The Scarlet Letter 3

"Pearl was a born outcast of the infantile world. An imp of evil, emblem and product of sin, she had no right among christened infants"(85).

Nathaniel Hawthorne uses Pearls treatment by society as a critique which is indirectly intertwined with a commom modern debate that all humans are inherently good. Pearl was born as a product of her enviornment and was treated very similarly to her mother. She inherited many of her mother's traits such as beauty, but more interestingly, passion. Despite the fact that Pearl is rather troubled, taking on "demonic" characteristics and violently conversing with other children her age, she is an individual human being, yet still bears the emotional stress that her mother does. Had Pearl been born into the Garden of Eden and remained there, she would be an angel, and an ideal child, however, since she had been born into the puritan society that she did, she will always be nothing but "an imp of evil." Hawthorne attempts to critique the puritan society by instilling the idea of imperfection and goodness into the people's minds so that they must see more to someone that their external features. Furthermore, Pearl symbolizes sin and represents the strong passion that pushed her mother to sin. She represents the contrast between God and society, which represent two different ideals.

"She possessed an art that sufficed...needlework"(75).

Hester plays the role of two different types of people in society. She symbolizes sinful passion and sin in general, as well as someone with the skill to provide the people with something valuable, clothing. Although Hester resembles sin and will until the day that she dies, as well as hatred among the people, she also represents desire and something greater than just a trade. Her skill represents her coming back into society or slugish redemption. Hester is well aware of her sin, and is not disturbed by it in the least bit. However, her trade is the only thing that ties her to the town, and government, apart from God.