Pearl, an Implausible Character: the Scarlet Letter
Summary:
In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the main character, Hester, commits adultery and is forced to wear the scarlet letter "A" and to relive everyday with shame and dishonor. Similar to Hester, many characters also suffer from the tolls of sin, but none as horribly as Pearl, Hester's daughter.
Pearl, an Implausible Character
In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the main character, Hester, commits adultery and is forced to wear the scarlet letter "A" and to relive everyday with shame and dishonor. Similar to Hester, many characters also suffer from the tolls of sin, but none as horribly as Pearl, Hester's daughter. From the day she is born, she is portrayed as a demon offspring and forced to suffer from sin that is not her own, but that of Hester's. Therefore, instead of being an individual character, Pearl is a foil for the hidden thoughts, feelings, and hypocrisies of adults. Hawthorne introduces Pearl, as an unrealistic character to prove the theme that egotism is the cause of man's suffering.
Rather than symbolizing a mother's undying love for her child, Hester and Pearl's false relationship reveals how Hester's selfishness forces her to grieve. At the beginning of the novel, Hester emerges the prison with the letter "A" embroidered onto her chest. She carries Pearl, a baby, in her arms but displays no affection towards Pearl:
When the woman--the mother of this child--stood fully revealed before the crowd, it seemed to be her first impulse to clasp the infant closely to her bosom; not so much by an impulse of motherly affection, as that she might thereby conceal a certain token, which was wrought or fastened into her dress. (50)
When Hester and Pearl are first on the scaffold, Hester has to resist the temptation to use Pearl as a shield for the scarlet letter. Although she maintains a dignified and strong demeanor, by regarding Pearl as an object of barrier rather than a child of affection, Hester reveals that she is weak and ashamed because of her sin. Pearl's and Hester's unlikely mother-daughter relationship functions as proof that Hester prefers being accepted by the public as a noble and loyal wife over having the joy of being a mother.
Even as the story progresses and Hester learns to love Pearl, she still does not see Pearl as a daughter, but as a companion to suffer with and as a reason to continue living. When Governor Bellingham threatens to take Pearl away from Hester, Hester responds violently, "'God gave me the child! [...] 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 [...] Ye shall not take her! I will die first!'" (109) . Although Pearl has become Hester's only friend, Hester still sees Pearl as a salvation from death rather than a child to love. It is also implausible that after several years of having a child, that Hester continues to believe Pearl is a representation of the scarlet "A", a mere piece of embroidered cloth. However, Hawthorne does so to prove that due to Hester's impractical maternal view of her own daughter, she is incapable to truly love anyone.
Hawthorne continues to reveal Hester's superficiality in his improbable descriptions of Pearl as Pearl progresses through childhood. Pearl is perfectly shaped, vigorous, passionate, and impulsive; all of which are in Hester as well. As she rapidly matures, her personality is more like Hester's and more unconvincing:
These outbreaks of fierce temper had a kind of value, and even comfort, for her mother, because there was at leas tan intelligible earnestness in the mood, instead of fitful caprice that so thwarted her in the child's manifestations. It appalled her, nevertheless, to discern here, again, a shadowy reflection of the evil that had existed in herself. All this enmity and passion had Pearl inherited, by alienable right, out of Hester's heart. (91)
Such descriptions and actions suggest that Pearl is not an independent character so much as an abstraction of Hester. It is unrealistic for Pearl to have such a similar eccentric personality to that of her mother, but Hawthorne does so to compare Pearl's lawlessness to Hester's refined public demeanor and to show how fake Hester has become. Furthermore, it is implausible that Pearl would wear such bold clothing even though the Puritans only wear plain, dark clothing. Hester spends an abundant amount of time adorning Pearl's clothes with the finest cloths and the brightest colors while she only wears one dress of coarse material and sooty color. Even when Pearl goes to Governor Bellingham's house, she wears a bright red velvet tunic. Coincidentally, Pearl's red attire is the same bright hue as Hester's scarlet brand, which indicates that Hester does not want to suffer alone from the society's wrath. Also, Hester indulges Pearl because she is able to have an outlet for her skill without being rebuked by the Puritans. It is incomprehensible why Hester selfishly sacrifices her daughter's public esteem if the Puritans disgrace bold clothing. Hester purposely molds Pearl after her own personality and dress because she is convinced that it will comfort her agony, when in fact it makes her prone to more public shame and disgust.
Although it is understandable for a child to be capricious, Pearl's fickle personality is unreasonable whenever she is with Dimmesdale. At their first occurrence at Governor Bellingham's house, Dimmesdale articulately defends Hester and convinces Bellingham that Pearl should stay with Hester. Afterwards, Pearl is uncharacteristically gentle, "Pearl, that wild and flighty little elf, stole softly towards him, and taking his hand in the grasp of both of her own, laid her cheek against it; a caress so tender, and withal so unobtrusive, that her mother, who was looking on, asked herself, 'Is that my Pearl"'" (112) . Pearl's abrupt change in personality indicates that she is appreciative, if not loving, towards Dimmesdale even though he still has not admitted to being her father. This response, however, is unrealistic when considering Pearl avoids Dimmesdale in the forest. When Hester waits for Dimmesdale in the woods, they resolve a plan to run away from disgrace and guilt. Both are ecstatic about their scheme and determined to live the perfect life with Pearl. Pearl's reaction to Dimmesdale newfound affection, however, is anything but desired, "Hereupon, Pearl broke away from her mother, and, running to the brook, stooped over it and bathed her forehead, until the unwelcome kiss was quite washed off and diffused through a long lapse of the gliding water" (209) . She refuses Dimmesdale's kiss because he has yet to confess his adulterous relationship with Hester. She is a reminder that he is naïve and egotistical to escape guilt without suffering from his mistakes as Hester has. Considering Pearl's tempestuous personality and the fact that she only loves her mother, her response to Dimmesdale's kiss is expected. The prior scene, however, contradicts the scene in the forest, in that Dimmesdale still has not confessed, but Pearl praises him with a gentle nudge of her cheek. In the second scene, the circumstance is similar, (Dimmesdale is still wrought with guilt), but she refuses him. Therefore, Pearl's character is far-fetched because her reaction to similar events regarding Dimmesdale differs each time. Pearl only relays the theme that Dimmesdale's vanity to preserve his austere stature and to avoid punishment causes his own demise.
Pearl cannot be considered as an individual because she is the mirror image of the theme that conceitedness prevails over conscience and deteriorates man. Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Pearl's character is similar to that of a chameleon, abruptly changing to fit each scene and surrounding. Pearl is a part of everything around her such that the changes that affect her internally are the ones that occur externally.
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