Scarlet Letter Pearl And Pearl Relationship

In some relationships a child can be the catalyst that brings two people together. However, this is not the case in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and Hester Prynne commit adultery together, and unfortunately Hester gets pregnant. When she starts to show signs of her condition, she is thrown in jail. In addition to her jail time, Hester must always wear a scarlet letter A on her bosom which is a contstant source of public ignominy. In order to protect Dimmesdale, who is a high standing member of society, Hester does not reveal his name to the public. Later, Hester gives birth to a high spirited, headstrong little girl named Pearl. As she grows and develops, Pearl takes on a multitude of roles. Pearl …show more content…
Hester and Pearl take a walk in the forest in hopes of finding Dimmesdale. While in the forest Pearl plays with the animals. “He (the squirrel) chattered at the child… a fox startled from his sleep by her light footstep on the leaves, looked inquisitively at Pearl” (184). The animals enjoy Pearl and do not mind her presence in their home. Even the most skittish of animals, the fox, pauses for a moment to curiously observe Pearl. The fox is not afraid or aggressive towards her; he is docile and intrigued. In lieu of human friends, Pearl has the animals. Further, Pearl is a sprite-like and capricious child, she demonstrates this whimsical attitude while she is in the marketplace with her mother. The narrator describes, “This effervescence made her flit with a bird like movement rather than walk by her mother’s side” (204). Pearl does not conform to the Puritan standard of how a child should act. Her entire life she’s only had one human role model on which to base her actions. The other role models that she bases her behavior on all come from the nature around her, the birds, the flowers, and the forest. As well as this, Pearl is really in her natural element in the forest. Hester observes Pearl’s playful behavior and says to Dimmesdale, “See with what natural skill she has made simple flowers adorn her! Had she gathered pearls, and diamonds, and rubies, in the wood, they could not have become her better” (185). Hester compliments her daughter in a very tender and sincere way. Pearl is adept when it comes to finding average flowers that she can turn into something truly beautiful. Her kinship to nature allows her to thrive and flourish in the