Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter essays

Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter essays The Scarlet Letter is a book of much symbolism. One of the most complex and misunderstood symbols in the book is Pearl, the daughter of Hester Prynne. Pearl, throughout the story, develops into a dynamic symbol - one that is always changing. Pearl came to represent this symbolism in many ways. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester received the scarlet letter, "A". She had to wear this letter upon her chest. This was the Puritan way of treating her as an adulteress. The Puritan treatment continued, because as Hester walked through the streets, she was looked down upon as if she were some sort of horrible being that had committed a terrible crime. This would give her much mental anguish and grief. On the other hand, Gods treatment of Hester for her sin was quite different than just a physical token: he gave Hester the punishment of a very unique child which she named Pearl. This punishment handed down from God was a constant mental and physical reminder to Hester of what she had done wrong, and she could not escape it. In this aspect, Pearl symbolized Gods way of punishing Hester for adultery. The fact that Hesters life was ruined for so long was the ultimate price that Hester paid for Pearl. With Pearl, Hesters life was one almost never filled with joy, but instead a constant nagging. Pearl would harass her mother over the scarlet "A" which she wore. Pearl would also make her own "A" to wear, and sometimes played games with her mothers, trying to hit it with rocks. When Hester would go into the town with Pearl, the other children would make fun of her, and Pearl would yell and throw dirt at them. So, in this case, Pearl symbolized the decimation of Hesters life and mental state. Although Hester had so much trouble with Pearl, she still felt that Pearl was her treasure. Pearl was virtually the only thing that Hester had i ...