The Puritans believed that no one can thrive by nature alone; yet it is apparent that the wild Pearl feels a strong allegiance to her natural surroundings, the forest being both her nursery and her second home.

Hester caught hold of Pearl, and drew her forcibly into her arms, confronting the old Puritan magistrate with almost a fierce expression. Alone in the world, cast off by it, and with this sole treasure to keep her heart alive, she felt that she possessed indefeasible rights against the world, and was ready to defend them to the death.

The portrayal of Pearl as an elf in The Scarlet Letter symbolizes her otherworldly nature and the societal alienation she and her mother face. This depiction emphasizes her innocence and wildness...

Chapter 8: The Elf-Child and the Minister How is Pearl treated when the party first see her? They tease her by calling her a bird and a demon-child. Wilson wonders why she is dressed so strangely and why her name is Pearl (doesn't match her color - …

The Puritan community believed extramarital sex to be inherently evil and influenced by the devil, and, because Pearl is a product of her mother's extramarital sex, Hawthorne raises the issue of Pearl's nature.

Beholding it, Hester was constrained to rush towards the child,—to pursue the little elf in the flight which she invariably began,—to snatch her to her bosom, with a close pressure and earnest kisses,—not so much from overflowing love, as to assure herself that Pearl was flesh and blood, and not utterly delusive.

Pearl is compared to an elf/fairy, bird, red rose, ruby, coral. They all show that Pearl is non-conforming. They are also all red, not quite real (which is how the Puritans see her), and show that she is spirit like.

Aug 18, 2011 · Pearl is like sunshine on a rainy day (yes I know bad cliché; it's all I can think of right now). She is larger than life, almost magical. She is a free spirit as opposed to the spirits that are shackled by constricting Puritan laws and beliefs of the village.

The Puritan Elf in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter (revised) Many writers have created characters who seem different from their society, detached from the usual world. Such a person is Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Pearl in The Scarlet Letter. Until her father acknowledges her, Pearl is an alien in society; to the Puritans her traits seem peculiar ...

Pearl is described to be elf, fey, and evil, which ascribes a unique shadow of light and shadow to her perpetual mystery and danger. She is wild, rebellious, and uncontrollable, whom God is never likely to care for a visit. She is far from the reader’s common understanding.