Preview

Pearl And Alienated By Society In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
450 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Pearl And Alienated By Society In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne
In “The Scarlet Letter”, Pearl plays a significant role and is alienated in the book due to one of the following: gender, race, class or creed. The author of this book is Nathaniel Hawthorne. The main characters are: Roger chillingworth, Arthur Dimmesdale,Pearl,Hester and Richard Bellingham. This book revolves on how Hester had committed adultery and has to pay her sins. Hester wasn’t speaking of who the father of Pearl(the child) was at any point. Over the books time and through the chapters Hester had eventually been found out.

Pearl was isolated and alienated in “The Scarlet Letter”. Pearl had been alienated by society because pearl was the sin of Hester and was shown as the demon child. This is said by Hester as pearl is a “Great Price”. This in which means pearl was a great price and now a prize that she loves no matter what the condition. Pearl and Hester have a bond mother and daughter that can't be broken and pearl was the sin of hester and the father. Thus, Pearl was isolated and alienated by society in “The Scarlet Letter”. …show more content…
It was said “Pearl was born and outcast...She had no right among christian infants.” This is showing that Pearl was put to shame or her being an outcast in a puritan society. “The Scarlet Letter” showed pearl as an existing but non existing character to show how she was the sin and outcash of Hester Prynne. Thus, Pearl was an outcast in the Puritan society for her life as a
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne Character Analysis
    • 141 Words
    • 1 Page

    The Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne Character Analysis

    Pearl is the daughter Hester gives birth to. Ever since birth she has recognized her mother for the scarlet letter she bears on her bosom. Everyone says she is the Scarlet Letter itself and was sent by the devil. Pearl is very energetic and sometimes malicious.…

    • 141 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Scarlet Letter Research Simulation Task: Public Shame
    • 1307 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Scarlet Letter Research Simulation Task: Public Shame

    In the text, The Scarlet Letter, it expresses, “Pearl was a born outcast of the infantile world. An imp of evil, emblem, and product of sin, she had no right among christened infants” (Hawthorne 85). Since Pearl was born as a product of sin, the community viewed her as one and she was always looked at with negative words, such as “evil” and “elf-child”. Pearl was with her mother when she was being publicly shamed in front of everyone and from that day on, she could never be just a child that could be viewed the same as other children since she was looked at as a sin from the whole community. Also in this text, it describes, “Behold, verily, there is the woman of the scarlet letter; and, or a truth, moreover, there is the likeness of the scarlet letter running along by her side! Come, therefore, and let us fling mud at them!” (Hawthorne 93). The children in the Puritan society look at Pearl as this product of sin as they see Hester wearing the scarlet letter. In this scene, they want to splash mud at them which is terrible but they view not only Hester, but Pearl as well, as nasty and bad people in their community. Next, Justine Sacco was a woman who was going to South Africa for a trip when she posted a racist tweet that offended many people. In the article it states, “... people began threatening her family directly,” (Bilton 1). Even though her family…

    • 1307 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Scarlet Letter Pearl Isolation
    • 371 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Scarlet Letter Pearl Isolation

    Pearl’s isolation and her reliance upon her mother has led to her not being able to form relationships between other people. In the story, Pearl is conceived by the unfortunate crime of adultery. She is isolated from everyone but her mother, Hester. Hester is the only person Pearl interacts with in a loving way throughout the story. Pearl is very protective of Hester; when the children were making fun of Hester Pear, “. . . snatching up stones and fling at them, (Hawthorne 64).” This shows how she stands up for her mother and only her mother. Because of Hester committing adultery, Pearl is seen as a product of sin and not a single towns person will like Pearl because of their compliance to their faith. Pearl is described by the townspeople…

    • 371 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Figurative Language In The Scarlet Letter
    • 302 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Figurative Language In The Scarlet Letter

    6) In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne employs figurative language to explain the symbolic character of Pearl before she becomes a woman. To Hester, her child who is often associated with sin is, “Her Pearl! ...she named the infant “Pearl”, as being of great price, --purchased with all she had, her mother’s only treasure!”(6,1). This allusion of the Gospel of Matthew, the merchant man seeking goodly pearls gave up everything to get that one pearl, similarly connects to how Hester gave up everything such as her home, friends, and dignity just to obtain her daughter, Pearl. Hester sustains the pain of abandonment and wrath from the Puritans just to keep Pearl; Pearl gives Hester a reason to strengthen herself and survive in this community…

    • 302 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Scarlet Letter Sin Quotes
    • 1162 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Scarlet Letter Sin Quotes

