Why a Scarlet Dress?

As we all look back at the previous chapters that we have read, there are many things to think about and bring together. Why does Hawthorne choose to explain what Hester Prynne has done since prison? And the biggest question of all is why did Hester dress Pearl in a scarlet dress with gold lacing? Many of the questions sprung up after these chapters were over, but Hawthorne uses Pearl as a living symbol of the scarlet letter. As you read this blog keep one thing in mind; Pearl is an example of love between two people, but unfortunately that love was through the act of adultery.

As the chapters begin, we start to learn how Pearl acts and what kind of person she is. She is smart, so she knows a lot of things that a girl of three should not know. She is rambunctious, because she likes to get under the skin of people. But what is not obvious is what Pearl is actually put in the novel to be. She is put in the novel as a reminder of Hester’s passion, but to Hester this reminder is very difficult to live with, while also wearing the letter “A” on her gown.

Hester hears that the governor may take Pearl away from her because she is “devilish” and “demon-like,” so Hester decides to go and plea her case as to why she should keep Pearl. But before they leave, she dresses Pearl in a scarlet dress with gold embroidered lace. Isn’t this exactly what her letter “A” looks like on her gown? It is, and it is not the first time that Hester has dressed her like that. Hester is going against what society believes about dress code, and she constantly dresses pearl in beautiful reds, golds, or both. With Pearl’s attire, Hester can give “the gorgeous tendencies of her imagination their full play,” designing her clothes “with fantasies and flourishes of gold-thread.” Physical descriptions of Pearl and the scarlet letter are pretty much interchangeable. She purposely does this to show the governor that no matter what threats he gives towards her, she will still live her life and accept the consequence of being reminded of that every day. From a very young age, Pearl has personified Hester committing adultery. As a baby she would reach for the scarlet letter, and as she has grown, she has always been interested in the letter upon her mother’s chest. When we are all babies, we pick up on things that interest us and then later in our lives, that interest in this case is the letter “A” on Hester’s gown.

Hester feels that having Pearl there every day of her life is also very difficult as wel1, because she is a constant reminder of the horrible act she has committed. Although at times Hester feels this way, that doesn’t take away from the fact that she loves her daughter and wants her to be with her for the rest of her life. It is like a mother conceiving a child and struggling to decide whether to keep the baby or put it up for adoption. It is very difficult. Although Hester is reminded of adultery through the letter “A” on her chest as well as through Pearl, she knows that it is now her entire life, and she will have to live with both of them with her until she dies.

So as I wrap up this blog, I think that it is important to recognize just how symbolic Pearl is in The Scarlet Letter. Not only does her embodiment capture the scarlet letter, but it also signifies the act that Hester had committed. Through the beautiful gowns she wears and the lacing of gold on each, Pearl emphasizes to the reader not only how important the scarlet letter is, but just how strong Hester Prynne is to take criticism and ridicule from her peers.