Pearl And Chillingworth's Different Roles And Goals In The Scarlet Letter

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s main motto in The Scarlet Letter is “be true, be true, be true, show freely to the world.” Pearl, Hester Prynne’s daughter, and Roger Chillingworth, Hester Prynne’s estranged husband, have similar roles throughout the novel, yet they have extremely different motives and tactics in order to achieve their goals. Pearl and Chillingworth both have the task of attempting to get Hester Prynne, a young mother and accused adulteress, and Arthur Dimmesdale, a Puritan minister, to be true to themselves. Firstly, Pearl wants Hester to stay true to herself and wants Hester to reveal who Pearl’s father is. Secondly, Pearl wants Dimmesdale to confess that he is her father and that he committed adultery with her mother, Hester. In addition, Chillingworth wants to torture Dimmesdale for the adultery he committed with Hester. Chillingworth also wants to torture Hester, through torturing Dimmesdale, since she too committed the sin of …show more content…
They also have contrasting motives— Pearl is pure and innocent, while Chillingworth is malicious, vengeful and seeks to torture Hester and Dimmesdale. Pearl wants Hester to stay truthful and pure. Pearl also wants Dimmesdale to confess that he is the man who committed adultery with Hester. Chillingworth torments Dimmesdale about the adultery he committed with Hester. In addition, Chillingworth wants to torture Hester, by torturing Dimmesdale, since she too committed the sin of adultery. Pearl and Chillingworth have analogous roles throughout the novel, The Scarlet Letter. They both end up fulfilling their goals in the end, yet they have remarkably contrasting motives and tactics in order to attain their