Children, Blessings Right?

Lily L. Beauchesne
Mrs. Waterman
(H) American Literature
27 September 2021

Children, Blessings Right?

Children are blessings… right? Isn’t that what is always said to expecting or young mothers? Are children truly blessings or are they the Devil in disguise? In the Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne an ongoing question throughout the novel is presented :Is Pearl a Devil’s spawn or is she a gift sent from God? At times even Hester questions if the child she birthed is an imp of evil. In fact, throughout this story, Pearl has shown multiple times that she was put on Earth by God, to protect her mother. She is very protective of her mother, she is presented discreetly as a gift from God, and Pearl saves her mother more than once from the Devil in disguise. Some might say that Pearl is trying to cause trouble between Dimmesdale and the townspeople by subtly revealing him as her father, but it is clear she doesn’t like to see him suffering with the guilt that has been suffocating him.  
Pearl has a very strong willed personality; she can be quite a devious troublemaker but it is going too far to claim that she is a Devil’s spawn. Pearl has shown many times that she deeply cares for her mother. At times she acts more as a motherly figure towards Hester than Hester acts towards her. Hester doesn’t like to stand up for herself because she feels like her mistreatment is part of her punishment from God. In a way, when Pearl stands up for her mother it is God trying to tell Hester he forgives her for her sin and doesn’t want her to suffer. Many of Pearl’s encounters with the Puritan children were not pleasant ones. They often started the altercation by insulting or tormenting Hester either with nasty comments or flinging things at them: “Pearl would grow positively terrible in her puny wrath, snatching up stones to fling at them, with shrill, incoherent exclamations, that made her mother tremble, because they had so much the sound of a witch’s anathemas in some unknown tongue.” (Hawthorne 65). Throughout the chapters, the narrator unfolded how Pearl’s personality developed. While reading the narrator is describing how her actions get her in trouble sometimes along with her devilish behavior towards the Puritan children. The narrator describes how, “But Pearl, who is a dauntless child, after frowning, stamping her foot, and 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 70). After doing this, she turns and smiles back to her mother, presenting how she thought her actions towards the children were good. 
Pearl is often shown as a symbol of God’s love as a gift to Hester. Hawthorne decides to let Pearl’s meaning in the book be a mystery to his audience. Subtly, Pearl is presented as a devilish child with sweet intentions. Since so many townspeople thought that Pearl was a Devil’s spawn, they wanted to remove her from her mother’s care. They thought that if Pearl was affiliated with the Devil, Hester’s soul would be in danger unless Pearl was removed from her care. On the other hand, if Pearl was capable of moral and religious growth, the townspeople wanted to transfer her to better guardianship than what Hester was capable of. They believed that since Hester had committed a sin, she wasn’t the right leadership role for her child. Pearl, not knowing what was at stake, decided to come up with a creative remark when she is asked who made her. This makes it easier for Hester to be proved unworthy of raising a child in the Christian faith. As the Governor argues to take Pearl away from her mother, Hester begs him to let her prove that she is worthy of keeping her child. Hester herself argues “ God gave me the child! He gave her in requital of all things else which ye had taken from me. She is my happiness!-- she is my torture, none the less! Pearl keeps me here in life! Pearl punishes me, too! See ye not, she is the scarlet letter, only capable of being loved, and so endowed with a millionfold the power of retribution for my sin? Ye shall not take her! I will die first!” (Hawthorne 77). This shows the governor how letting Pearl stay with her mother is also part of her redemption.  Even with her pleas, Hester couldn’t convince the Governor or the townspeople that she had the ability to teach Pearl about the Christian faith. Without question, Hester turned to the well trusted and respected Mr. Dimmesdale. Hester asked Mr. Dimmesdale, to speak on her behalf; she knew that he was one of the most respected and powerful men in the town and could change many people’s minds. Dimmesdale declares “ God gave her the child, and gave her, too, an instinctive knowledge of its nature and requirements-- both seemingly so peculiar-- which no other mortal being can possess. And, moreover, is there not a quality of awful sacredness in the relation between this mother and this child?” (Hawthorne 77-78). With that statement, the Governor reluctantly allowed Hester to keep her child; he trusted Dimmesdale whole heartedly and listened to his pastor’s statement.  
Lastly, Pearl is constantly the cause of keeping Hester safe from the Devil in disguise. The story has many hidden spiritual meanings, Hawthorne often hides the Devil in plain sight in the book. He often implies Chillingworth as the Black Man in many ways; Pearl often being the character to point it out. Pearl calls, “Come away, mother! Come away or the yonder black man will catch you! He hath got hold of the minister already. Come away, mother, or he will catch you! But he cannot catch little Pearl!” (Hawthorne 90). Pearl could see through Chillingworth. She didn’t refer to his deformity; she as a child could see his intentions before any of the adults could understand his evil spirit. Pearl also keeps Hester out of trouble indirectly. When Hester was invited to go into the woods with the Black Man, she told the Governor’s sister how much she would willingly participate but couldn’t because she had a child at home. This saved Hester from most likely getting killed at a witch trial, in which she would have gladly participated in if it hadn't been for Pearl.  The narrator presents her attitude towards the Black Man by showing how willingly she would sign his book, “ 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 79). It shows how Hester was almost excited to give her life to the Black Man. 
These are some of the many reasons why Pearl is a blessing in disguise to her mother instead of a devilish imp. She is very protective over Hester, she is a gift from God, and she saves her mother from the Devil in disguise. After reading this, what do you think? Is Pearl a Devil child like some of the Puritan’s think? Or is she a blessing in disguise to her mother? Are children really blessings in disguise?