... when he places Pearl above the rest of the children in intelligence, free spirit, beauty and kindness. The traits of intelligence and free spirit are a direct link the ideals of the Romantic writers of the time. Pearl could always be found in the forest, "And she was gentler here [the forest] than in the grassy-margined streets of the settlement, or in her mother's cottage. The flowers appeared to ... know it," once again this shows the difference between Romanticism and Puritanism, as the Puritans felt that anything that came ... how to be merry among sad acquaintance and events of som...

• Word Count: 2043
• Approx Pages: 8

... cottage away from society. After Hester moves away from the village, the Puritans give her the job of making fine clothing for the upper class. With any extra material that Hester has, she makes Pearl's clothes. Pearl's clothes are extraordinarily elaborate, which separates Pearl from the other children. Hester never let the clothing be plain for Pearl. Pearl did not do anything wrong by being born. For ... for her lover, it is easy for her to hide the truth from the Puritans. Hester believes that actions based on love are not immoral. The scaffold scene in the beginning chapters of th...

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

... , resemblance, or convention, especially a material object used to represent something invisible. Sometimes referred to as "the first symbolic novel to be written in the United States", "The Scarlet Letter" contains many symbols that are apparent throughout the novel. As seen through the forest, Pearl, and the scarlet letter "A". The forest which symbolizes the freedom and solitude that someone can have, even in a Puritan society is a very promising thought from ... a consequence for Hester, but also is the un-flawed character in the novel. Finally, the letter "A" is the consequence of H...

• Word Count: 2041
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... Chillingworth who was a physician as well as Hester's husband, moves in with Reverend Dimmesdale because Dimmesdale was growing sick. While staying with Dimmesdale, he grows suspicious that Dimmesdale is the father of 2 Pearl and seeks revenge on him by hurting him more than curing him of his illness. But this was only a suspicion until one night, Chillingworth opened Dimmesdale's shirt while he ... together and Dimmesdale imagines people mocking him as they should have seven years ago. He apologizes to Pearl and Hester for not being with them on the Scaffold. While they are on the scaf...

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

... associate with it. A monstrous version is reflected in an armor breastplate. The scarlet letter represented many things throughout the novel; everything Hester did, wore, Pearl, the letter was her identity. Indeed, this is the way the Puritans view Hester. She has no identity save the letter. And in this scene, the letter is represented in Pearl twice. The first is in her apparel. Hester spent hours working on ... and torture"(Hawthorne1387). The last representation is in the child herself. "In truth, Pearl was the one, as well as the other; and only in consequence of that identity had H...

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

... , wore that naughty smile which made its expression frequently so elfish. The minister, Mr. Dimmesdale, was Hester's sin who is even mistaken later in the novel by Pearl for the Black Man. The Black Man is the devil who leaves his mark on those in the forest. In the forest, Hester and Pearl are talking about the Black Man, "Is there such a Black Man? And didst thou ever meet him ... seeks to hide, with his hand always over his heart? Ha, Hester Prynne!" She links the two together and understands the relationship between it all. Mistress Hibbins and Pearl are unlike the rest of the people...

• Word Count: 1820
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... 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. As she grows, her personality changes in the reader's mind ... last sermon he reveals that he partnered Hester in their sin of adultery. He calls himself "the one s...

• Word Count: 1253
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• 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 ... and pride. Though it is a part of her actual wardrobe, it comes up later as an abstract object. At the end, when many claim that they see it on Dimmesdale's chest, the letter...

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

... this way of life, contributed to his writing. Hawthorne's beliefs contradicted the beliefs of what most other Puritans believed. Early on in the book, he described the people "being of the most intolerant brood" (Hawthorne 86). When the people found that Hester had Pearl, her daughter, out of wedlock, Hawthorne wrote that the village "scorned them in their hearts and reviled them with their ... an elderly scholar, Chillingworth, who had sent Hester to America but did not follow her. During her time there, she had an affair with a Puritan minister by the name of Dimmesdale from which she...

• Word Count: 1291
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography

... then hiding his deed. Chillingworth sins by acting upon his desire for revenge, and by torturing Dimmesdale. Hester and Dimmesdale suffer from shame and guilt throughout the novel. It was a sin for which Hester Prynne was damned by society, and for which Arthur Dimmesdale damned himself (Loring 1). Hester is made ... was on that same dishonored bosom, to connect her parent forever with the race and descent of mortals, and to be finally a blessed soul in heaven.(Hawthorne 14). Hester is a woman full of motherly love that she showers on Pearl. Hester dresses her daughter with pride and ho...

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

... with him, under the same roof!"(215).After their conversation, Dimmesdale regains his lost power again and decides to confess. Although Dimmesdale is physically very sick at the end of the book, he seems to be quite clear mentally. Hester and Pearl have to help him, get onto the scaffold, to ... confess his sin. Although Dimmesdale is so sick that he will die shortly after the confession, he speaks "with a voice that ... on Dimmesdale. Chillingworth had suspected Dimmesdale of being Pearl's father for a long time but he knows it for sure at the end of chapter 10, when he finds the minist...

