The Scarlet Letter

Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is a novel about the guilt of sin in a Puritan society and how sometimes it is better to face your mistakes and admit them than to hide them and suffer inside. The result of sin can often produce something beautiful. Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale are the sinners in this book. They commit adultery and bring a child into the world. That child is Pearl. Pearl is a beautiful little girl. Everywhere she goes the attention is on her. There is nothing sinful about her except that she was bred from sin. Puritan society considers adultery a serious charge. Hester refused to reveal who the father was, so Dimmesdale dealt with his sin personally instead of publicly. What everyone does not know is that Hester's husband, who was long forgotten and thought to be dead, is in Boston is manipulating Dimmesdale with evil and black magic. Pearl is the bright star in this miserable life that Hester has to deal with. Pearl includes the beauty and free-spirit that Hester once had. She is a wild, uncontained child who does not feel any of the pressures of Puritan society. There is something special about her, particularly in her behavior. Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Pearl displays unnatural knowledge of subjects that she has never been informed about, like whom Dimmesdale and Chillingworth really are, and why Hester wears the scarlet letter.

Reverend Dimmesdale keeps as much distance as possible from Hester and Pearl throughout most of the book. He is not with them alone until close to the end. Pearl does not really have any relationship with him, which is why her comments and actions towards him are unnatural and show that she knows more than she is given credit for. She shows affection toward him during their interactions that are more than they should be. She treats him like someone who should be in her life and means a lot to her. She has never been told who her father is, but it is evident that she has some knowledge that Dimmesdale is him. When Hester and Pearl go to the Governor's mansion to plead for Hester to be allowed to keep Pearl, Dimmesdale argues in Hester's favor. Pearl shows her first inexplicable action toward Dimmesdale at this occasion. Hawthorne writes, "Pearl, that wild and flighty little elf, stole softly towards him and taking his hand in the grasp if both of her own, laid her cheek against it; a caress so tender, and withal so unobtrusive....". Pearl's actions are described as those of love by Hawthorne. He wants us to know that Pearl loves Dimmesdale, even though he will not come forward and say it to her. We find out later on through more incidents that Pearl really does love Dimmesdale. This is clearly exemplified in Dimmesdale's speech on the scaffold. Pearl goes over to him, when he's on his knees about to die, and kisses him. This shows that Pearl had a connection with him that was internal and soulful that was always there.

Pearl also knew something about Dimmesdale that no one else noticed. Dimmesdale always walked with his hand over his heart. He held it and looked to be in pain all the time. Pearl noticed this and was very curious about it. She seemed to know that it had something to do with Hester's "A" that she always wore on her bosom. She often questioned her mother about Dimmesdale and Hester would occasionally question Pearl, just to find out how much Pearl actually knew about her and Dimmesdale. One day, Hester decided to ask Pearl about why she wears the letter "A" all the time. Pearl responded, "Truly I do! It is for the same reason that the minister keeps his hand over his heart." Then Hester decided to push further and ask why the minister keeping his hand over his heart and she wearing the letter on her bosom had anything to do with each other. This time, the little girl replied "Nay, Mother, I have told all I know. Ask yonder old man whom thou hast been talking with! It may be he can tell. But in good earnest now, Mother dear, what does this scarlet letter mean?--and why dost thou wear it on thy bosom?--and why does the minister keep his hand over his heart?" This quote helps us to understand what Pearl really knows. She does not know everything, but the connections that she can make between things that she knows nothing about are remarkable and unnatural. Pearl and Dimmesdale share a bond that

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