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Scarlet Letter, Pearl. The Scarlet letter is a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. ...
Hester dresses Pearl in red so she can represent her scarlet letter. ...
Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter. Symbolism in "The ... 106). Alas, though; the
scarlet letter is still a major symbol of shame. Because the ...
Pearl Is The Scarlet Letter. Pearl is the living embodiment of the scarlet letter
because she forces Hester and Dimmesdale to accept their sins. ...
scarlet letter. Symbolism ... Within The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne incorporates
symbolism to expose a deeper meaning in the story. The ...
Scarlet Letter. The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, delivers a powerful
novel invoked with symbolism. Centered on Hester, a ...
Submitted by voxvox on December 14, 2005
Category: Book Reports
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One could say that Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is a tale of transformation. The main characters' personalities shift with their environment; the scarlet letter takes on a new light. Hawthorne's view of what is going on changes, as does our own. The book is dynamic in a sneaky sort of way. If the reader isn't careful, a character can be changed dramatically in two or three pages, and no one is the wiser as to how they got there. Pearl, Minister Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth are just a few of those characters.
From the second she is born, Pearl is a can of worms—or is it a Pandora's box? When we first see her, she is just a babe, cradled in the arms of her mother. She seems like your average child, crying out at a loud noise and cuddling with her mother. Not for long. As Pearl gets older, she becomes more and more unusual. First, she is merely a mischievous toddler with a callous disregard for the rules. She is compared to a nymph for an elf-child. Hawthorne takes a very Dionysian approach with her, describing her beauty and vibrant nature, as well as her relentless pursuit of fun. She is willing to do anything for a good time, regardless of whether or not it is perceived as "moral" by Puritan society. Her fascination with the scarlet letter upon her mother's chest is constantly causing Hester grief. It seems that as time goes on, Pearl becomes more and more obsessed with the letter, until she actually begins to think that it is a permanent characteristic of her mother, or indeed is her mother (The Child at the Brook-side, p. 198). Pearl continues to mature, and shows signs of knowing exactly what the letter means, despite her mother's desire to keep her in the dark. She wants Dimmesdale to appear with her and her mother before the entire town, but he refuses to do this. Her refusal to give him kisses after such answers shows a manipulative side. Finally, in the conclusion, we see that Pearl's fiery personality has resolved itself into a warm...
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