Scarlet Letter
...forms throughout the entire story. Many characters in the book have diverse ways of seeing the scarlet letter for what it truly is. Such as Hester, Pearl, and the townspeople, view the scarlet letter A in separate views.
In the beginning of the book, Hester first stands out onto a scaffold where she is humiliated in front of the entire town. As the townspeople admired her fine embroidery of the scarlet letter A, they commented, “...as for the red letter, which she hath stitched so curiously, I’ll bestow a rag of mine own rheumatic flannel, to make a fitter one!” (pg. 63). They mock at the fact that they see the letter as a sign of “Adultery”. Seeing how she has created a huge sin, the townspeople throws rude remarks toward Hester. This act proves how poor and meaningless the community’s judgment and punishment are towards her. Though embarrassed by the negative atmosphere, Hester stands her ground and keeps her composure as she holds her “treasure”, Pearl, close to the bosom that embraces the scarlet letter A.
As time progressed, Pearl has grown up to the age of around seven. For Pearl, she sees the scarlet letter beyond its literal meaning but rather as a part of who her mother is. In the scene of the forest, Hester, standing gracefully without the scarlet letter on, calls out to Pearl who had been playing in the woods by herself. As Pearl responds diligently to her mother’s call, she sees that her mother is not wearing the scarlet letter anymore. Furiously, Pearl gets into a fit of rage and refuses to approach her mother’s distant call. She nearly turns demon-like while “stamping its foot, wildly gesticulating, and, in the midst of it all, still pointing its small forefinger at Hester’s bosom!” (pg. 251) Without the presence of the scarlet letter, Pearl does not seem to recognize her mother’s “new”...
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