"Pearl resembled the brook, inasmuch as the current of her life gushed from a well-spring as mysterious, and had flowed through scenes shadowed as heavily with gloom" (169). Throughout the novel, The Scarlet Letter, brooks appear in multiple cases, acting as a symbol of serenity, separation, and of Pearl. The water, with its heavenly aura, gives the reader a sense of peace during times of suspense and anguish.

Pearl's image during suspenseful parts of the novel is often reflected off of the brook's glassy surface, identifying a connection between Pearl and the brook . "Where [Pearl] had paused, the brook chanced to form a pool, so smooth and quiet that it reflected a perfect image of her little figure, with all the brilliant picturesqueness of her beauty... so nearly identical with the living Pearl... meanwhile all glorified with a ray of sunshine" (189). Throughout chapter 19, where this passage is located, the...