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What Does Pearl Symbolize In The Scarlet Letter

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The Scarlet Letter has a lot of symbols throughout the book, a symbol is used to represent something. Symbols are used in literature, it is used to have a deeper meaning in the book. One of those symbols is Pearl. She is a strange and unusual child, but she is very pretty. Although there are many symbols in the novel, Pearl stands out because she symbols Hester’s sin, love and passion, and she symbolizes good and evil.
Throughout the book, Pearl is shown as a symbol of Hester's sin. In The Scarlet Letter, it says “But she named the infant “Pearl”, as being of great price, purchased with all she had, her mother's only treasure!”(Hawthorne 81). This is showing that Hester loves Pearl, but feels bad that she has to live her life being the product of sin. In the novel, Hester is always reminded of her sin and Pearl is the product of Hester and Dimmesdale's sin. Pearl acts differently around kids and she does not like to play …show more content…

This is a very important quote that explains why the governor wanted to take Pearl from Hester. The governor changed his mind when Hester said that she could teach Pearl why she should not sin and what would happen if she does.
It is clear that Hester loves Pearl no matter what. At the end of the novel, it states, ”But where was little Pearl! If still alive, she must now have been in the flush and bloom of early womanhood” (Hawthorne 233). This is showing that Hester is glad that her child is grown up, but still wants to know what is happening with her child. All though she has to let pearl grow up, it is hard for her to let go. Even though they were in a bad situation, something good came out of it. Pearl was that something good even though Hester was reminded that she loved

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