Innocent Little Pearl

It may seem that Pearl is a disastrous form of torture sent by the Devil to torment Hester Prynne in the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. However, with closer examination it is easy to see just how angelic Pearl is to her dear mother in her times of need, redeeming Hester of her sins. Although Hester Prynne may never be able to change what she did in her past she can alter her future in the form of her sweet daughter Pearl. Pearl will be the self-defining symbol of innocence that Hester Prynne has lost. Pearl will alter the fate of her mother’s life by keeping Hester away from the devil, associating her with heaven, and balancing her mother’s sin. 

Pearl is the only thing keeping Hester Prynne bound to God despite Hester Prynne once being a beacon to society of perfection. In England, she was an admirable source of beauty, character, and faithfulness to the church. However, once she was alone from moving into the Colonies, she changed. She took steps closer towards the devil, in the form of committing adultery. After being condemned and branded with a letter A on her chest, the only thing that kept her will to live was her sweet Pear signifying her only treasure. When invited by a witch to meet with the “black man”, a figure who we understand to symbolize the devil, Hester declines. Hester states, “I must tarry 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 75). If not for Pearl, Hester would have decided to dive further into the darkness of sin; Willingly giving herself into temptation by the devil. In this scene, Pearl proves to be a factor in diverting her mother away from the grasp of the Devil. Pearl here proves herself to save her mother away from the devil, something that only certain characters in the book pick up on.

It is clear from the point of view of Reverend Dimmesdale, that with his vast knowledge of The Bible, Pearl is a significant piece in Hester Prynne’s redemption. While Hester has acted in a manner that cannot be forgiven, she can be redeemed by raising a force of good for the world. While trying to assign Pearl to a new mother, Dimmsdale retorts, “Therefore it is good for this poor, sinful woman, confined to her care-to be trained up by her to righteousness, to remind her, at every moment, of her fall, but yet to teach her as if it were by the Creator’s sacred pledge, that if she brings a child to heaven, the child will also bring its parents thither!” (73). Reverend Dimmesdale states to the audience and readers, that although Hester Prynne may never be able to reach heaven herself, she may raise a child who will bring her in by association. Pearl with all of her overwhelming divine relation may overshadow Hester’s most grave sin. Without a doubt, Dimmesdale foresees Pearl as a future resident of Heaven, despite her conflicts with Puritan children.

A common thought is that Pearl’s actions towards the townsfolk children represent Pearl’s demonic affinity. Her actions against the children at times can be ferocious due to the constant fighting. When Pearl is interacting with the other children it can often end in the swift precise use of force that may paint her negatively. However, a closer examination of the fighting contrasts how we initially see her battles. During a confrontation between Pearl and the children, they decide to play a game where they fling mud at Hester Prynne and Pearl. As stated by the narrator, “She resembled in her fierce pursuit of them, an infant pestilence-the scarlet fever, or some such half-fledged angle of judgment-whose mission was to punish the sins of the rising generation.” (65). Although Pearl does fight back courageously, it is always in defense. Pearl does not create the conflict but rather rises to defend her mother from these child attackers. Pearl being depicted as an angelic figure by the narrator conveys her true purpose to her mother. As Pearl fights for the redemption of her mother, it only further highlights just opposite Pearl is to her mother’s sin.

Hester Prynne has sinned in a way that will grant her to receive no human sympathy. She is completely at fault for her position and will never be able to directly cause herself to be on the side of God. Therefore, to balance the sinful life of Hester Prynne, she has been given a daughter so pure and holy. Pearl is a gift from above, that will forever signify her mother’s disgrace by simply holding a child so lovely by her sin-bearing self. The narrator roars, “God, as a direct consequence of the sin which has thus punished, had given her a lovely child, whose place was on that same dishonored bosom, to connect her parent for ever with the race and descent of mortals, and to finally a blessed soul into heaven!” (57). Pearl’s soul has been blessed only to oppose her mother. God has given Hester Prynne Pearl not to show her how deserving she is of a child but to simply balance each other. Adultery will never be removed from her skin, as Pearl will never be removed from her side. Both are examples of the extremes which they represent. An aging mother who is defined by her sin only to be contrasted with a young angelic Pearl gifted from God.    Pearl is no demonic figure cast down on Hester to torment her for the rest of her life. Rather she is an angelic figure, a balance to Hester’s life of sin that desperately needs salvation. Pearl is a goddess amongst devils, a child so pure that among all of the demonic presence of the Puritans, she is often mistaken for a devil. Only further proving her fight for redemption as she is symbolized as an angelic creature fighting against impish Puritan children. She is a force of good if only alive to ensure the balance between her mother’s sin and redemption. Even reminding reverend Dimmesdale of an example of the Creator’s pledge. However, more importantly, Pearl is her mother’s anchor to life, serving as the final influence Hester may have as she moves closer to judgment day. Pearl is the only force for good that Hester Prynne will ever have in The Scarlet Letter.