The Scarlet Letter

Pearl Prynne is often known as the “elf child” or the “devil child” in the book The Scarlet letter, but in actuality she is a living symbol of the scarlet letter itself. Pearl is a reminder to her mother that she is an outcast, adulterer and most importantly a sinner. Pearl forces Hester to accept their sins. The puritan society also looks down on Pearl just as they do the scarlet letter because they know that because of sin, Pearl was born.

Pearl is the only thing Hester Prynne has in her life. Hester says in the book that Pearl is her living scarlet letter, and causes her more pain than the scarlet letter itself. "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 million-fold the power of retribution for my sin?"(Hawthorne101).

As well as being the only thing in Hester's life, she gives her a significant name. Hester gives Pearl her name because she is referring to the pearl of great price. The reason she is referring to this is because, like the man who sold everything he had to buy the pearl, Hester ends up losing everything she had when she has Pearl. Hester loses her dignity, her respect, and basically everything else. She gains Pearl and the scarlet letter. Hester refers to Pearl as her treasure. “But she named the infant “Pearl,” as being of great price,---purchased with all she had,--her mother’s only treasure!” (Hawthorne, 80).

Like the scarlet letter, Pearl is looked down on by the Puritan society. The children often throw rocks at her and call her names. Pearl is a child full of beauty and sin. She is elaborately dressed, much like the scarlet letter. The puritan people see her beauty and they fear it. "So magnificent was the small figure, when thus arrayed, and such was the splendor of Pearl's own proper beauty, shining through the gorgeous robes which might have extinguished a paler loveliness, that there was an absolute circle of radiance around her on the dark-some cottage-floor...She could recognize her wild, desperate, defiant mood, the flightiness of her temper, and even some of the very cloud-shapes of gloom and despondency that had brooded in her heart. They were now illuminated by the morning radiance of a young child's disposition..."(Hawthorne, 81). The people are also bewildered and also almost put in a trance by Pearl, much like the scarlet letter; "Heart smitten at this bewildering and baffling spell..." (Hawthorne, 83).

Even though Pearl is a beautiful, vivacious child, she forces her mother to realize every day that she is a sinner. Pearl also is looked down on by her town and the puritan society. Pearl takes it well though; she doesn't seem to care what people think about her. I admire that about Pearl. She takes something bad about her situation and turns it out for good. Pearl is related to the theme of The Scarlet Letter because she shows that bad things can turn out for good, just like Hester's sin turned out for good (Pearl).