"Grand prize" in Later LifePassion, wild emotion and forbidden love: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Published in 1850 and set in the 17th century, it is the story of adulterous woman Hester Prynne (who was forced to wear the scarlet letter A) and her lover in the first Massachusetts Bay Colony. Pearl, Hester's daughter, is a complex character whose primary function throughout the novel is symbolism. She is a living version of her mother's scarlet letter, the physical consequence of sexual sin. By the end of the story, we learn details about the lives of the majority of the characters, with the exception of one sassy young lady, Pearl. Hawthorne chose not to give further details about Pearl's life, after he left Massachusetts with Hester, to ensure that the themes he envisioned throughout the novel remained unchanged and to retain the underlying message of the original story in relation to Mary Batcheller. and his life. When we think of the name Pearl, we imagine it to mean pure and white, but certainly not sinful. For Hester, this means the pearl of great price, in reference to the pearl in Jesus' parable that is bought "at a great price." Pearl is a real firecracker and extremely intelligent. While Pearl and Dimmesdale have only met once, she knows that he is her father and is well aware that Dimmesdale and his mother have secret meetings in the woods. Because she wants to be loved, like any child, she asks Hester: “Does he love us?” Will he come back with us, hand in hand, the three of us together, into town? » Hawthorne spends a surprising amount of time talking. about how Pearl is full of “native grace” and so pretty that she was “worth giving birth to in Eden.” It could have been an easier life for Pe...... middle of paper ...... when it comes to Mary Batcheller's case. There is strong evidence that Hawthorne derived the character of Hester Prynne from Batcheller's life. The obvious way to read The Scarlet Letter is to say that Pearl ultimately redeems both her mother and Dimmesdale. She is the “pearl of great price” that restores their souls. By recognizing Pearl, Dimmesdale gives her a human father and a place in the world. Obviously, she cannot associate with the Puritan community, but her confession and death lead to Chillingworth. Thanks to her wealth, Pearl is able to leave the city and settle in a place where she can get married and have children. Without further knowledge of Pearl's life, the reader can focus fully on Hester and the trials she faced during her exile. Readers know that Pearl is living a fulfilling life because of the sigh of relief Hester and Dimmesdale would have felt had they lived to see this day.