"What is one man's poison...is another's meat or drink," Beaumont and Fletcher wrote in
one of their plays. Almost everything in the world is interpretable in at least two
conflicting ways. In The Scarlet Letter, the Puritan society shuns a character named
Pearl, yet the author, who lived in the Romantic period, views her with awe and
reverence. Nathaniel Hawthorne's use of nature imagery in The Scarlet Letter reflects
Pearl's wild, capricious character that serves as a constant reminder of Hester's sin and
whose romantically idealistic beauty frightens the Puritan society.
In Hawthorne's descriptions of Pearl as an infant and toddler, nature imagery emphasizes
Pearl's startling beauty and unpredictable, yet innocent, character. Pearl's beauty and
innocence are apparent from the time of her birth. Hawthorne describes Pearl's "innocent
life [as] a lovely and immortal flower"(Hawthorne 81). Even though Pearl is a product of
the "guilty passion"(81) between Hester and Dimmesdale, both her soul and her body are
untainted and flawless. Hester notices that Pearl has no physical defects, but Pearl's
character has an unexplainable aspect of oddity and unpredictability. When she plays near
Hester's cottage, Pearl "[smites] down [and] uproot[s] most unmercifully [the] ugliest
weeds"(87) which she pretends are the Puritan children. Hester believes that Pearl is so
emotional and temperamental because the passion which Hester
and Dimmesdale experienced during their sinful act somehow transferred into Pearl's soul.
However, Pearl's antipathy for the Puritans is justified; the children often torment her
for no good reason. When Hester and Pearl go into town, the Puritan children stop playing
and either surround Pearl and stare at her or prepare to hurl mud at the unfortunate
pair. Both actions by the Puritans result in a fit of outrage by Pearl. One reason that
the Puritans treat Pearl badly is because of her mother's sin. The Puritans believe that
since Pearl is the product of adultery, she is automatically evil and depraved. The
Puritan hatred for Pearl is also due to the fact that she, like Hester's scarlet letter,
is beautiful, and they are in a way jealous of both. Supposedly, Hester's scarlet 'A' is
a punishment, but she embroiders it richly and wears it with subtle pride. When the
Puritans first see the 'A', they want to replace it with an 'A' made out of rheumatic
cloth. The Puritans look at Pearl in the same way; they do not think Hester deserves such
a beautiful child. The Puritans like simple, bland things and shun beauty because it is
tempting. This view of the Puritans appears again when the Reverend Mr. Wilson first sees
Pearl in Governor Bellingham's mansion. Mr. Wilson calls her a "little bird of scarlet
plumage"(100) and asks her "what has ailed [her] mother to bedizen [her] in this strange
fashion"(100). Mr. Wilson first compares Pearl to a bird, something from nature, which
the Puritans distrust, then implies that something is wrong with Hester for tastelessly
dressing Pearl in such beautiful, striking clothing. In this instance, Mr. Wilson's
comments are hypocritical because Governor Bellingham, the leader of the Puritans,
decorates his mansion lavishly and enjoys many worldly pleasures. Hawthorne, who lived in
the Romantic period, included this passage to indicate that in his eyes, Pearl
is beautiful and the Puritans are wrong in thinking that Pearl is wicked. When Pearl
tells Mr. Wilson that her name is Pearl, he answers ,"'Pearl?-Ruby, rather!- or Coral!-or
Red Rose'"(101). Even though Mr. Wilson disapproves of Pearl's attire, he still
acknowledges her beauty by comparing her to beautiful things in nature. At the same,
time, he shows his disapproval because he, like most Puritans, distrusts nature. Later
on, Mr. Wilson asks Pearl if she knows who made her. She replies by saying that "she had
not been made at all but had been plucked by her mother off the bush of wild roses that
[grows] by the prison-door"(103). Pearl's answer tells the reader that she understands
both her physical beauty and her internal wildness because she compares herself to a wild
rose. The answer's creativity and unexpectedness also reveal Pearl's unusual, whimsical
character. At this point in the novel, the reader can already discern Pearl's fundamental
character traits.
As Pearl grows older, her isolation from the Puritans leads her to spend more time with
nature, and she continues to remind Hester of her sin. When Hester goes to the seashore
to talk to Chillingworth, she tells Pearl to go "to the margin of the water and play with
the shells and tangled sea-weed"(154). In response, Pearl "[flies] away like a bird"(154)
to the margin of the sea. Pearl is eager to play with nature. She has grown used to
having nature as a playmate and finds playing with it enjoyable. Pearl builds "boats out
of birch-bark...seize[s] a live horseshoe [crab] by the tail...catches several
five-fingers...lays out a jelly-fish to melt in the warm sun"(162), throws foam, and
pelts sea-birds with pebbles. When Pearl thinks that she actually hit a bird, however,
she feels remorse for having "done harm to a little being that was as wild
as...herself"(163).
