“…but in another face in the small black mirror of Pearl’s eye. It was a face, fiend-like, full of smiling malice, yet bearing the semblance of features that she had known full well, through seldom with a smile, and never with malice, in them. It was as if an evil spirit possessed the child, and had just then peeped forth in mockery. Many a time afterwards had Hester been tortured, thought less vividly, by the same illusion.” (pg.66-67 DOVER-THRIFT EDITIONS)
Passage taken from The Scarlet Letter, VI. Pearl
As if the A embroidered on Hester's clothing wasn't enough to constantly remind and torture her of the great sin she had committed, this symbol is also reflected with Hester's child, Pearl, the product of guilt and shame.
You would think children are a symbol of innocence, peace, and love, yet while there is some truth in that with Hester's child, forever will there always be an underlying guilt and disgrace attributed to her from the way in which she was conceived. Of course seeing Pearl brings back those terrible memories and of course Hester will always be reminded of her great sin, but dig down deeper, not just to the symbol of Pearl as a whole, but the delicate features of Pearl, the features that contribute to this growing symbolism Pearl is associated with. Hester mentions that she sees a lot of herself in Pearl, but what about that other side-the other genetic contributor? Sure a part of Hester can be seen, but when she looks at this helpless child, she cannot help but also see the face of her partner in crime- the man whom she had an affair with, constantly there to mock her- mocking her of the fact that she had to suffer the consequences of the sin, while he got to live out in secrecy, and mocking her in tempting her to reveal his name. With all these reminders (the scarlet A on her clothing, Pearl, and now the features of Pearl) you would think that she would just break down and go crazy, yet although she remains faithful in her decision to not reveal the name of the man she had an affair with, it makes you wonder how the story is going to unfold. Will Hester ever reveal the man's name? If so, how and when will she do so? Furthermore what consequences will she face as a result of doing so? I bring forth the last question because Hester seems to hold back on revealing the name not just to remain trustworthy and faithful as she had since shattered those traits in being unfaithful to her husband, but a reason going in much deeper than that. I wouldn't want to go so left field in this thought, but would it be possible that Hester is unwilling to reveal the name because she is scared, scared of the man she had an affair with and scared of the consequences she would receive in revealing his name? If you think about it, why else would she see the other side of Pearl, when noticing her looks, with associations to evil and malice? Could there be a deeper meaning to these symbols rather than just as a reminder of the sin Hester had engaged in?
The way in which Hawthorne details this symbol provides deeper understanding as to Pearl and how Hester feels about her. You can tell that Hester loves her daughter but at the same time is scared of her, "as if an evil spirit possessed the child". Using similies (the quote above) and examples ("fiend-like, full of smiling malice"), Hawthorne effectively describes these other features of Pearl in comparing them to heavily negative connotative ideas of darkness and evil, on the verge of demonic. By doing so Hawthorne brings forth a deeper understanding as to the actual meaning of these symbols- can what we, on the surface, only see as symbols of the sinful incident, be something much deeper than that? In consideration of this thought, why else would Hawthorne use these comparisons?
Questions to consider:
You would think children are a symbol of innocence, peace, and love, yet while there is some truth in that with Hester's child, forever will there always be an underlying guilt and disgrace attributed to her from the way in which she was conceived. Of course seeing Pearl brings back those terrible memories and of course Hester will always be reminded of her great sin, but dig down deeper, not just to the symbol of Pearl as a whole, but the delicate features of Pearl, the features that contribute to this growing symbolism Pearl is associated with. Hester mentions that she sees a lot of herself in Pearl, but what about that other side-the other genetic contributor? Sure a part of Hester can be seen, but when she looks at this helpless child, she cannot help but also see the face of her partner in crime- the man whom she had an affair with, constantly there to mock her- mocking her of the fact that she had to suffer the consequences of the sin, while he got to live out in secrecy, and mocking her in tempting her to reveal his name. With all these reminders (the scarlet A on her clothing, Pearl, and now the features of Pearl) you would think that she would just break down and go crazy, yet although she remains faithful in her decision to not reveal the name of the man she had an affair with, it makes you wonder how the story is going to unfold. Will Hester ever reveal the man's name? If so, how and when will she do so? Furthermore what consequences will she face as a result of doing so? I bring forth the last question because Hester seems to hold back on revealing the name not just to remain trustworthy and faithful as she had since shattered those traits in being unfaithful to her husband, but a reason going in much deeper than that. I wouldn't want to go so left field in this thought, but would it be possible that Hester is unwilling to reveal the name because she is scared, scared of the man she had an affair with and scared of the consequences she would receive in revealing his name? If you think about it, why else would she see the other side of Pearl, when noticing her looks, with associations to evil and malice? Could there be a deeper meaning to these symbols rather than just as a reminder of the sin Hester had engaged in?
