Pearl is one of the many symbols used in The Scarlet Letter. She is a symbol of the consequence of sin, of the good that God works even through sin, and of the fact that sin hurts people even though it may seem like it doesn't.
EXCERPT: "She is my happiness! She is my torture, none the less! Pearl keeps me here in life! Pearl punishes me too! See ye not, she is the scarlet letter, only capable of being loved, and so endowed with a million-fold the power of retribution for my sin?"
Pearl shows the consequence of sin by her fascination with the scarlet letter. She never lets her mother forget about or ignore the letter, and is a constant reminder about why she wears it. She helped it become part of Hester's identity. Pearl also symbolizes the fact that sins can hurt those who haven't done anything wrong. She was born due to the sin of Hester and Dimmesdale, and because the sin was "shunned", she didn't know her father until she was seven years old. She suffered in many other ways even though she hadn't done anything to deserve those punishments. She was the result of sin, and had to live in that role and play that part until the sin was exposed. Without the presence of pearl, Hester would have had little motivation. She showed the consequences that sins have on both the sinners and those that are affected by it.
(Picture link: community.sparknotes.com)
EXCERPT: "She is my happiness! She is my torture, none the less! Pearl keeps me here in life! Pearl punishes me too! See ye not, she is the scarlet letter, only capable of being loved, and so endowed with a million-fold the power of retribution for my sin?"
Pearl shows the consequence of sin by her fascination with the scarlet letter. She never lets her mother forget about or ignore the letter, and is a constant reminder about why she wears it. She helped it become part of Hester's identity. Pearl also symbolizes the fact that sins can hurt those who haven't done anything wrong. She was born due to the sin of Hester and Dimmesdale, and because the sin was "shunned", she didn't know her father until she was seven years old. She suffered in many other ways even though she hadn't done anything to deserve those punishments. She was the result of sin, and had to live in that role and play that part until the sin was exposed. Without the presence of pearl, Hester would have had little motivation. She showed the consequences that sins have on both the sinners and those that are affected by it.
(Picture link: community.sparknotes.com)