Abstract

The Scarlet Letter is one of the most excellent literary works written by American, Romanticism novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne in the 19th century. When people talk about this novel, a comment from D. H. Lawrence is often quoted, “No other book is so deep, so dual, so complete (Male, 1957).” But in the discussion of Nathaniel Hawthorne‘s The Scarlet Letter, little attention has been given to the significance of Pearl, the main character in this novel, the illegitimate daughter of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale. I don’t agree with the opinion that Pearl is not the main character of this novel, which most scholars and critics hold. In this paper, I will analyze the symbolic meaning of Pearl in terms of different relationships and illustrate the importance of Pearl from the plot and theme. Firstly, this paper will explains the symbolic meaning of Pearl based on her relationship with her parents and the author. In the next part, I will emphasize Pearl’s importance since she is the centre and cause of this story. Finally, all these discussions above will prove that Pearl is the main and indispensable character in this novel. In the end, a conclusion will be drawn that Pearl is the main and important character in this novel, which cannot be ignored. 

Keywords: Pearl, Hester, Nathaniel Hawthorne, symbolic meaning

Contents

Abstract

摘  要

1. Introduction-1

1.1 Nathaniel Hawthorne and His Work-1

1.2 Symbolism and Background-1

2. The Symbolic Meaning of Pearl-4

2.1 To Hester-4

2.1.1The reminder of Hester’s sin-4

2.2 To Dimmesdale-5

2.2.1 Sin of adultery-5

2.2.2Courage to admit his sin-5

2.3 To Hawthorn-5

    2.3.1 Hawthorn himself-5

2.3.2The epitome of Puritan society-6

3. The Importance of Pearl-7

3.1 The bond of other characters-7

3.2 The Centre of the novel -7

3.3 The origin and catalyst of this story-7

3.4 Pearl’s character is well explained-8

4. Conclusion-10

References-11