The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, has captivated the eyes of many readers for a myriad of decades. Although, the novel has a highly disputed origin, from Hawthorne’s personal life, to this day, it still maintains a highly praised status among many readers and critics. Hawthorne uses many gothic and romantic elements in his literary work, specifically how romantics postulate children as pure beings. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses children, being of the purest nature, as symbols to describe the differences in moral character and virtue between them and adults. Through this, Hawthorne ultimately advocates the darkness and hypocrisy that exists in adults, specifically in Puritan society, by using children as a device to
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In chapter nineteen, after the well-known forest scene, Pearl comes back to Hester and Dimmesdale, only to find that her mother is not wearing the scarlet letter on her bosom, of which she has never seen her mother without. Pearl has a temper tantrum and forces Hester to retrieve the letter herself and put it back on: “With these words, she advanced to the margin of the brook, took up the scarlet letter, and fastened it again into her bosom. Hopefully, but a moment ago, as Hester had spoken of drowning it in the deep sea, there was a sense of inevitable doom upon her, as she thus received back this deadly symbol from the hand of fate” (Miller 184). Pearl knows the real meaning of the scarlet letter and detects the hypocrisy in Hester when she sees the letter on the ground. Hester removing the letter of her bosom, seeing Dimmesdale next to Hester, and being divided by the brook makes Pearl feel like she is in a completely different world. Hester had sworn to stay with Pearl, but for the first time in the novel they are separated, which has largely to do with Hester not wearing the scarlet letter. The letter helps Hester keep true to herself and reminds her not to sin, while also the letter symbolizes her daughter Pearl, who helps her stay virtuous. However, when she throws the scarlet letter ways, it is as if she throws away her own daughter, Pearl. Pearl recognizes this hypocrisy in her mother and, as she has done countless times, makes her mother overcome it, by having her put the scarlet letter back on her bosom. Ultimately, Hawthorne uses Pearl’s purity as a device to showcase her mother’s own hypocrisy, of which Hester is able to overcome due to her beloved daughter
In chapter nineteen, after the well-known forest scene, Pearl comes back to Hester and Dimmesdale, only to find that her mother is not wearing the scarlet letter on her bosom, of which she has never seen her mother without. Pearl has a temper tantrum and forces Hester to retrieve the letter herself and put it back on: “With these words, she advanced to the margin of the brook, took up the scarlet letter, and fastened it again into her bosom. Hopefully, but a moment ago, as Hester had spoken of drowning it in the deep sea, there was a sense of inevitable doom upon her, as she thus received back this deadly symbol from the hand of fate” (Miller 184). Pearl knows the real meaning of the scarlet letter and detects the hypocrisy in Hester when she sees the letter on the ground. Hester removing the letter of her bosom, seeing Dimmesdale next to Hester, and being divided by the brook makes Pearl feel like she is in a completely different world. Hester had sworn to stay with Pearl, but for the first time in the novel they are separated, which has largely to do with Hester not wearing the scarlet letter. The letter helps Hester keep true to herself and reminds her not to sin, while also the letter symbolizes her daughter Pearl, who helps her stay virtuous. However, when she throws the scarlet letter ways, it is as if she throws away her own daughter, Pearl. Pearl recognizes this hypocrisy in her mother and, as she has done countless times, makes her mother overcome it, by having her put the scarlet letter back on her bosom. Ultimately, Hawthorne uses Pearl’s purity as a device to showcase her mother’s own hypocrisy, of which Hester is able to overcome due to her beloved daughter