Pearl Is a Destructive force in Hester’s Life

Pearl is a gift and a curse. This statement perfectly describes Pearl’s role in Hester’s life in the novel The Scarlet letter by Hawthorne. Pearl is definitely a gift for Hester. She supported Hester when Hester first wore the Scarlet Letter. She was Hester’s only company, so Hester interpreted Pearl as a gift; however, Pearl is more of a curse than a gift for Hester because Pearl always acts against Hester, she indicates bad things, and if Pearl doesn’t exist at the first place, Hester’s life would be less dramatic.

Pearl is a curse because she seems to have a nature of afflicting her mother with the letter. The reason for this might be that Pearl, like the letter, is a consequence of Hester’s sin. Pearl is a child of devil; she was born to revenge Hester for her sin. When Pearl was playing by the sea while her mother was trying to stop Chillingworth’s revenge, “Pearl took some eelgrass and imitated on her bosom, as best she could, the decoration that she was so used to seeing on her mother’s. A letter—the letter A—but green instead of scarlet” (Hawthorne 75). She did this to catch her mother’s attention so that she could ask about the letter; however, her mother never told her about this. Why? It is easy to assume that although Hester has used to the letter, she still wanted to be free from the letter, she did not want Pearl to bring this up. We can also see this when Hester was finally able to discard the Letter, but this caused Pearl to refuse to come back to Hester when she decided to leave. Pearl exposed her wild side of her characteristics. Her resistance embarrassed Hester, she was, “startled at her mother’s threats, any more than mollified by her entreaties, now suddenly burst into a fit of passion, gesticulating violently and throwing her small figure into the most extravagant contortions” (Hawthorne 94). She might not have the intention to hurt her mother, but she forced her mother to put the letter on again. It’s not hard to tell from this statement of the narrator that Hester was destroyed by this action of Pearl. “As if there were a withering spell in the sad letter, her beauty, the warmth and richness of her womanhood, departed, like fading sunshine; and a gray shadow seemed to fall across her.” (Hawthorne 95). Pearl retriggered the spell in the letter. Her mother had to live in gray shadow again. Pearl peeled the scab on Hester’s heart again and again. She was a true curse for Hester.

Pearl also destroyed Hester’s life by indicating bad events, as if she is the bad thing itself.  Every world that Pearl said has consequences; her words could always be implied, which was unusual for a small child. When Hester and Pearl were passing by Dimmesdale and Chillingworth, “the child laughed aloud, and shouted,— ‘Come away, mother! Come away, or yonder old 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 50). Pearl indicated that the Black Man, which was the devil would catch Hester and has caught Dimmsdale already. Later during the procession, Mistress Hibbins said the Black Man worked for her and Dimmesdale’ sin would get exposed publicly, and this happened. Dimmesdale was dead in the end. Hester and Dimmesdale’s plan of starting a new life was not going to come true; her hope was diminished. From another perspective, this event also supported that pearl is a devil’s child, who was born to catch Hester and people around her.

Some might argue that Pearl also saved Hester; however, only on the surface. When Hester and Pearl finished their visit to the town’s governors, Mistress Hibbins asked Hester to come to witches party. Hester refused because she had to take care of Pearl. The narrator stated that “Even thus early had the child saved her from Satan’s snare”(Hawthorne 40). Yes, this is very true because Pearl existed, but what if Pearl was not born? All of the stories, good or bad, would not happen. Hester might have the chance of living a peaceful life, without the gift and curse, curse more than a gift, little Pearl, who was a representative of the devil, trying to drag Hester to the Hell all the time.

In brief, Pearl always acts against Hester, and act as a devil’s child to bring curses to Hester. Hester would have a peaceful life without Hester; However, Pearl is the only one to truly prosper in this novel, and the reason for this is what Pearl destroyed is the opposite of the main idea of this novel. She is a symbol of independence, so she has to act against the old ideas; to destroy what Hester wants. From Hester’s view, to counteract this negative force, Hester interprets Pearl as her little company, but Pearl is a destructing force in Hester’s life in nature.