Hester Prynne's Punishment In Scarlet Letter

In his novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne presents readers with Pearl, the peculiar young daughter of Hester Prynne. Since Pearl’s birth, Hester and her daughter became isolated from Puritan society, living together with very little interaction with the rest of society. As a result, Pearl grew to have a personality that troubled even Hester. Though this anomalous personality disturbed Hester and was a constant reminder of the passion and sinfulness through which Pearl was conceived, Pearl is ultimately seen as a blessing for Hester bestowed upon her by God’s mercy. By saving Hester from the torment of her sins, accepting her scarlet letter, and being her one true source of companionship, Pearl can be seen as a gift of God’s mercy to Hester. Having lived in a Puritan society, Hester Prynne’s …show more content…
Having reduced Hester’s punishment to only the wearing of the scarlet letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne was able to highlight the relationship between Hester and the letter without contaminating it with the effects of other punishments. The transformation of Hester’s attitude towards the letters is great, as she goes from obvious rebellion by embroidering it “…greatly beyond what was allowed…” (50), to eventually accepting the letter, to then freely choosing to wear it. This transformation was certainly aided by Pearl, who grew up fascinated with the scarlet letter, even playing with it and imitating it own her own bosom. The scarlet letter, which was so commonly disliked by the Puritans, should have been a source of shame for Hester, but it instead allowed Hester to become the humbled woman who counseled her neighbors. By Pearl accepting her mother’s letter, Hester was able to overcome the stigma of her punishment and better