Little Pearl

Pearl is the single most confusing thing in this novel. My first question is: is she a child or a demon? Hester refers to her as both, but she truly does seem to love her... at times. Question number two: Does Hester love her daughter or does she view her as some sort of never ending punishment sent by god? Once again Hester gives proof for both of these theories. This leads me to believe that it is a mix of the two. Pearl is a symbol, she vexes her mother more than most children did at the time, but her mother loves her and never leaves her cabin without Pearl at her side. In a way Pearl is the scarlet letter; a constant reminder of the sin she committed. But she is also more than that, she is Hester's reason for living, she gives Hester her strength without her she would be lost; "God gave me the child! He gave her in requital of all things else which ye had taken from me. She is my happiness! - She is my torture, none the less! Pearl keeps me here in life! Pearl punishes me too! See ye not, she is the scarlet letter, only capable of being loved, and so endowed with a millionfold the power of retribution for my sin? Ye shall not take her! I will die first!" When Hester claims that Pearl is the scarlet letter the only real difference being that she can be loved she is truly explaining what the girl is to her. She is not only a constant reminder of the sin committed, she is also a reminder of the reason for the sin. The love between Hester and Dimmesdale is constantly there, in the form of a little girl. Hester Prynne may be the main character in this novel, but Pearl is the most important component.