"Chillingworth" has chilling in it- which can refer to his cold, hard, calculating and cruel nature. Pearl cost Hester everything. The light, of course, is the scarlet letter, shining out of the darkness of the Puritanic gloom. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic literary work, The Scarlet Letter, focuses on two female main characters, Hester and Pearl Prynne, as they search for redemption and acceptance in a 1600s Puritanical society. Chapter 16: Quote that represents this? He uses sunshine, the forest, roses, the scarlet letter, Pearl, and a prison door to portray deeper thoughts. symbol and symbolism, the paper attempts to expound Hawthorne’s skillful employment of symbolism in his masterpiece through the analysis of the symbolic meaning of the main characters’ name in this great novel. Like the letter, Pearl is the public consequence of Hester's very private sin. Why does the sunlight shine on Pearl, but not on Hester? The Plot Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter begins when Hester Prynne is forced to wear a scarlet “A” on her chest as an outward symbol of her adultery, which is only discovered when she becomes pregnant and gives birth to her daughter, Pearl. Even though Hester felt an immense liberty, Pearl did not allow her to keep the “A” off.Pearl is quite possibly the most important symbol in The Scarlet Letter. Hester goes beyond her punishment and helps the poor, making the townspeople feel that the scarlet letter stands for “able” rather than “adultery” (156). Quote at least one line that directly associates Chillingworth with the devil. Thus speaking of the scarlet "A" in accordance to Pearl, the letter does mean life. Their conversation reminds us that, as a symbol, Pearl is also the conscience of a number of people. Prepared By: Shabana Khalani Roll No:28 Sem-III Paper No:10 Unit No2: Department Of English Maharaja Krishnakumarsihji University, Bhavnagar PEARL: A LIVING ‘A’ IN THE SCARLET LETTER 2. Completing the CAPTCHA proves you are a human and gives you temporary access to the web property. The Scarlet Letter was supposed to remind Hester and the townspeople of her sin and make her sorry about her act, but as Hawthorne writes, “The scarlet letter had not done its office” (160). Pearls are of great value and are created when a grain of sand—an irritant—enters the oyster's shell and the oyster transforms it into a pearl in order to protect itself from the irritation. Pearl really was the ultimate scarlet letter, because if Pearl had never been born, Hester would have never been found guilty of adultery, and thus never would have never had to wear that tangible burden upon her chest. Despite the pair’s closeness, Pearl never learns the meaning of the scarlet letter or the identity of her father. The Scarlet Letter What symbolic meanings does Hawthorne associate with pearls name? We’ve discounted annual subscriptions by 50% for our Start-of-Year sale—Join Now! What symbolic meaning could the sunkight have? The Scarlet Letter tells of Roger Prynne’s reinvention of himself by an act of naming: when he finds his wife Hester in disgrace in the new world he adopts the name Chillingworth. Another way to prevent getting this page in the future is to use Privacy Pass. Like Pearl, the letter functions as a physical reminder of Hester's affair with Dimmesdale. Hester's daughter Pearl is the result of her infidelity; she was born out of wedlock and seen as a product of shame and disgrace, but she is also as valuable and as precious as a pearl and brings Hester great joy and happiness. She also buys the richest tissues that could be produced to make clothes for Pearl. Hester names her daughter Pearl in The Scarlet Letter because Pearl is her most valuable treasure. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1850 novel The Scarlet Letter, heroine Hester Prynne names her illegitimate daughter Pearl because the child is "of great price, purchased with all she had, her mother's only treasure." At first it means adultery.Then it means able.Its meaning then becomes indefinite. Pearl bombarding her mother of the true meaning behind the scarlet letter reminds her of her adultery and should be more remorseful of her own deeds. The color of the letter carries special significance. Performance & security by Cloudflare, Please complete the security check to access. Hester sees Pearl as someone that will undoubtedly forever remind her of her sins but also, ironically, as the retribution of her sins. When hearing the name Chillingworth, he sounds like a cold (Chilling) and sadistic man who will go to many lengths to discover who Pearl's father is. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. A pearl, with its mellow color and exquisite appearance, stands for health and purity. 1. Top subjects are Literature, History, and Social Sciences. Pearl’s life and behavior directly reflects the unacceptable and abnormal nature of Hester’s adulterous sin. Pearl was also the alter ego name of Janis Joplin, tied to singer Pearl Bailey, and---hmm--the birth name of western writer Zane Gray. In Hawthorne's popular novel The Scarlet Letter, the main protagonist, Hester, chooses " Pearl " as the name of her daughter in order to showcase … One of the most complex and misunderstood symbols in this novel is Pearl… Hawthorne says it is the first object of which she seemed aware, and she focuses on the letter in many scenes. But what if Dimmesdale is the one who redeems Pearl? The scarlet letter is again emphasized here when Hester, along with Pearl, mounts the platform to stand there along with Dimmesdale, this time by stressing Dimmesdale’s obsession with his own guilt. All human beings are naturally endowed with good qualities and bad qualities. The Embodiment of the Scarlet Letter. It evolves from simply meant adulterer to meaning able. Significantly, in her games of make-believe, she never creates friends; she creates only enemies — Puritans whom she pretends to destroy. If you are on a personal connection, like at home, you can run an anti-virus scan on your device to make sure it is not infected with malware. Log in here. Her name represents the … Dimmesdale- What does the word "dim" reflect in his name? # 734 in the US The Rabbit. Hester Prynne 2. She "spoke out" via her affair with Dimsdale. Chillingworth- Who are the experts?Our certified Educators are real professors, teachers, and scholars who use their academic expertise to tackle your toughest questions. In The Scarlet Letter, both the embroidered scarlet letter "A" and Pearl are symbols of Hester Prynne's sin of adultery. As punishment, the Puritan community she resides in requires her to wear the letter A on her bodice for the rest of her life. The novel is considered a masterpiece of American literature and a classic moral study. Hester's adultery has brought her great misfortune, as the community shunned her and treated her with disrespect, but it also brought her the greatest gift in the form of a beautiful little girl. It is clear that Pearl is as much a blessing to Hester as she is a wicked reminder of the past. In Pearl’s years of existence in Dimmesdale life, she is the living being manifestation of the scarlet letter urging him to repent and relieve himself from his guilt. Being the outcome of Hester’s adultery, Pearl plays an important role in her life, suffering and sharing torments with her. She implies that because she is a child and not yet a woman, she doesn’t wear the same symbol that Hester does. The Scarlet Letter - Initially affixed as a punishment for adultery, the scarlet letter means different things as the novel progresses. Yet Pearl, from her name to her comfort with nature, is also the most pure character in the novel. Your IP: 94.23.53.58 In the novel, a woman named Hester Prynne, a resident of colonial New England, is convicted of adultery. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1850 novel The Scarlet Letter tells a story of love, collective punishment, and salvation in Puritan, colonial Massachusetts. Trinity of ... Hester's strength and kind heart transformed the Scarlet Letter from a symbol of shame to a symbol of triumph ... On the contrary, when she lets her hair fall past her shoulders, it is a symbol of her purity and beauty. Pearl acts as a daily reminder of what he has done. 3. At first, it symbolizes Hester’s shame and sin. The term “scarlet letter” comes from the 1850 novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. 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