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

... it is important to visualize a few possible meanings for the color. There is the constant comparison to the rosebush that is vividly growing on the jail's door. This could represent the youth and freedom of Pearl. It also could represent the passion of Hester's affair. The red also could represent the A's place on Hester's heart. While the actual meanings of the letter A are main points, it is also important to recognize ... the burning color of the letter that appears on Hester. Hawthorne's tragic ... ...

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

... because all rose bushes have thorns which means that sin is about to come into place. After Hester committed her sin and wore the letter around her neck, the beauty began to fade away. Puritans began to criticize her and say Pearl was the daughter of the devil. The children of the Puritans would run away from her and throw mud at them. Priests would make Hester ... tried to give to her. This made Dimsdale feel nervous. Hester was trying to make the relationship between the two like it was between her own relationship with Pearl. Hester wants him to confess because he was involved in the...

• Word Count: 1408
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... around her and it manages to happen without her noticing. Hester's ultimate consequence of sin is her daughter Pearl. With Pearl, Hester has to assume full responsibility, because she is responsible for the proper upbringing of this child. Hester loves Pearl because she is her daughter, but she is also a symbol of Hester's sin (Ziff 38). This is very difficult for Hester because she ... public and show her scarlet letter even though she is condemned and constantly hurting on the inside. Hester also acts compassionately towards others to protect Pearl (Baym 37). Hester is only worried ab...

• Word Count: 1828
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... symbolic characters and places that give the book seemingly two different stories. The first story denotes the story going on in the book, including the characters. The other story has symbols that speak on morals, religious doctrine, and public mindset. Furthermore the novel can be defined as a romantic novel by analyzing the characters Hester, Pearl, and Dimmesdale for their overall purpose to the story and the symbolism. An important concept of ... romanticism includes a close connection to the earth and natural scenes. A large occurrence of this comes in the first chapter of the boo...

• Word Count: 1687
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... am utterly a pollution and a lie"(Hawthorne 99). In his guilt Dimmesdale punishes himself by whipping his body and sometimes not eating or sleeping for days. By punishing himself and keeping the secret inside that he is the father of Pearl Dimmesdale's health slowly begins to deteriorate and he becomes sicker and sicker. While Dimmesdale's sin is severe it is not ... her, posing as a medicine man. During Chillingworth's stay in New England he becomes consumed in trying to find the father of Hester's child, Pearl. When he learns that the father is the Reverend Dimmesdale he begins to tor...

• Word Count: 2203
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... of weeds. Hawthorne does not condone sin; however, he finds unexpected ways that a sinful act may have propitious consequences. Pearl, the product of Hester's adulterous relationship with Dimmesdale, embodies this theme. The child of sin becomes "her mother's only treasure... Man had marked [Hester's] sin by a scarlet letter, which had such potent and disastrous efficacy that no human sympathy could reach her, ... save it were sinful like herself. God, as a direct consequence of the sin which man thus punished, had given her a lovely child" (82). Pearl is explicitly identified as a "mor...

• Word Count: 1485
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... (Eldritch Press). Living in a Puritan community, Hester is shunned for her actions, and she was forced to be humiliated in front of the town while standing on the scaffold with her daughter, Pearl. Hester, who has grown up in Europe, does not see eye to eye with the Puritans; they are angered by her beauty, and feel that her punishment is not sufficient for ... not tread. Hester has lived a strict puritan society, where is she punished for her sin, and must learn to live the lifestyle that they do. Hester's sin has affected her in a positive way in the person of Pearl, the daughter of H...

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

... (Eldritch Press). Living in a Puritan community, Hester is shunned for her actions, and she was forced to be humiliated in front of the town while standing on the scaffold with her daughter, Pearl. Hester, who has grown up in Europe, does not see eye to eye with the Puritans; they are angered by her beauty, and feel that her punishment is not sufficient for ... not tread. Hester has lived a strict puritan society, where is she punished for her sin, and must learn to live the lifestyle that they do. Hester's sin has affected her in a positive way in the person of Pearl, the daughter of H...

• Word Count: 1442
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... forms, it now rejects him, evidenced by the reactions of Pearl in the last chapter, when she runs to the brook to was her head after she Dimmesdale kisses her. The relationship will not work, and seeing the Reverend with this hope pains me. Laced between the lines of Hawthorne, among the paths and the scarlet letter, the town and the brook, lay many of the themes in this book, which, during ... disguises one of his major themes, the idea of dealing with sin, in the "[wild] [and] uncouth [path]." Hester bears her sin on her bosom and by her side day in and day out, in the forms of the Sc...

• Word Count: 1256
• Approx Pages: 5

... becomes an angelic practitioner of good works and adviser to women, and her daughter Pearl, we are told, is now able to "grow up amid human joy and sorrow, nor forever to do battle with the world, but be a woman in it." The return of Hester as a domestic angel, like the novel's refusal of her earthly reunion with Dimmesdale, has long struck readers as ... Hawthorne's failure to honor the independent spirit of his heroine, his capitulation to nineteenth-century conventional ideals of womanhood. Similarly, the transformation of Pearl from elf-child to woman in the world may indicate a nar...

• Word Count: 1505
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate