Another View of Hester
This is where they say the 'A' on Hester Prynne's chest no longer means 'adulterer'. "They said it meant able." Everything is changing. Hester becomes a saint, the letter means a new word, a good word, and that means that Pearl's fate will change. If Pearl represents the same thing the scarlet letter represents, then Pearl is now 'able'. Pearl's life could have turned out differently. For the rest of her life she could have been looked at as Hester Prynne's daughter, which might not have been a good thing. Now, there is some order in the world, and Pearl is able to succeed. People are now a lot less likely to view her as 'Hester Prynne's daughter', and instead view her as 'Pearl'. She is able to achieve much more. I wonder if because Dimmesdale took one step to confessing himself, it means he took a step for Pearl towards her success.
But does Pearl change? What are the descriptions of Pearl in this chapter? How are these descriptions different than previous chapters.
ReplyDelete