A distinguished novel applies numerous literary devices to magnify and enhance the protagonist of the work. By enlarging the environment surrounding the character, the author creates for himself a sphere of options related to character development, situational responses, and interaction with companions – he is allowed complete 360-degree control of the modified character. and can compose a well-developed. , attractive character.
Hawthorne manipulates one of the most popular techniques of this literary device in his novel The Scarlet Letter through the application of minor characters who comment on the internal forces that rage within the protagonist of the novel: Hester Prynne. Perhaps the most influential of which is her own daughter, a symbol in herself of Hester’s deadly sin who is also able to give the reader valuable insight into Hester’s inner pain and anguish. As we read the work, we learn that as Pearl develops, so do the levels of complexity and pain of Hester Prynne’s sin.
Hawthorne first reveals Pearl’s importance when he introduces Hester during her public humiliation. The horrified women of the town scold and humiliate her for the whole world to see, the proof is in that growing mass in her stomach. The point is that in reality all Puritans were victims of sin from time to time; Hester was simply one of the few who carried the test with her: living her regret. Alternatively, the rest of Puritan society would hide their sins from the light of day: preferring to drag them out until judgment day rather than reveal them to the scrutinizing community. In this way, the pearl acts as one of the many representative symbols that he portrays throughout the book. The very existence of her acts as a possible salvation that Hester can achieve. Simply being present for the community to see serves as a start to the great amount of penance she will have to endure until her death.
Later in the book, after Pearl’s arrival into the world, we begin to see the stark differences between a child raised in a traditional Puritan society and a child growing up in an environment of freedom; isolated from the rest of the world with minimal human interaction. While other Puritan children grew like yeast in the confines of a frying pan, custom-made in the maker’s mold, Pearl spread out to the world like a sunflower opening up to the sun. Pure radiance and individuality that finds its way to her not by virtue of a strict word and harsh whip, but by the fiery passion that lies within her heart. However, this lack of human contact hurt Pearl in other ways.
Her withdrawal from society left her bereft of the ability to interact humanely with traditional Puritans. She also built a strong dependency on her mother, who, as much as she tortured her, was the only true source of comfort in the world. We see this when Pearl and Hester travel into town one day to deliver a pair of gloves to the Governor. When a group of children hurled sticks and mud at the two, Pearl erupted in a fit of rage: she threw rocks, kicked, and yelled at all the children without regard for the possible repercussions. Today, a psychologist would agree that the lack of diversity in the people Pearl interacted with at a young age was dangerous to the proper development of her personality.
Hester also takes out her guilt for her sins on Pearl. She understands that, as a result of her own actions, Pearl would have to work very hard to achieve a normal life in traditional Puritan society. There are doubts in Hester’s mind that her adulterous ways would break the intimate relationship with Pearl. To quell her guilt to some degree, Hester dresses Pearl in the best materials available and herself in a scratchy gray cloth. This stark contrast acted as a way to distance himself from Pearl as much as she could in whatever way the Puritan community might interpret as negative.
A secondary way that Hester tries to cleanse herself of her guilt is the way she actually raises and treats Pearl. The hands-off approach she applies is the result of a combination of her inability to raise a child alone, her need to never hurt Pearl in any way, and her incompetence in the ways of traditional puritanical discipline. The results are not all positive. Pearl turns out to be almost impossible to control in important situations and is too independent to get attached to her mother’s sadness. Hester creates for herself a precarious situation: her son is very free and loving, but she is almost impossible to control. All things aside, though, Hester manages to provide a valuable service to Pearl: allowing her to develop in her own way instead of the strict steel shackles of traditional puritanical tracks.
Pearl is important in the novel because she acts as a deep character, full of contrasts and devices, various symbols, most importantly a physical manifestation of Hester’s sin, and a light in Hester’s dark existence. The product of a fatal sin in a strictly religious community, Pearl develops in a curious way, and the reasons for her actions can only be speculated on. Hawthorne explores this unique situation and exploits it for its rich veins of contrast and plot commentary.
