“The scarlet letter has not done its office.”, remarked the narrator as Hester developed a strong dissent towards the social inequality that targeted her using an embroidered letter (Hawthorne 114). Throughout the novel, readers are well aware of the letter’s presence and its impact on Hester’s attitude towards her sin. It is undeniably true that the embroidery literally represented her sin, adultery, and it eventually became her only representation. Through time, however, there appeared a startling element that arguably had a greater significance on Hester and her sin more than the letter could. Pearl, being born of Hester’s sin, has evidently been an intolerable child with little similarity to her mother and an incredibly impeccable memory for reminding Hester of her misdeed.
Despite being a child born expected to be drenched in sin, Pearl ironically contradicts her morose mother. She is indeed a creation of sin, but she is also a composition of vibrant sun rays and lighthearted “capering”. Even around Hester’s constant sullen state in the graveyard full of buried corpses, Pearl manages to “[draw] her mother away, skipping, dancing, and frisking fantastically” as if she has been made “afresh, out of new elements” (Hawthorne 92). Seemingly going against everything and everyone had expected her to be on purpose, Pearl lives however she feels. It can be reasoned that Pearl is, afterall, a small child who has no self-control and behaves like every seven-year-old. In some cases, she shows a mischievously cunning side when smiling as a response to her mother’s tantrum. Moreover, Pearl is slowly extracting Hester’s essence as she grows up. In the beginning, Hester has been described as a symbol of elegance with her “dark and abundant hair” and “richness in complexion” in her face (Hawthorne, 37). Pearl came around with “a beauty that shone with deep and vivid tints” in traits she has inherited from her mother, maybe with even an intense bloom of colors (Hawthorne, 69). At the same time, beauty gradually fades away from Hester’s circulation and is replaced with a coarse and rugged presence as Pearl becomes brighter and brighter. Being the portrayal of sin in her mother’s life, Pearl makes a glamorous appearance that soon overshadows her mother.
Not only is Pearl’s presence and her completely contrary energy a physical reminder for Hester of her sin, Pear intentionally brings her mother’s scarlet letter to attention. All the way back when Pearl was a baby, she has already developed an interest in the scarlet letter and would not let it leave her sight. Feeling like she is constantly being watched, “Hester has never felt a moment of safety; not a moment’s calm enjoyment of her” by her observative infant (Hawthorne, 66). Aside from all the threats and hatred from townspeople that puts Hester in constant danger, even the child she gave birth to, Pearl, seems to add to her fear rather than ‘safety’ or ‘calm’ with gazing eyes. Also, since Hester only has Pearl as her companion and friend, every time Pearl appears, her sin trotters along. Regardless of the times when Pearl unintentionally hurts her mother, she definitely did it on purpose in several incidents. There are numerous of examples that could prove her conscious decision being very clear, but the mockery of Hester’s scarlet letter made out of seaweed was a detail one could not skip over. The fact that she meticulously arranged the seaweed so it formed the letter A like her mother’s was a bold move. Pearl has been dragging her mother through hardships with her obstination and the never ending remarks on the scarlet letter that she has no understanding of its meaning. Yet, it was also in this occurrence that Hester realized that her daughter is attempting a misguided act of sympathy, that she was not merely poking this pain for pure entertainment.
Pearl can be a stinging stimulation to an unforgettable affair to the one closest to her, nevertheless, she is an undeniable blessing in Hester’s life. In spite of the disobedience and her cheeky personality, Pearl has expressed sudden arbitrary tenderness when everyone least expects her to. When she approaches Dimmesdale in the beginning of the novel and “taking his hand in the grasp of both her own, laid her cheek against” with so much humanity it surprises even Hester (Hawthorne, 79). In this split moment, a new side of Pearl was uncovered unexpectedly. Pearl, the sinful Pearl, shows signs of sympathy that rises hope that she too, can love. She was definitely born with the label of evil marked on her, yet her existence is the sole reason why Hester is still alive. Through the encounter with Mistress Hibbins, Hester finally concludes that if Pearl was taken away, she “willing would have gone with thee into the forest, and signed my name in the Black Man’s book too, and that with mine own blood!” (Hawthorne, 80). Certainly, Pearl can be a trouble, but she is undeniably the only joy in her mom’s life.
Pearl is a complicated character who brings bitter happiness to her mother. An embodiment of sin that sets herself completely apart from her mother with her rays of merriment and the beauty essence she inherited. Her sheer constant presence is a living mental note of Hester’s sin that intentionally jabs at her. To sum up, Pearl represents sin and punishment by radiating opposite energy from her mother to remind her how miserable she is. She is indeed a small clever child who just wanted to understand what is going on in the novel like readers are. However, it is important to understand that even though she has been troublesome, whether intentionally or not, she is being considered as a symbol of devil in the skin of a seven-year-old.