Only Pearl possesses the imagination that enables her to understand these messages from nature. The picture shows Pearl’s reflection in the brook, and she sees her mirror image in the water “with all the brilliant picturesqueness of her beauty, in its adornment of flowers and wreathed foliage, but more refined and spiritualized than the reality” (142), illustrating a key moment in which nature enhances Pearl’s vivacity. At this point, Pearl’s innate opposition to society combines with a surrounding environment devoid of civilization’s corruption, and she becomes a representation of untainted truth. The forest scene is the climax of the story, as it signifies that Hester and Dimmesdale will be presented in front of the ultimate form of truth, Pearl.
As most powerful character in the chapter “The Child at the Brook-Side,” Pearl drives the action of the plot through her reaction to Hester and