While Pearl is wild and unpredictable at times, she has a kind heart. Pearl's kinship
with nature becomes apparent through the seashore imagery. Pearl obviously is at ease
with and delights in nature. She has chosen nature as an ideal playmate because of her
isolation from other humans. The Puritan children treat her as an outcast and the only
interaction between them and Pearl is malicious. After she stops throwing pebbles at
birds, Pearl uses some eel-grass to make a "freshly green"(163) letter 'A' on her bosom
and runs back to Hester. When she sees Hester, Pearl laughs and points to the 'A' on her
bosom. Pearl's A reminds Hester of her sin, but the reader learns that Pearl does not
make the 'A' to hurt her mother. Instead, she does it because she is curious about the
nature of her mother's 'A'. Pearl has grown more mature and kind since her toddler years.
Nature has taught her to be sensitive and curious.
Pearl's closeness to nature and her innocence develop further as the novel approaches
its conclusion. While Hester and Pearl stroll through the forest on their way to meet
Dimmesdale, Pearl observes that the sunshine "'does not love [Hester]'"(168). The
sunshine seems to "run away and hide itself because it is afraid of something on
[Hester's] bosom"(168). Pearl, however, easily catches the sunshine because she "wears
nothing on her bosom yet"(168). As soon as Hester gets close to Pearl, the sunshine
vanishes and it appears as if Pearl absorbs the energy. Hawthorne uses the sunshine as a
judge of innocence. The sunshine, which is part of nature, never graces Hester and even
avoids her because she is a sinner and has a tainted soul. Pearl is the opposite. The
sunshine loves her so much that it plays enthusiastically with her. The mother and
daughter soon come upon a babbling brook. The brook sounds "kind, quiet, soothing, but
melancholy"(171), like an unhappy child or a person who knows only sadness. Pearl calls
the brook "foolish and tiresome"(171) and asks it why it is so sad. Pearl is like the
brook in some ways. She has been through hardships in her life such as isolation and
insults, but she is still too young to understand how to be unhappy. Therefore, Pearl is
actually quite different from the brook. The brook has experienced many things and has
existed long enough to understand the world. Pearl, on the other hand, is young, naive,
and innocent. She knows only how to be happy. Hester points out that if Pearl "[had] a
sorrow of [her] own, the brook might tell [her] of it even as it is telling [Hester] of
[hers]"(171). Hester comprehends the brook's melancholy mood because she has been through
hardships herself and has enough experience to be sorrowful. When Dimmesdale arrives and
Hester talks to him, Pearl goes off on her own to play. Pearl is so close to nature that
a wolf comes up and "[smells] of Pearl's robe, and offers his savage head to be patted by
her hand"(188). Wolves can be as large as grown men and are aggressive hunters. This
image is effective because it accentuates the kindred relationship between Pearl and
nature. Pearl, like nature, is wild and uncontrollable. The Puritans can not understand
either one and therefore equate both to evil and the Devil. These similarities bring
Pearl and nature closer and let them understand each other. Once again, Hawthorn
contrasts his Romantic view of nature with that of the Puritans. While the Puritans see
nature as wicked and tempting, Hawthorne sees it as something benevolent and
compassionate.
In the end, Dimmesdale finally decides on the course of action that he must take to free
his, Hester's, and Pearl's souls. On the holiday to welcome a new governor to his office,
Dimmesdale makes his fateful decision. He knows that he is going to die and will
not be able to follow through on the plans that he and Hester made. He also realizes that
no matter where he goes in the whole world, Chillingworth, his tormentor, will be able to
follow him, so the only place he can go is into the afterlife. After giving his sermon,
Dimmesdale asks Hester to support him. They and Pearl walk onto the scaffold. After
asking Dimmesdale to stand with her and her mother numerous times, Pearl finally receives
her wish. Dimmesdale confesses his sin to the audience, then falls down. Before he dies,
he asks Pearl to kiss him, and she complies. At this point, a complete change in Pearl
occurs. She starts to cry, her first taste of human joy and sorrow. She does not have to
constantly struggle against society anymore, and her duty as a messenger of anguish to
Hester is also done. With her father's confession and sacrifice of his life, Pearl is
able to begin a new existence.
Hawthorne's utilization of nature imagery illustrates Pearl's character, whose beauty
excites fear in the Puritans and whose eccentricity reminds Hester of her sin.
The Puritans seem negative and ignorant. Everything that they can not explain is evil to
them. The Enlightenment caused people to think rationally, so in Hawthorne's time, many
things that the Puritans knew nothing about were understood and people were able to view
the world more optimistically. Pearl's character is a perfect example of something that
is completely different when seen from two points of view.
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