This is a place for us to discuss openly and honestly the literature we are reading. Here we are all just communicating our thoughts on what we are reading. There are no right and wrong answers. However, you are expected to be polite, mature, and on topic.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Pearl in The Scarlet Letter
Pearl is often seen as simply "an imp or devilish child." Is she? Is she a flat character and allegorical symbol or is she something more and faceted? What lines fully flesh-out her characterization?
Pearl is a very smart little child. She is able to understand and interpret others actions. She is able to notice that Dimmesdale puts his hand on his heart when he is reminded of his sin. Pearl is a devilish child in how she torments Dimmesdale, but she does have good aspects. Pearl can also represent Hester's “living A". Pearl is Hester's walking reminder of her sin. Pearl says that she was plucked off the rose bush by the prison. IH
Pearl is, indeed, an imp and a little devil. Because her father cannot truly be traced, she is illegitimate, and therefore considered evil. To the community, Pearl is a symbol of the sin of her parents, and must always be labeled as thus. Pearl was concieved in an act of passion, and therefore is a passionate child of nature. However, to Hester as well as to the reader and Hawthorne, Pearl is much more. Her intuition and understanding of people reveals that she is more in touch with the community and with human nature than most people twice her age. "Mother", Pearl asks on page 219, "was that the same minister that kissed me by the brook?" This knowledge of the difference between Reverand Dimmesedale in the forest and the Reverend in the procession reveals that, though young, Pearl understands the connection between her mother and the man she does not quite recognize. She also senses the tension he feels, and the disappointment Hester experiences. These insights, as well as her wild and compassionate nature, reveal that Pearl is much more than simply an "imp."
In a superficial sense, Pearl is quite the "little devil". Her knowledge of Puritan creationism is limited, if at all existent, and her own existence is the product of a Puritanically damnable act. Beyond her imp-ish characteristics, though, is a Pearl who acts as an important symbol in the novel. The idea that she was "plucked by her mother by the bush of wild roses that grew by the prison door" suggests that Pearl is a child of Nature as opposed to the offspring of Society. As such, Pearl persistently inquires as to the social cowardice of her Society wrought elders, namely Dimmesdale and Hester. She urges the Reverend to stand on the scaffold with she and her mother. In the forest, a realm in which Pearl seems at home- she dons herself with Nature's raiment of flowers and foliage- she asks if the Reverend will walk hand in hand with she and Hester through the streets of Boston. As both of these would condemn the private adulterer in Dimmesdale, Pearl obviously possesses insight of the social boundaries present in her parents. Representative of Nature, Pearl's character expands on the juxtaposition of Nature and Society in Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter".
Pearl seems to relate things that others seem to not be able to see. She senses the link between Hester and Dimmesdale. Pearl is seen as an imp only because she was born out of sin. She becomes a "normal" child after Dimmesdale lets everyone know of his guilt. Pearl is an innocent child besides the sin that she was born with.
Pearl is considered a "little devil" throughout this novel because she was conceived through a sinful act in the Puritans' eyes. However, she is a child of nature, "plucked by her mother by the bush of wild roses that grew by the prison door." She is able to sense things, like Hester and Dimmesdale's relationship, that no one else is able to. Towards the end of the novel, she becomes legitimate, or "normal", when Dimmesdale claims her as his own. Overall, Pearl is just a little girl born from a sin of passion rather than a "little devil."
5 comments:
Pearl is a very smart little child. She is able to understand and interpret others actions. She is able to notice that Dimmesdale puts his hand on his heart when he is reminded of his sin. Pearl is a devilish child in how she torments Dimmesdale, but she does have good aspects. Pearl can also represent Hester's “living A". Pearl is Hester's walking reminder of her sin. Pearl says that she was plucked off the rose bush by the prison. IH
Pearl is, indeed, an imp and a little devil. Because her father cannot truly be traced, she is illegitimate, and therefore considered evil. To the community, Pearl is a symbol of the sin of her parents, and must always be labeled as thus. Pearl was concieved in an act of passion, and therefore is a passionate child of nature. However, to Hester as well as to the reader and Hawthorne, Pearl is much more. Her intuition and understanding of people reveals that she is more in touch with the community and with human nature than most people twice her age. "Mother", Pearl asks on page 219, "was that the same minister that kissed me by the brook?" This knowledge of the difference between Reverand Dimmesedale in the forest and the Reverend in the procession reveals that, though young, Pearl understands the connection between her mother and the man she does not quite recognize. She also senses the tension he feels, and the disappointment Hester experiences. These insights, as well as her wild and compassionate nature, reveal that Pearl is much more than simply an "imp."
In a superficial sense, Pearl is quite the "little devil". Her knowledge of Puritan creationism is limited, if at all existent, and her own existence is the product of a Puritanically damnable act. Beyond her imp-ish characteristics, though, is a Pearl who acts as an important symbol in the novel. The idea that she was "plucked by her mother by the bush of wild roses that grew by the prison door" suggests that Pearl is a child of Nature as opposed to the offspring of Society. As such, Pearl persistently inquires as to the social cowardice of her Society wrought elders, namely Dimmesdale and Hester. She urges the Reverend to stand on the scaffold with she and her mother. In the forest, a realm in which Pearl seems at home- she dons herself with Nature's raiment of flowers and foliage- she asks if the Reverend will walk hand in hand with she and Hester through the streets of Boston. As both of these would condemn the private adulterer in Dimmesdale, Pearl obviously possesses insight of the social boundaries present in her parents. Representative of Nature, Pearl's character expands on the juxtaposition of Nature and Society in Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter".
Pearl seems to relate things that others seem to not be able to see. She senses the link between Hester and Dimmesdale. Pearl is seen as an imp only because she was born out of sin. She becomes a "normal" child after Dimmesdale lets everyone know of his guilt. Pearl is an innocent child besides the sin that she was born with.
Pearl is considered a "little devil" throughout this novel because she was conceived through a sinful act in the Puritans' eyes. However, she is a child of nature, "plucked by her mother by the bush of wild roses that grew by the prison door." She is able to sense things, like Hester and Dimmesdale's relationship, that no one else is able to. Towards the end of the novel, she becomes legitimate, or "normal", when Dimmesdale claims her as his own. Overall, Pearl is just a little girl born from a sin of passion rather than a "little devil."
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