Preview

Sunlight In Scarlet Letter

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
262 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Sunlight In Scarlet Letter
In the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, creative symbols, such as radiant sunlight, represent perfection, truth, and happiness thus characterizing Pearl as a perfect and innocent girl who is unmatched in her intelligence or beauty. Throughout the book, Hawthorne uses sunlight to convey the “beauty that [becomes] more brilliant [every day]” and the magnitude of intelligence Pearl possesses, which together made the sun “[quiver as it] [shines] over” her (Hawthorne 61). The comparison of sunlight to the beauty and intelligence of Pearl helps the reader understand that there was no better combination a girl could have, thus making her perfect. Through the novel, the sun leaves other characters such as Hester and Minister Dimmesdale
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Scarlet Letter Rhetorical Analysis
    • 179 Words
    • 1 Page

    Scarlet Letter Rhetorical Analysis

    This passage explains how Pearl represents the innocence in one’s passion or love for another. Her stark contrast from other children catches the attention of both her parents, Hester and Dimmesdale. Pearl serves as a result of their lust for each other. Hawthorne further explains this concept by comparing Pearl to a “messenger of anguish.” Hawthorne uses this metaphor show that once Dimmesdale dies, the lustful connection between Hester and the pastor breaks apart. Pearl loses her wild character and ceases to be defiant of the world, displaying her new capability of feeling sorrow.…

    • 179 Words
    • 1 Page
    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

    How Does Nathaniel Hawthorne Use Irony In The Scarlet Letter
    • 868 Words
    • 4 Pages

    How Does Nathaniel Hawthorne Use Irony In The Scarlet Letter

    Nathaniel Hawthorne beautifully crafts his story by using symbolism to reveal details about the story and its characters. In The Scarlet Letter one of the most obvious and prominent symbols is the scarlet "A" placed on Hester. But many readers do not realize that to accompany the letter is Hester's daughter Pearl. Although they have the one similarity of having manifested themselves in a physical form they do evolve through the story into two completely different things. In the beginning the scarlet letter "A" represents Hester's adulterous sin. It is used against her to humiliate her and to persecute her. Through the story it slowly starts to become something more. The letter…

    • 868 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Scarlet Letter Character Analysis Essay
    • 559 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Scarlet Letter Character Analysis Essay

    Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne establishes the character Pearl as having tenacity and peculiarity in her personality and traits. First, Nathaniel Hawthorne exaggerates Pearl’s qualities to establish her as an odd child and a separate person from the Puritan town she lives in. In chapter 7, after the governor asks Pearl who created her, she answers by saying ‘no one created her rather her mother plucked her from a wild rose bush near the prison.’ Hawthorne follows Pearl’s remark with, “This fantasy was probably suggest by the near proximity of the Governor’s red roses, as Pearl stood outside of the window; together with her recollection of the prison rose bush, which she had passed in coming hither.” (Pg. 77) Adults are not…

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

    Scarlet Letter Light and Dark Motif
    • 956 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Scarlet Letter Light and Dark Motif

    In order to portray the overall theme of The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses motifs, which are recurring concepts or contrasts. From the beginning of the novel and throughout, there are clear examples of light versus dark that are used to set tone and mood, and used for character development. Hawthorne utilizes the idea of light versus dark, or day versus night to convey the theme of covert sin and overt abomination.…

    • 956 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Pearl In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter
    • 638 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Pearl In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter

    In the Scarlett Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s style could accurately be likened to that of an artist; he commands color, contrast, and shading to enhance his work. On page 54, Hawthorne paints a rare portrait of Pearl, at once with the precision of a cartographer, mapping out her inner complexities, and with the wonder of Van Gogh, capturing her particular beauty in vivid color. Adorning his work with euphonious, connotative diction, and mounting syntax, Hawthorne fashions a wild, wraithlike mood, in order to distinguish Pearl from the realm of the ordinary and elevate her to greater symbolic significance.…

    • 638 Words
    • 3 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
  • 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
  • Good Essays

    Public Shaming In Scarlet Letter
    • 975 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Public Shaming In Scarlet Letter

    However, Hawthorne strongly uses what is known as “Olde English” throughout the entire novel, which makes the novel slightly less comprehensible. The overall purpose of “The Scarlet Letter” was to demonstrate contrast between public shaming and allowing one to reap the consequences in private. Hawthorn demonstrates how private emotional torture, thoughts, and guilt is far more beneficial to the soul, when forgiving, than public shaming, which is a purpose that is easily recognized throughout the novel. Hawthorne organized the novel to depict, primarily, the events that occur between the years that Pearl is age two and seven; yet, he also provides some information on Hester and Pearl as Pearl was an infant and as they each grows older and Pearl moves away. As a whole, the novel is fairly easy to follow; however, there are few instances when the reader may feel a tad bit confused. “The Scarlet Letter” depicts the time period of Puritan Massachusetts just after the conclusion of the Salem Witch Trials. The time period is very accurately portrayed by Hawthorne; in fact, the entire novel is based on how the society of that particular time period affected one woman’s life. I personally believe that Hawthorne chose this specific time period and location to demonstrate how a society is able to condemn, yet, forgive and accept an…

    • 975 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good 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

    The Scarlet Letter: Darkness Illuminated
    • 659 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Scarlet Letter: Darkness Illuminated

    passed judgment on Hester and her sin is laid bare to the reader's opened eye.…

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

    Essay On The Scarlet Letter Light
    • 625 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Essay On The Scarlet Letter Light

    Light often has positive connotations that include purity and warmth. Puritan society would welcome light as a symbol of the former, but warmth is not reminiscent of the strict religion. Puritans valued simplicity and hard work, but experiencing warmth as an emotion stemming from joy and laughter was unacceptable. With their strict rules, anyone who sinned was persecuted. The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, illustrates the story of Hester Prynne, a young woman condemned by Puritan society. She committed adultery with the minister of the church, Arthur Dimmesdale. With the intention to shame her, the town requires her to keep a red letter A permanently on her chest. Hester and her daughter, Pearl, live on the edge of the town, near the…

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

    The Scarlet Leter Tone
    • 362 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Scarlet Leter Tone

    Hawthorne’s view of Pearl is exceptionally adoring. There are several places this is made clear. He claims that her "beauty shined through the gorgeous robes" (Ch. 6) and there was a "circle of radiance" (Ch. 6) that shone about her. As the narrative progresses and more of Pearl is revealed, Hawthorne's tone changes to a violent and threatening tone as he states that Pearl showed off a "variety of threatening gestures" (Ch. 7) and with much force she "screamed and shouted" (Ch. 7) at her enemies.…

    • 362 Words
    • 2 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
  • Good Essays

    Pearl’s Force Of Nature
    • 1148 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Pearl’s Force Of Nature

    Pearl's Force of Nature The force of nature is powerful and cannot be escaped or denied. It is everywhere, and it is often used to symbolize many different ideas, such as birth, freedom, and change. The idea of nature as an important symbol is prominent in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. In the novel, Hester Prynne is marred with the red letter A, for adulteress, on her breast for all of her life. A result of her sin, was the birth of her daughter, Pearl. Pearl is often thought to be a demonic and evil child, but in reality she is extremely observant, sweet and perceptive. Pearl shows her feelings and personality through elements of the natural world. Pearl is shown as a force of nature because she connects to her mother through it, she is the product of a wild and passionate union and she is happiest outside the bounds of the city. .…

    • 1148 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics