Pearl Essay – A Reflection of Sin

A Reflection of Sin 

Should a child be the reflection of a parent’s sin? In the novel The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is shamed for adultery and forced to wear a brand on her chest: a scarlet colored “A”. Pearl represents Hester’s past, yet she presents an opportunity for growth beyond Hester’s sins. She is described as a demon child and negatively viewed throughout the town; she depicts qualities associated with her sin. Afterall, she is the product of a sin; however; she should not be compared to the “A” Hester so shamelessly wears on her chest. Unlike the scarlet letter, Pearl is the only source of awakening and bliss woven into Hester Prynne’s ungodly past. 

“These actions are influenced by her characteristics of cleverness that go along with her unruly and untamed nature.”

Pearl is a shield to all the temptations of sin that surround Hester in the small town. These actions are influenced by her characteristics of cleverness that go along with her unruly and untamed nature. She depicts many actions that go hand in hand with her rebellious character that nonetheless protect Hester Prynne from the actions of the townspeople and her temptations to repeat sinful behaviours. When the town’s children throw mud at Hester, Pearl shows great devotion in her actions, she resembles a “a dauntless child” or “an infant of pestilence” but is rational in her actions while standing up for her mother: “shaking her little hand with a variety of threatening gestures, suddenly made a rush at the knot of her enemies, and put them all to flight,” (Hawthorne 92) Having escaped the scorn of the town’s children, the narrator makes a remark that shapes the motives for her unhinged actions: “She resembled, in her fierce pursuit of them, an infant pestilence–the scarlet fever, or some such half-fledged angel of judgment–whose mission was to punish the sins of the rising generation,” (Hawthorne 92). The metaphor comparing Pearl to the scarlet fever sticks out as it ties in her relation to the scarlet letter, both of these elements negatively affecting the Puritan society. Another instance in which Pearl demonstrates this core value of “punishing the sins of the rising generation” is when her mother is tempted to make an encounter with the Black Man, but is faced with incertitude because she does not have anyone to take care of Pearl. Hester politely declines the invitation by claiming: “I must tarry at home, and keep watch over my little Pearl. Had they taken her from me, I would willingly 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 105). Her temptation of sin is so great that she emphasizes signing her name with her own blood out of her own will. Pearl is the only one who stands up for Hester in these scenarios and is the key to the undoing of Hester’s ignominy. 

Along with Pearl being her protection, Pearl also is Hester Prynne’s only companion and salvation. Hester’s ignominy is one of her punishments for her sin; however, Pearl sticks by her mother’s side through the public’s rejection of Hester and her values. Her mother often deems her behaviour hard to contain and manage. However, the very law which condemned Hester, had been a blessing: “The very law that condemned her — a giant stern of her features, but with vigor to support, as well as annihilate, in his iron arm — had held her up, through the terrible ordeal of her ignominy,” (Hawthorne 70).  This quote represents how the birth of Pearl gave her support and drove her away from solitude in her shame. Pearl further carries Prynne through her shame by being her companion at all times: “Never since her release from prison had Hester met the public gaze without her. In all her walks about the town, Pearl, too, was there: first as the babe in arms, and afterwards as the little girl, small companion of her mother, holding a forefinger with her whole grasp, and tripping along at the rate of three or four footsteps to one of Hester’s,” (Hawthorne 84). This comfort from her own child gives her a sense that there is someone looking up to her despite her unlawful actions and someone for whom she must continue to live sinlessly.  

A pearl often constitutes a necklace and is scarce at the bottom of the ocean in an oyster’s heart. It is an object of value and often a name attributed to someone who is prized and rare. The meaning of Pearl’s name is not accidental; it is a representation of her worth to Hester. Hester also greatly prizes her work and takes her time creating very delicate garments for Pearl: “Her mother, in contriving the child’s garb, had allowed the gorgeous tendencies of her imagination their full play, arraying her in a crimson velvet tunic of a peculiar cut, abundantly embroidered in fantasies and flourishes of gold thread,” (Hawthorne 91). However, Hester still acknowledges that Pearl is a product of her sin, choosing crimson red for her vestments which is analogical to the scarlet letter that she wears on her chest. Additionally, Hester is adamant about the name she assigned her child and even compares her to a treasure just like pearls are found in treasure chests at the bottom of the ocean: “But she named the infant “Pearl,” as being of great price–purchased with all she had–her mother’s only treasure!” (Hawthorne 80). It can be interpreted that the price Hester paid for her sin is ignominy and public shame but she obtained something of value, Pearl, and therefore she becomes more accepting of committing adultery. 

While many might think that Pearl is the negative outcome of Hester’s sin sent by the devil, Pearl brings joy and motivation for Hester’s life. Pearl should not be blamed for Hester’s sin as she is not responsible for the conditions she is born in or how she is brought up. However, Pearl’s cleverness distinguishes her from other children in town. She is Hester’s protection, only companion and her treasure. In keeping with the scarlet letter on her chest, Pearl is a representation and reflection of Heter Prynne’s sinful behaviour; moreover, she is also her only chance for redemption and a blessing in her world engulfed by sin.