Pearl symbolizes both punishment and blessing for Hester in The Scarlet Letter. As her illegitimate daughter born out of wedlock, Pearl serves as a constant reminder of Hester's sin and shame, tormenting her mother. However, Pearl is also presented as a gift, reminding Hester of her inherent humanity. The novel's characters represent different views of sin and guilt, with Pearl ultimately exposing the truth and forcing her parents to acknowledge their relationship.

1. • Topic : Pearl as a symbol of punishment as well
as blessing for Hester in “The scarlet Letter”
• Name : Urvi Bhatt
• Paper Name: The American Literature
• Paper No: 10
• Sem : 3
• Roll No: 31
• Enrolment no: PG13101005
• Submitted to: Department of English Maharaja
Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University.

2. “ Be true! Be true!
Show freely to the
world, if not your
worst, yet some
trait whereby the
worst may be
inferred.”
by
Nathaniel
Hawthorne

3. Symbol
• A symbol is something which is
used to stand for something
else.
• It’s a concrete object
representing the scope and
meaning.

4. Symbol
can be
Moral
Religious
Philosophical

5. Guilt
• At the beginning of
the novel, Hester has
been living in Boston
for two years and has
been found guilty of
bearing a girl child,
Pearl, whose father’s
name is unknown.

6. Punishment
• As a punishment
for her sin, she
is forced to
wear a Scarlet
“A” on her
Bosom.

7. Characters
are
symbolic

8. Hawthorne and his characters
• The most revealed display of
Hawthorne's symbolism lies in his use of
characters.
• In the novel each of his major
characters symbolizes a certain view of
sin and its effects on the human heart.
• Pearl can be called self-contained
symbol-the most striking symbol that
the author ever created.

9. Hester is woman with past
memories:
Childhood
in
England
Marriage
in Europe
Journey
to
America

10. Pearl is

11. A
Punishment
a Blessing
Pearl

12. Reminder
• Pearl reminds Hester of
her transgression, of the
act that has left Hester
in her current state of
alienation.
• Pearl’s ostracism by the
community recalls
Hester’s own feelings of
exile.

13. Pearl’s presence
• Pearl’s presence
shows that out of
sin comes treasure
as a Lotus
blossoms in mud.

14. Constantly
makes
mischief
Passion and
defiance
moodiness
Pearl has
inherited
Hester’s

15. Orthodox community
• Pearl’s existence
highlights the
insignificance of the
community’s attempt at
punishment.
• Pearl is a sign of a
larger, more powerful
order than that which
community wants to
assert.

16. Demon child
• Once Hester in
frustration exclaims-
“Child, what are thou?”
• Pearl is only 3 years old
at this time so Hester
wonders if Pearl might
not be the demon-child
as the townspeople
believed.

17. Boon
“Pearl” Dimmesdale
says,
“came from God.
And therefore must
be intended as
Hester’s companion.”

18. Observant
• Pearl connects the
letter to
Dimmesdale’s
frequent habit of
clutching his hand
over his heart.
• Hester is unnerved
by her daughter’s
perceptiveness.

19. “Mother” said little Pearl,
“the sunshine does not
love you. It runs away and
hide itself because it is
afraid of something on
your bosom…. It will not
fear from me, for I wear
nothing on my bosom yet!”

20. Torment to Parents
• Dimmesdale finally
confesses
• Pearl according to the
narrator becomes
“human”.
• Pearl has point to
torment her parents to
expose the truth as
she was a flower born
of their sin.

21. • Pearl made her mother to reassume
her old identity.
• She asks Dimmesdale to publicly
acknowledge his relationship to her
mother.

22. Conclusion
“This child hath come from the
hand of the almighty, to work in
many ways upon her heart. It
was meant for a blessing, for the
one blessing of her life! It was
meant, doubtless, for a
reattribute too, a torture to be
felt at many an unthough of
moment, a pang, as sting, an
ever-recurring agony in the midst
of a troubled joy.”