Symbols play a key role in the book, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne. One of the most important symbols is Hester’s daughter Pearl. When Hester got pregnant while her husband was not living with her, all of Boston learns that she was unfaithful to her husband.As a result, she is branded a sinner, forced to wear the badge of adultery referred to in the title. The townspeople and officials look down on her and she is shamed everywhere she goes in this Puritan society. Even though Hester’s life is difficult and dark, Pearl is the light and what she has to live for.
To begin, Hester named her child Pearl, a clear symbol of how precious of a gem she is to her mother. Hester goes through so much in order to have Pearl and keep her safe. Hester’s main goal is to protect Pearl from all of the horrors in the world, like most parents. But Hester differs from all of the townspeople because she doesn’t care about the things that are said about her and her daughter, she stands tall through everything and is rewarded with a beautiful baby because of that. Here Pearl’s name becomes even more symbolic considering that a pearl comes from a grain of sand, basically dirt, yet becomes one of the most beautiful things known to man. Pearl herself symbolizes beauty, compared to Hester’s shame and scandalous history. Pearl is a bright and cheery child, almost the opposite of Hester, yet their relationship with each other tells a different side of the story. Hester had a dark and gloomy life before she had Pearl, In the book it says, “‘Our Pearl is a fitful and fantastic little elf sometimes. Especially she is generally intolerant of emotion, when she does not fully comprehend the why and wherefore. But the child hath strong affections! She loves me, and will love thee!’” This quote shows exactly how protective she is of her daughter and how much she loves her. Of course all mothers loves their children, but due to the events and horrible things Hester had to go through in order to have her daughter, one might believe that Hester would have low tolerance and would be impatient with her daughter. But Hester contradicts what the reader expects from her, thus supporting the symbol of Pearl being Hester’s gem and the thing that keeps Hester strong through all of the hatred and shame that is forced upon her.
To conclude, Pearl is so precious to Hester. Not only because Hester went through so much trouble in order to keep Pearl safe from all of the infuriated townspeople, but because she honestly needs Pearl. like her name, Pearl is quite valuable to Hester and Hester’s story. Pearl is that glowing creature that helps Hester along her difficult road of shame and disappointment. Yet, Pearl has such a positive vibe and leaves everyone shocked that such a wonderful child could even remotely be related to this woman that has brought such shame to the community.
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