man's. She endured years of social rejection and derogatory treatment yet she maintains a strong front which her daughter and Dimmesdale can rely on. Hester has a lot of personal strength and she never gave up whenever Society tells her she cannot do because she is women. For instance, since ... she is a women she could not persuade the Governor to not take away Pearl. Instead, she had to beg another man, who had power, to save her daughter for her. Society does not let her show her strength or permit her to be...

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

... segregation. She could not hide her sin due to the fact that she wore the "A " on her chest, but she tried to try to protect her daughter as much as possible from living an unhappy life. Hester's isolation from her sin expanded her knowledge of others in her community because she was forced to step ... her to lose passion and replace it with a sense of responsibility and duty. She now has to take responsibility for her actions and take care of her daughter and learn to adapt to the society with isolation. The callous sense about her develops as her isolation intensifies and a part of her ...

• Word Count: 1733
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... , goes so far as to advocate death for Hester. Hester emerges from the prison with elegance and a lady-like air to her movements. She clutches her three month old daughter, Pearl. She has sown a large scarlet "A" over her breast, using her finest skill to make the badge of shame appear to be a decoration. Several of the women ... his arrival. Hester looks out over the crowd and realizes for the first time that her life condemns her to be alone. She looks at her daughter and then fingers the scarlet letter which will remain a part of her from now on. At the thought of her future, she sque...

• Word Count: 5572
• Approx Pages: 22
• Grade Level: High School

... is dead, Hester falls in love with the minister, Dimmesdale and the two committed the sin of adultery, which led to the birth of their daughter and sin, Pearl. The story is unraveled slowly around the three scaffold scenes, which are very significant throughout the novel. The first of three ... scaffold scenes features Hester Prynne and three-month-old daughter, Pearl. Hester is publicly punished for her sin by having to stand alone clutching her infant for three hours. Ironically, on this same day ... Dimmesdale wanted was the whole town to come see him standing there, a sinner. Howeve...

• Word Count: 1498
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... Hester, Dimmesdale does not confess his sin until after it totally destroys him. He hides his adultery and fails to claim Pearl as his daughter; his punishment is guilt and self- condemnation, intensified by the torture of Chillingworth. As the shame over his cowardice increases, he suffers total ... inward destruction of her sin; Dimmesdale, a minister who openly represents Goodness, is the real Sinner, failing to confess and claim Pearl as his daughter and suffering both inward and outward deterioration from his double sinfulness.) The largest threat to Hester and Dimmesdale's secret is...

• Word Count: 1929
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... hope that her girl has capacity for strong affection, which needs only to be awakened by sympathy" (4) but Hester wants so much more for her daughter. Never did it occur to me that Hester wanted to keep Pearl from her father though it may appear that way at times during the novel. ... her. Hester provides Pearl with a childhood full of self-discovery, free imagination, and love that knew no boundaries. Any woman who can provide that for her daughter is a heroine, especially given the beliefs and laws or that time period. The legacy left to Pearl was that of a being a strong, passionate, ...

• Word Count: 3565
• Approx Pages: 14
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... the insights and thoughts of the many main characters of the novel. Hester Prynne's intuition about certain situations unveils her innermost spirit. Her daughter, the illegitimate Pearl is also another character of great perception. Pearl's psyche on Hester's scarlet letter and her relationship with the Reverend Dimmesdale ... for a fact if everything will work out for her and Pearl but yet she continues to think of the brighter future being together with her daughter and Dimmesdale. Before the procession at the marketplace, Pearl asks Hester, "Mother, was that the same minister that kis...

• Word Count: 810
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... Puritan society. Although the Puritan society believes that Hester Prynne is immoral, the actions that she takes shows that she is actually very moral. Hester shows care towards Pearl, her daughter, which is a clear indication of the kindness in Hester's heart. "When the young woman- the mother of this child- stood fully revealed before the crowd, it seemed to be her ... first impulse to clasp the infant closely to her bosom;" (Hawthorne 50). This is an act of motherly affection, showing that Hester loves her daughter. By abandoning Pearl, Hester's life would definitely be easier; howev...

• Word Count: 1429
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Pearl acts as several symbols, which are imperative in bringing out important aspects of the other characters. Pearl is Hester Prynne's daughter who is thought of in the novel as both a devil child and a treasure. Although she is only seven years old, Pearl makes a major impact on all of the adults of ... witches in the forest, she assertively remarks "Had they taken her [Pearl] from me, I would willingly have gone with thee [Mistress Hibbins] into the forest" (Hawthorne 116). Both mother and daughter are outcasts of the town, and at thei...

• Word Count: 1115
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... humiliation. She becomes a social outcast of the Puritan society and lives in isolation on the outskirts of town. Pearl, her lively and uncontrollable daughter, is the daily living proof of Hester's sin. With pride, she dresses her daughter in brightly colored clothing and holds her on head up high. She also concerns herself with doing acts of charity and kindnesses for other ... proudly walks through town with her head held high, the Puritans point at the "A" and scoff at its wearer. Hester is more pained by a second symbol of her adultery, her daughter Pearl, who becomes a living symb...

• Word Count: 1285
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... close vicinity to any other habitation." (75) Hester is also isolated from her own family. At times, she is distant from Pearl emotionally because Hester is unable to tell her daughter the real meaning of the scarlet letter. Hester tells her that " I met the Black Man [and] this scarlet letter is his mark!" (182). Additionally, Hester is isolated from Pearl because ... is living in the outskirts of Boston, away from him. Being in isolation greatly characterizes Hester's own personality and character. Another individual that experiences isolation is Hester's impish and mischievous daught...

• Word Count: 979
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... know [her] earthly one," only her "heavenly Father" show her determination to stay faithful and loyal to Dimmesdale (Hawthorne 63). A woman full of motherly love that she showers on her daughter, her love and concerns for her product makes her wonder if her offspring abnormal. She worries about her lack of self-control and her shunning playmates. Her appeal to the ... -lover that "God gave [her] the child" for her "happiness" and her "torture," in which for them to allow her to keep the elf child, shows the importance of the daughter in her life (104). As a woman with excellent values an...

• Word Count: 1594
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

The Scarlet Letter Essay The Scarlet Letter is a book with one main symbol. The most complex and misunderstood symbol in the book is Pearl, the daughter of Hester Prynne. Pearl is a real and constant reminder of Hester's sins, she proves as much more evidence than the "A" that Hester wore, for she is a real living breathing person ... . Pearl is a large part of Dimmesdale's wanting to finally confess his sins as Hester did. He cannot take his emotions bottled up any longer, and being able to love his daughter, and have her know him is something he longs for. Pearl symbolizes Dimmesdale's part...

• Word Count: 505
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School