Sunday, November 7, 2010

DJ 25

Hester and Pearl

From page 158...

"'Silly Pearl,' said she, 'what questions are these? There are many things in the world that a child must not ask about. What know I of the minister's heart? And as for the scarlet letter, I wear it for the sake of its gold thread!'"

This is the first time we see Hester lie to Pearl. Usually you see a parent lie to their child just to quiet them about things of little importance, but this however, is of great importance. Pearl is the light of Hester's life, she must not lie to her. That's like to take no notice of an omen. You just don't do it. Hester is supposed to be a saint, why would she try to hide this from even Pearl?

This follows the theme of Nature vs. Human Law. Nature has no law, things happen naturally, it goes without saying. Human Law...well it follows law...Human Law makes us think before we speak, rather than say what comes into our mind first. It's natural for Pearl to wonder about the scarlet letter. Hester would naturally tell Pearl what's up but she feels she's not quite ready for her to know, so she makes up a lie, Human Law.

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