    She is the result of Dimmesdale and Hester's love for each other. Because of Hester's crime, Pearl is also discriminated because of her mother. "Behold, verily, there is the woman of the scarlet letter; and of a truth, moreover, there is the likeness of the scarlet letter running along her side! Come, therefore, and let us fling mud at them!"(Hawthorne 112). This quote explains how the Puritan children felt about Hester and Pearl. They wanted to fling mud at them because these children were probably told to hate them, and also of the crime Hester committed. Pearl is also considered a wild child, and very untamed and very unlike Puritan children."The child shall be well cared for!–far better than tho canst do for it."(Hawthorne 124). And "The discipline of the family in those days, was of a far more rigid kind than now....Hester Prynne, nevertheless, the loving mother of this one child, ran little risk of erring on the side of undue severity. Mindful, however, of her own errors and misfortunes, she early sought to impose a tender, but strict control over the infant immortality that was committed to her charge. But the task was beyond her skill. After testing both smiles and frowns, and proving that neither mode of treatment possessed any calculable influence, Hester was ultimately compelled to stand aside and permit the child to be swayed by her own impulses." (Hawthorne 100). This quote explains how unlike Puritan child Pearl is, and how's she's offended. Pearl is considered wild and has no rules to follow, because Hester hasn't disciplined her. Because of this, the Townspeople want to give Pearl away to someone who's a better parent. Hester's sin has affected Pearl because she isn't treated with respect and she's considered the result of Hester's sin. Pearl is also considered a wild child that must be…

    • 1162 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hester Prynne Character Analysis In Scarlet Letter
    • 801 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Hester Prynne Character Analysis In Scarlet Letter

    In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne one of the main characters in Hester Prynne. She is a convicted adulterer, and the story follows her starting in 1642 in a Puritan town. She and her illegitimate daughter, Pearl, along with her lover, Dimmesdale, and husband, Chillingworth, are the main focus of this dramatic tale. Through her actions and words, Pearl is a “device” to move the consciences of her parents to end their sinful situation. Pearl’s physical obsession with the scarlet A torments her mother, at one point making her physically put it back on, all while forcing her to confront her sins. Pearl also pressures Dimmesdale into acknowledging her as his daughter, and admitting his sins. Pearl is an important aspect of this tragic…

    • 801 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    scarlet letter interpretive essay
    • 1242 Words
    • 4 Pages

    scarlet letter interpretive essay

    Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, is a fantastic piece of symbolism, which delves into the society of seventeenth century Puritans, in colonial Boston. Centered on Hester Prynne, a young woman sent to the colonies by her husband, Roger Chillingworth, she is first introduced standing upon the scaffold, bearing to society her guilt of adultery through the scarlet A on her chest and her daughter, Pearl, in her arms. Here Hester refuses to confess Arthur Dimmesdale’s identity as her lover and Pearl’s father. Dimmesdale, a newly ordained minister, recognizes his transgressions, yet is still unable to admit his relation to Hester and Pearl, a secret which serves to cause restless turmoil until he confesses in the third scaffold scene. Because of his public confession in the third scaffold scene, Dimmesdale, Hester, and Pearl are each freed from two burdens that the adultery caused and that each character carries into the scene.…

    • 1242 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Pearl In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'Scarlet Letter'
    • 1042 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Pearl In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'Scarlet Letter'

    1. Hawthorne uses the quote, “Man had marked this woman’s sin by a scarlet letter, which has such potent and disastrous efficacy that no human sympathy could reach her, save it were sinful like herself. God, as a direct consequence of sin which man thus punished, had given her a lovely child, whose place was on that same dishonored bosom, to connect her parent forever with the peace and descent of mortals, and to be finally a blessed soul in heaven.” (86), to contrast how man views Hester’s sin as an unforgiveable act that she deserves to be punished for infintely, and God saw the sin and sent her aid in the form of baby Pearl. Pearl’s purpose on Earth is to show her mother happiness and beauty and lead her to heaven.…

    • 1042 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Pearl In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter
    • 723 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Pearl In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

    She was a Pearl that didn’t want to hide; she wanted to shine brightly. Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of The Scarlet Letter, introduces Pearl as a wise child who’s always striving to learn more. In Hester’s life, Pearl is given to her as a symbol of Hester’s past. Although Hester and Dimmesdale could have committed adultery without having Pearl, Hawthorne made Pearl a character to symbolize Hester and Dimmesdale’s actions. Pearl serves as a living example of Hester and Dimmesdale’s actions to Hester herself, Dimmesdale, the townspeople, and the reader.…

    • 723 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Does Pearl Mature In The Scarlet Letter
    • 788 Words
    • 4 Pages

    How Does Pearl Mature In The Scarlet Letter

    Growing up different helps an outcast learn to be independent and observant. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Pearl grows into this very character. Even as an infant, Pearl can easily detect how people observe her. Townspeople that grew up with her treat her like she is less than them, but she does not let this keep her down. Pearl's own father does not want to acknowledge the fact that she exists, but she is confident enough in her own abilities to confront him about his issues. Despite Pearl’s constant struggles with her ignorant mother, being an outcast, and Dimmesdale’s unwillingness to accept her as his daughter, she still grows into a strong, intelligent character who is beyond her time.…

