Even if people may not realize, there will always be punishments for mistakes they have made. In the Scarlet Letter, Pearl will be the ultimate punishment throughout Hester’s life. Pearl not only reminds Hester about her sin and pasts, but Pearl also embarrasses Hester in her life. Last but not least, children are selfish to such an extent that they can’t endure any changes in their parents, even though the changes turn out to be good aspects.
Hester suffers from taking care of Pearl, because Pearl’s playful interaction with her will remind herself about her past and her sin. Pearl amuses herself with “Gathering handfuls of wild-flowers, and flinging them, one by one, ay her mother’s bosom; dancing up and down, like a little elf, whenever she hit the scarlet letter.” (Hawthorne, 87) Hester feels shame through her “first motion had been to cover her bosom with her clasped hands.” (Hawthorne, 87) This quote vividly depicted how Pearl plays with Hester and Hester’s reaction. Although Pearl was trying to amuse herself and share her joyfulness with Hester, as soon as Pearl hit the letter with flowers, subconsciously, Hester covered her letter with her hands in order to hide them. Because Hester feels ashamed by the behavior of Pearl, even though the objects are attractive flowers, she must remind herself about the day of punishment, the scene of shouldering the whole town’s malice on her back, on her own. The reminding of a punishment is considered to be a punishment, which is engraved deeply in Hester’s mind; therefore, Hester’s interaction with Pearl, although it is out of good will, causes her to blame and regret on herself. Pearl brings trouble not only in the daily interactions, but also in serious occasions.
Hester is greatly embarrassed by Pearl for her intentional naughty behaviors sometimes. When Mr. Wilson asks Pearl about who made you, her answer actually promotes the revelation of the relationship between Hester and Dimmesdale. After putting her finger in her mouth, Pearl’s answer was finally spoken, “[I] had not been made at all, but had been plucked by [my] mother off the bush of the wild roses, that grew by the prison door” (Hawthorne, 100). Hester has taught Pearl that she is sent by the Heavenly Father, which is the perfect answer to prove that she has the ability to look after Pearl and raise Pearl up by herself. However, the child, after several refusals, decides to challenge the question on her own. Pearl says she was plucked off the bush of wild roses that grew by the prison door, which is where the public humiliation happened. Because roses have thorns, the process of plucking Pearl out of the bush must be really tough; therefore, intelligent Pearl is trying to express her feelings against the unfair treatment to Hester. She actually outsmarts herself due to the overestimation of the judges. After the willful response, Hester has to ask for supports from Dimmesdale, her lover under the mask, which raises the suspicion from Chillingworth. Chillingworth in turn later asks for another round of investigating Hester’s lover. The process is really torturous and heartbreaking to Hester, and can absolutely be regarded as a punishment for her. Mostly Pearl’s naughty behavior unintentionally harms Hester, but the cruelest punishment for Hester is brought by Pearl, intentionally.
Pearl disregarded Hester’s noticing heartbreak because she disregarded her mother. Children are selfish, they want all of their parents love for themselves. They can’t even bear any changes in their parents; for Pearl, it will be the scarlet letter. Just like the narrator describes: “The child turned her eyes to the point indicated; and there lay the scarlet letter, so close upon the margin of the stream, that the gold embroidery was reflected on it” (Hawthorne, 193). In this plot, Hester wants Pearl to recognize her father and play with him; however, Pearl resists regarding Hester as her mother without the scarlet letter. Even though Hester begs Pearl to come, she refuses until Hester put her letter back on. Pearl can’t accept a completely different Hester without the scarlet letter, although she is more beautiful than before. As long as Hester wears the scarlet letter, she can’t confidently be what she wants to be; thus, she has to choose to be herself or Pearl mother at some moments, which is a really cruel punishment for Hester.
All in all, Pearl is like the shackles of sin on Hester, restraining her life. She is also like the clock hanging on her, reminding her about her sin. Pearl causes Hester troubles in both normal life and crucial occasions; moreover, she selfishness limits Hester to change her life wheels. Without noticing, Hester’s life has been significantly limited by Pearl, her precious daughter as the cruelest punishment.