Free Essay on Nathaniel Hawthornes Scarlet Letter - The Character of Pearl :: Scarlet Letter essays

The Character of Pearl in The Scarlet earn   One of the most complex and elaborate characters in The Scarlet letter is Pearl, the daughter of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale. Pearl, throughout the story, develops into a dynamic individual, as well as an extremely important symbol. Pearl is shunned be power of her mothers sin. Pearl is a living delegacy of the scarlet letter - acting as a constant proctor of Hesters sin.   Hawthorne uses vivid descriptions to characterize Pearl. She is first described as the infant ...whose frank spiritedness had sprung, by the inscrutable decree of Providence, a lovely and infinite flower, out of the rank luxuriance of a guilty passion. (81). From the beginning of her life she is viewed as the product of a sin, as a punishment. Physically, Pearl has a beauty that became every day more brilliant, and the intelligence that threw its quivering cheerfulness over the tiny features of this child. (81-82). Pearl is ravishing, with beauty that shone with deep and vivid tints a bright complexion, eyes possessing intensity both of depth and glow, and hair already of a deep, glossy brown, and which, in after years, would be nearly identical to black. Combining with her extreme beauty, are the lavish dresses that she wears. The exquisite dresses and her beauty cause her to be viewed as even stranger from the other typical puritan children, whom are dressed in traditional clothing. As a outgrowth, she is veritable by nature and animals, and ostracized by the other Puritan children. Pearl was a born outcast of the infantile world... the whole peculiarity, in short, of her position in respect to other children. (86). Pearl was not accepted by the children her infallible seclusion was due to the sin of her mother. On the rare occasion that the children would steer interest in Pearl she would grow positively terrible in her puny wrath, snatching up stones to fling at them... (87)   As a result of Pearls seclusion f rom society nature sympathizes with Pearl, which can be seen with the role of the sunniness in the forest. The light lingered about the lonely child, as if glad of such(prenominal) a playmate, (168). The sunshine is grateful for Pearl, accepting her as an equal. Hawthorne describes another firm of acceptance as the great black forest...became the playmate of the lonely infant. (187).