Scarlet Letter Mirror Scene Essay

The mirror scenes throughout the “Scarlet letter” play a big role in how Hawthorne portrays Pearl. “In the first mirror scene (and throughout the novel) Pearl laughs at the whole Symbolic framework; in the second she bypasses the mirror stage to become her mother's other. The third mirror scene takes place again in "The margin of the brook" which here figures the margin of the book, for what escapes the "dark necessity" of the story is Pearl's reflexive play in and on the text.” By reading this quote, I think that as the novel introduces the letter, she thinks that it is funny and is not taking it serious. But as the novel goes on, she starts to realize how serious the letter actually is. “That look of naughty merriment was likewise reflected in the mirror, with so much breadth and intensity of effect, that it made Hester Prynne feel as if it could not be the image of her own child, but of an imp who was seeking to mould itself into Pearl's shape. (73)” Everyone is starting to see how Pearl is changing by …show more content…
"What does the letter mean, mother?--and why dost thou wear it?--and why does the minister keep his hand over his heart?" (123). By analyzing this line I am starting to see how Pearl is starting to get curious about the letter and starting to feel something different other than joy. "The thought occurred to Hester, that the child might really be seeking to approach her with childlike confidence, and doing what she could, and as intelligently as she knew how, to establish a meeting-point of sympathy" (122). This line is showing us on how Pearl is starting to get more and more curious and hester is starting to realize this. I think that this is a turning point because pearl is wanting to know what the letter is and not make fun of it. She is starting to genuinely get curious about it. The letter gives us an insight on how Pearl feels but the Puritan ways bring out a different side of