The Scarlet Letter And The Making Of A Pearl - 892 Words

Sarah Thompson Mr. Carter English III 7 November 2017 The Scarlet Letter and the Making of a Pearl Every pearl begins as a dangerous and harsh intrusion into life. A piece of dirt is inserted into an oyster’s environment where it doesn’t belong. The oyster can either respond by dying, or by accepting and surrounding the sand with care. With continual care, the oyster turns the small speck of dirt into a beautiful pearl. The Scarlet Letter is a story of how one woman takes a scandalous event and rather than allowing the event to define her, she, by constant kindness, turns her life and her child into something of worth. The theme I am focusing on in The Scarlet Letter is the person and the concept which embodies courage and redemption. To†¦show more content†¦The oyster must believe that it can survive the intrusion of the sand particle. Similarly, Hester decides that after being socially shunned she would have to daily overcome the negative statements from around her and the negative thoughts within her. Hester shows courage under all the stigma when she entered the Governor’s hall (Hawthorne 98). Even though people are judgmental and cruel, she stays strong. This is a positive example of courage just as when an oyster accepts and nurtures a piece of dirt. A negative example of courage is Dimmesdale and his deceitful heart toward his sin. He is like the oyster that doesn’t accept the piece of sand and dies because of the intrusion. He hides the fact that he is also a guilty party in the sin and as a result, he can’t forgive himself and slowly withers away under the social pressure (Hawthorne 238). The final example of courage is Pearl herself. She is symbolically the piece of sand. Being raised under Hester’s care, Pearl’s nature is an embodiment that she is not wanted by her community and only loved by her mother. Pearl shows great courage by not conforming to the expectations of those around her. Yes, she is sometimes very demonic-like (Hawthorne 126), but she is not a coward like her father. She doesn’t let society define her, she defines herself. Throughout the process of turning a grit of sand into a pearl, the oyster must keep courage. Likewise, the theme of courage is represented in the book as Hester growsShow MoreRelated The Effective Use of Symbols in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter694 Words   |  3 PagesNathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter Webster defined symbol with these words: Something concrete that represents or suggests another thing that cannot in itself be pictured. This concept has been particularly applied to literature and used by writers throughout history. Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter uses multitudes of symbols in such a manner. One of the most prominent, and most complicated, of such symbols is the scarlet letter A. The scarlet letter A is a symbol of aRead MorePearl In The Scarlet Letter1233 Words   |  5 PagesEngland. His most famous story is the Scarlet Letter. This novel tells of the punishment of a woman, Hester Prynne, who committed adultery and gave birth to Pearl. A minister of Boston, Arthur Dimmesdale, had an affair with Hester while believing that her husband, Roger Chillingworth, had died. However, Chillingworth did not die and appears during the early stages of Hester s punishment. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the character of Pearl in the Scarlet Letter. Her whole life had many difficultiesRead MoreABy Major Characters In The Scarlet Letter1202 Words   |  5 PagesThe Interpretation of the ‘A’ by Major Characters in The Scarlet Letter People have different cultures and experiences throughout their lives; therefore, they all have different perspectives of the same object. Various authors use different perspectives of people to make objects mean different based on how people approach it. Not only the readers see the object in different ways, but also the characters in the story. The Scarlet Letter uses various symbolism such as ‘A , rosebush, the forestRead MoreSymbolism In The Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne825 Words   |  4 Pagesinundated with an atmosphere of righteousness and judgment. This culture spurned those who strayed from its religious codes. In his novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses multiple symbols to bring a deeper meaning to the society, his characters, and to adultery. One of the motifs used comes as the character Pearl, the daughter of the two adulterers. Pearl has multiple descriptions; physically, she is â€Å"a lovely and immortal flower,† yet also â€Å" an airy sprite . . . as if she were hovering in theRead MoreSin, Guilt, And The Consequences Of Silence902 Words   |  4 Pages The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne is an example of this type of work. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the symbol of the scarlet letter ‘A’ as a representation of her sin to show the novel’s theme that sin carries heavy consequences and the guilt of making poor choices can linger over one’s head for their entire life but that this experience of sin can cause growth in an individual and its consequences can mean different things to different people. In The Scarlet LetterRead MoreWhat Pearl Means in the Scarlet Letter891 Words   |  4 PagesIn The Scarlet Letter, Pearl is often regarded as a symbol to that of the suffering of Hester Prynne and the shamed Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale but Pearls significance is more than just symbolizing the sin committed by her parents. She in many ways represents the innocence that the puritan belief is regressing itself to have. Hawthorne constructs Pearl as an evolving symbol for Hester and Dimmsdale and her progression as a character is shown through that of the actions set forth by these charactersRead MoreSymbolism Of Forest And The Scarlet Letter1051 Words   |  5 PagesSymbolism of Forest’s Aspects in Relation to the scarlet l`etter A In the Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne discusses the hurdles Hester Prynne, the protagonist, goes through due to her sinful nature with her child, the mocking Puritans, and the past always creeping up on her. Often these obstacles appear when she is in the forest, making it a very critical locality in the book. Nathaniel Hawthorne brilliantly uses symbolism to convey how the three main aspects of the forest—the stream, the logsRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne1700 Words   |  7 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, are presented as more perceptive and honest than adults due to their actions of perceiving Hester’s scarlet letter, expressing their opinions without knowing if it is right or wrong, and their willingness to ask questions. In the Scarlet Letter, Hester’s daughter, Pearl, has a willingness to ask questions about the scarlet letter on Hesters chest to help her have a better understanding of why her mother w ears it. Pearl shows how different a childs mindRead MoreScarlet Letter : A Dark Gloom Hung1105 Words   |  5 PagesGeorge Mallinos Mrs. Costigan AP English III 16 February 2015 The Scarlet Letter A dark gloom hung over Nathaniel Hawthorne’s head for most of his life causing his writings to be intoxicated with his everlasting thrust for darkness. In The Scarlet Letter he plants his trade mark of sin, redemption, and guilt into history’s abiding collection of remarkable writings. Throughout this piece, it is easy to notice the hardship Hester must endure every day while living with the reputation of committingRead MoreHunter Rittle. Mrs. Voshell . Honors English 10 . 6 January1045 Words   |  5 PagesHunter Rittle Mrs. Voshell Honors English 10 6 January 2016 Pearl as a Symbol Throughout the Scarlet Letter In the novel, â€Å"The Scarlet Letter†, a woman named Hester Prynne commits a sin. She commits the sin of adultery which results in the birth of her daughter Pearl. Hester now has to wear a scarlet letter on her chest for the rest of her life. Unbeknownst to everyone else except Hester, Dimmesdale, is the father of Pearl. Hester’s husband, Roger Chillingworth, now seeks revenge for what Hester