Pearl's Ostracism.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, life is centered around a rigid Puritan society in which one is expected to be the most upright citizen they can be. Hawthorne uses Pearl as a way to show the harsh views of the early Puritans and how they affected the lives of those who were not fully accepted by them. Pearl is one of the most significant examples of a character that Hawthorne uses who has not been accepted into Puritan society. Hawthorne puts characteristics in Pearl that he uses to show just what the early Puritans were like. Hawthorne shows how Pearl is an oddity in the world of the Puritans through her appearance, her wild and defiant manner, and the way by which she came into existence.
First, Nathaniel Hawthorne wastes no time in making it known to the reader that Pearl is no ordinary Puritan character. He emphasizes this when he initially describes Pearl as an infant and again when he describes how her clothes exaggerate her intense beauty. When Hawthorne describes Pearl as an infant he immediately draws attention to the fact that she is out of the ordinary. He really sets her apart from most Puritan infants, when he says, "The infant was worthy to have been brought forth in Eden; worthy to have been left there, to be the plaything of the angels" (93; ch. 6). The baby Pearl is unique in the sense that she can be seen fitting in with angels in Eden. To add to this, Hawthorne emphasizes Pearl's intense beauty by the clothes that her sinful mother chooses for her. Hawthorne again makes it obvious that Pearl is not a normal Puritan in any sense of the term. In chapter six entitled "Pearl", Hawthorne describes Pearl as "So magnificent was the small figure, when thus arrayed, and such the splendor of Pearl's own proper beauty, shining through the gorgeous robes" (93; ch. 6). Words such as "splendor" and "gorgeous" are used by Hawthorne to make Pearl seem like a perfect little girl, and to make the readers sympathize towards her. Hawthorne wastes no time in starting to sway the opinions of the readers towards his beloved Pearl. Hawthorne then moves on to describe the attitude of Pearl which furthers her difference from the traditional Puritans.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, life is centered around a rigid Puritan society in which one is expected to be the most upright citizen they can be. Hawthorne uses Pearl as a way to show the harsh views of the early Puritans and how they affected the lives of those who were not fully accepted by them. Pearl is one of the most significant examples of a character that Hawthorne uses who has not been accepted into Puritan society. Hawthorne puts characteristics in Pearl that he uses to show just what the early Puritans were like. Hawthorne shows how Pearl is an oddity in the world of the Puritans through her appearance, her wild and defiant manner, and the way by which she came into existence.
First, Nathaniel Hawthorne wastes no time in making it known to the reader that Pearl is no ordinary Puritan character. He emphasizes this when he initially describes Pearl as an infant and again when he describes how her clothes exaggerate her intense beauty. When Hawthorne describes Pearl as an infant he immediately draws attention to the fact that she is out of the ordinary. He really sets her apart from most Puritan infants, when he says, "The infant was worthy to have been brought forth in Eden; worthy to have been left there, to be the plaything of the angels" (93; ch. 6). The baby Pearl is unique in the sense that she can be seen fitting in with angels in Eden. To add to this, Hawthorne emphasizes Pearl's intense beauty by the clothes that her sinful mother chooses for her. Hawthorne again makes it obvious that Pearl is not a normal Puritan in any sense of the term. In chapter six entitled "Pearl", Hawthorne describes Pearl as "So magnificent was the small figure, when thus arrayed, and such the splendor of Pearl's own proper beauty, shining through the gorgeous robes" (93; ch. 6). Words such as "splendor" and "gorgeous" are used by Hawthorne to make Pearl seem like a perfect little girl, and to make the readers sympathize towards her. Hawthorne wastes no time in starting to sway the opinions of the readers towards his beloved Pearl. Hawthorne then moves on to describe the attitude of Pearl which furthers her difference from the traditional Puritans.