The way in which Hawthorne details this symbol provides deeper understanding as to Pearl and how Hester feels about her. You can tell that Hester loves her daughter but at the same time is scared of her, "as if an evil spirit possessed the child". Using similies (the quote above) and examples ("fiend-like, full of smiling malice"), Hawthorne effectively describes these other features of Pearl in comparing them to heavily negative connotative ideas of darkness and evil, on the verge of demonic. By doing so Hawthorne brings forth a deeper understanding as to the actual meaning of these symbols- can what we, on the surface, only see as symbols of the sinful incident, be something much deeper than that? In consideration of this thought, why else would Hawthorne use these comparisons?
Questions to consider:
- What did Hester mean when she told Pearl in chapter 7, "Thou must gather thine own sunshine. I have none to give thee!"?
- What purpose did Hawthorne have in using a whole chapter (chapter 7) to describe Hester and Pearl's experience to and at the Governor's Hall, before the conversation with the clergymen in chapter 8?
- Is there a deeper meaning in Hester's reasoning to not reveal the name of the man she had an affair with? Could it be that she wants to get society to still see her as someone faithful or can it be something more than that?
To answer your first question Jeannette, that citaion means that Pearl has to follow in her own footsteps, not in the footsteps of Hester; because as you can see Hesters footsteps stepped in the wrong place and caused her to be shunned from the puritan society.
ReplyDeleteYour second question is great. I would have to say that the purpose of chapter 7 was to describe how the two interacted a little more, and to decribe Hester's fears (her reflection and Pearl's reflection) in more depth. After seeing the spirit of the child, we can then get a better understanding of why she answers the way she does in chapter 8 in her conversation with the clergymen. But it is more to show that even with the evil spirit surrounding Pearl, Hester is still willing to drive it out of her and for her to know who her heavenly father is.
I believe hester is keepin the secret of the man she had an affair with because he is of high status. Personally i think that she had an affair with Reverend Dimmesdale, and you'll see more of why I think this in the upcoming chapters. =D
Question #1: I think Hester means that Pearl has to find a way to gain her own happiness because she has little to none left inside to give her. The whole situation and its aftermath has very obviously taken an emotional toll on Hester. Children often feed off the emotions of their parents so Hester is making it clear that she wants Pearl to find happiness elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteQuestion #3: I think Hester is keeping the name a secret to protect the man because he is of high social status and she probably doesn't want him to go through the same madness she is and have his life ruined. & I agree with the Rev. Dimmesdale theory.
Hester's statement about sunshine says that if Pearl wants to be happy she will have to be so on her own, generate her own happiness for her mother can not. More so, the situation Hester and Pearl are in because of Hester's action by default means that Hester has done all she can do from the beginning. All other things are out of her hands. She can not fix the situation nor change society and their faulty judgmental ways.
ReplyDeleteOn the concealing of her partner in the adultery, Hester may feel that by dong this she is preserving some of her dignity by not opening her self completely to society. By not revealing the name there still is some mystery in the situation. Possibilities of being falsely accused, or wrong fully punished. Also depending on the other participant it could make the situation worse. Depending on the ranking in society the male held could make Hester's act even worse in the eyes of the society when in reality the sin is the same no matter who does it.