Sunday, January 20, 2013

How does Pearl's character in "The Scarlet Letter" reflect the duality of the Puritan community?considering the way she dresses, her name, how both...

Pearl reflects this duality beautifully. Remember that the Puritans were people who believed in being good even if it meant being "evil" to others (such as how they shun Hester.)



Pearl dresses in brilliant clothes, which was a sign of vanity for the Puritans. However, these same Puritans come to Hester for seamstress work. Also, Pearl is a symbolic name--she is supposed to be rare, beautiful, and white--not dressed in beautiful colors.



One of the greatest ways Pearl embodies this is that she refuses to be restrained by the Puritan way of doing things. Hester has been shunned by the society but she wants to instill proper Puritan behavior into Pearl. Pearl rejects this behavior the same way the society has rejected her and her mother. Pearl is also at one with nature, which was a "forbidden" area for most Puritans (think of the things that happen in the woods verses the things that happen in town.)



Pearl also shuns the ideas and relationships with other people in town. They consider her a devil child for doing so, even though they have done the same thing to Hester.



To me, Pearl act like what we, today, would assume a "normal" rambunctious child would act like, rather than conforming to the restraint of the Puritans.

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