    • 788 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Hypocrisy In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter
    • 935 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Hypocrisy In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

    In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter, Pearl undergoes a dramatic transformation from a devilish infant to a sagely child. Born into a society full of judgment and hypocrisy, Pearl, a bastard child, is unable to escape her predetermined role. Pearl lacks a traditional family; her mother is the sole provider, a direct attack on Puritan standards designating this young family as outsiders. Furthermore, Pearl, unlike her peers, establishes a reputation for being strange because she does not adhere to conventional norms. Despite her apparent shortcomings, Pearl is more perceptive and compassionate than members of her community. Predestined by stringent, oppressive Puritan standards, Pearl is outwardly…

    • 935 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Scarlet Letter Alienation Quotes
    • 1159 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Scarlet Letter Alienation Quotes

    Her alienation has different circumstances, however, because she was born an alien, she did nothing wrong. Since she is the product of sin, many consider her a "demon child" with supernatural powers. For this reason, she herself is a symbol of her alienation; "It [Pearl] was the scarlet letter in another form; the scarlet letter endowed with life!" (70). She is compared to Hester's symbol of alienation, but she is a breathing, living form of the same symbol. She alienated herself and her mother from society. She is not your normal child, she acts very different; "She [Hester] could recognize her [Pearl] wild, desperate, defiant, mood, the flightiness of her temper, and even some of the very cloud-shapes of gloom and despondency that had brooded in her heart," (63). In this description of Pearl's behavior, we see a child that does not fit in your normal Puritan mold; she is a child filled of energy, character, and mischief. She finds a way to live a happy life regardless of being an outcast from society. Because of Pearl's behavior and her mother's sin, lots of drama occurs around the possession of the child; "Women it is thy bandage of shame! ...It is because of the stain which that letter indicates, that we would transfer thy child to other hands," (76). Here, Governor Bellingham is trying to take Pearl from her mother to give her a "normal" life in attempt to raise the child into your average, molded Puritan. Pearl…

    • 1159 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Essay On The Symbolism Of Pearl In The Scarlet Letter
    • 1036 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Essay On The Symbolism Of Pearl In The Scarlet Letter

    Hawthorne uses Pearl as a big source of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter. Pearl represents the unseen tumult that is inside of Hester, that even Hester herself cannot see. She symbolizes the secrecy of Hester and Dimmesdale’s love outside of the strict rules of the Puritan society. She represents how forbidden it was to love outside of a marriage or family. Pearl was a last hope for Dimmesdale to pass away peacefully and without regrets. She was her own hope for a better life and to fit in…

    • 1036 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Isolation In The Scarlet Letter Essay
    • 669 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Isolation In The Scarlet Letter Essay

    ‘Thou thyself wilt see it, one time or another. They say, child, thou art of the lineage of the Prince of Air! Wilt thou ride with me some fine night to see thy father? Then thou shalt know wherefore the minister keeps his hand over his heart!” (Chapter 22 Pg.230). In The Scarlet Letter Mistress Hibbins is the voice of society so one can infer that the rest of society also perceives Pearl as not only Hester’s sin, but also as the devil, which is why she is left to find companionship on her own leading her to do things in which the Puritan society frowns upon such as grave stomping and disrespecting her elders. Once Pearl expresses her anger throughout bad actions it leads Mistress Hibbins to believe that Hester is an unfit to raise Pearl due to her sin. “But this could never be. Pearl was a born outcast of the infantile world. An imp of evil, emblem and product of sin, she had no right among christened infants. Nothing was more remarkable than the instinct, as it seemed, with which the child comprehended her loneliness: the destiny that had drawn an inviolable circle round about her: the whole peculiarity, in short, of her position in respect to other…

    • 669 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Scarlet Letter- Pearl
    • 1218 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Scarlet Letter- Pearl

    Pearls have always held a great price to mankind, but no pearl had ever been earned at as high a cost to a person as Nathaniel Hawthorne’s powerful heroine Hester Prynne. Her daughter Pearl, born into a Puritan prison in more ways than one, is an enigmatic character serving entirely as a vehicle for symbolism. From her introduction as an infant on her mother’s scaffold of shame to the stormy zenith of the story, Pearl is an empathetic and improbably intelligent child. Throughout the story she absorbs the hidden emotions of her mother and magnifies them for all to see, and asks questions nothing but a child’s innocence permit her to ask, allowing Hawthorne to weave rich detail into The Scarlet Letter without making the story overly narrative. Pearl is the purest embodiment of literary symbolism. She is at times a vehicle for Hawthorne to express the irrational and translucent qualities of Hester and Dimmesdale’s illicit bond at times, and at others a forceful reminder of her mother’s sin. Pearl Prynne is her mother’s most precious possession and her only reason to live, but also a priceless treasure purchased with her life. Pearl’s strange beauty and deeply enigmatic qualities make her the most powerful symbol some feel Hawthorne ever created.…

    • 1218 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics