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...