's
relationship with her mother is complex and puzzling, the result of the circumstances of her
birth and her life in the Puritan colony. Pearl loves her mother and sometimes treats her with
affection and tenderness. However, at other times she tauntsand seems to take pleasure in
causing her distress. Always, the little girl shows a persistent and recurring fascination with
the scarlet letter Hester wears. Hawthorne writes that as an infant, Pearl's earliest
association with and memory of her mother was focused on the letter.
Pearl
is the unwitting victim of Hester and Arthur's transgression. She grows up as a social outcast,
frequently tormented by other children, and lives in the same circle of isolation that surrounds
Hester. Hers is a lonely...
No comments:
Post a Comment