The Amazing

Character Analysis
of Pearl
FROM THE SCARLET LETTER

By: Madysen Cheek

 The Scarlet Letter―a Gothic novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne―is a story of

forbidden love and consequences set in colonial Salem, Massachusetts in the late 1700’s. One of

the town windows, Hester Prynne, is accused of the sin of adultery and she is made to walk about

her life with her sin pinned to her chest in the form of a scarlet A. Hester was in prison a while

before this and it was there that she gave birth to a daughter named Pearl. As she becomes older,

Pearl grows to be vicious, rather stubborn, and a living symbolization of the scarlet letter. All of

these draw both Hester and Dimmesdale into a troubled state of mind.

Pearl’s steadily growing violent behavior is one of the forces driving Hester to think of

her as a demon-child. An example of her nature is displayed on streets when Pearl and Hester are

waking toward Governor Bellingham’s house. A group of children began taunting Hester but
although she remains calm, Pearl chases after the trouble-makers while screaming wildly. It’s an

act of defense but even so, it is one of the first signs readers are given as an insight to her nature.

A second occurrence takes place as Hester speaks with Chillingworth, when Pearl runs to play

along the beach. She entertains herself by bombarding seagulls with stones and lying jellyfish out

in the sun to dry up. This is shown in the following quote:

Perceiving a flock of beach-birds, that fed and fluttered along the shore, the

naughty child picked up her apron full of pebbles and, creeping from rock to rock

after these small sea-fowl, displayed remarkable dexterity in pelting them.

(Hawthorne pg. 122)

A final case in point of Pearl’s demeanor is evident in the way she treats her mother. While still

young, she one tossed flowers at her mother as a way to mock her, and she does so several more

times throughout the novel by nagging and sometimes even ridiculing Hester. Pearl is a

mischievous, violent child that worries her mother and troubles her, fueling her guilt.

Pearl is also stubborn, something that causes the townspeople to regard her as a strange

child. Her adamancy is most displayed toward other people, such as Governor Bellingham. In

Chapter VIII, the governor attempts to reach out to Pearl but the child runs away from him,

jumping on the top step to escape. No one is surprised at this though, because it is quite common

for a girl her age to act in this manner. Later on in life when she is seven years old, however,

Pearl displays the same sort of unwillingness to be close to anyone other than her mother. When

Hester asks her to come and meet Mr. Dimmesdale, the child refuses and asks questions

concerning his hand over his heart and the worth of his love for them. It is by force that Hester

manages to bring Pearl over. As a last example, the scene before this must be referred to. Pearl is

playing by the brook when Hester first tells her to come and speak to Reverend Dimmesdale and

this is shortly after Hester has thrown her scarlet letter to the side. Having never seen her mother
without it, the girl is reluctant to heed her.

“Hasten thee, Pearl, or I shall be angry with you!” cried Hester Prynne, who,

however inured to such behavior on the elf-child’s part at other seasons, was

naturally anxious for a more seemly department. “Leap across the brook,

naughty child, and run hither! Else I must come to thee!” But Pearl, not a whit

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 pg. 144)

Therefore, it is quite safe to say that Pearl is hard-headed child who seems to have no problem

with making this clear to everyone else around her.

The last point that must be made is Pearl’s uncanny symbolism of the scarlet letter that

Hester wears, as well as her symbolic portrayal of other things (such as evil). The girl is a living,

breathing consequence of Hester’s sin and is always with her, as the crimson A is. She will go to

no one other than her mother and it is shown that when the letter is away, the child keeps her

distance from Hester as well. True, this is because Pearl has never seen Hester without it, but it is

also showing how she mimics the letter in more ways than one. Therefore, Hester carries Pearl

with her everywhere because she is “wisely judging that one token of her shame would but poorly

serve to hide another.” (Hawthorne pg. 49) Pearl also shares a haunting beauty with the Scarlet

letter, a beauty that is only enhanced when Hester insists on dressing her in red and gold. As for

rendering sin, this is made painfully clear by her actions and place in the novel. She represents

God’s punishment of what Hester and Dimmesdale have done and she denotes guilt and defiance

(that is to say, her cheerfulness and association with nature go against Puritan law). A final case of

this symbolism is her similarity to the rose bush in front of the prison. To further expound, it is

said that the bush shows light in the midst of darkness (joy in times of trouble, so to speak) and
although Pearl has caused her mother suffering throughout the years, she is also her source of

company and happiness when no one else dares to approach her for what she has done. Pearl is

utterly symbolic and this seems to be her main role in the story―a living attribute for all that is

occurring around her.

Due to her attributes and emblematical tendencies, Pearl makes the most memorable

impact on the characters of The Scarlet Letter. Dimmesdale ends up on the brink of death when

she finally shows him the affection he wished for at their first meeting and Hester returns to her

cottage, living in continued isolation as she goes back to raising Pearl. Chillingworth dies along

with the reverend but his death may have more to do with aging and health issues than his former

wife’s daughter. More than likely, Pearl grew into a somewhat decent young lady―depending on

how well she heeded her mother’s warning of sin and its consequences―and she might have even

used her newfound riches to aid her mother’s business of clothe-making. Whatever the case may

be, one can easily assume that she remained at Hester’s side, an ever-present reminder of what

never should have been.