Scarlet Letter 9

1.) "'Yes; now I will!' answered the child, bounding across the brook, and clasping Hester in her arms. 'Now thou art my mother indeed! And I am thy little Pearl!'" (Hawthorne 190).

Pearl would not go to her Hester unless Hester wore the Scarlet Letter. This can be explained easily by, as Hester says, the fact that children get confused if something they daily see is removed. Because Hester had worn the Letter all of Pearl's life, seeing Hester without it may have been a shock to Pearl. This also serves as an interesting insight into the nature of the Scarlet Letter. Hester was worn the Scarlet Letter for so long, that it has become her. Everyone knows Hester because of the Scarlet A. The symbol of her sin has merged with Hester, and she cannot be herself without it. It is synonymous with Hester in the eyes of the townspeople. Without it, people may not recognize her. This is the case with Pearl. Without the Scarlet A, Hester is her wild former self, hair down and free, that had just slept with the Minister. When she puts on the Scarlet Letter, however, it reminds her of her true self, and Hester is once again rendered the caring mother Pearl knows and loves. It is the one distinguishing characteristic that Hester is now known by. Without it, she is not herself.

2.) "No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself, and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true" (194).

This is very true. When I first read this, it reminded me of a quote from the movie V for Vendetta. In the movie, the character Gordon Dietrich tells Evey, "You wear a mask for so long, you forget who you were beneath it." Dietrich, in V for Vendetta's dystopian, 1984-esque London, is the host of a Variety Show, and is meant to be a very proud, masculine character. Because of this, he often invites young women to his home to entertain them. In truth, however, Dietrich can never truly "quench his appetite for unconventional fare" as he puts it. The government has outlawed and imprisoned any homosexuals, which is why Dietrich can not be his true self. He pretends to be someone he is not, and after while, he forgets who he truly is. This is the same for both Dimmesdale and Hester in The Scarlet Letter. For seven years, Dimmesdale has lied to his congregation. He purports as a pure, godly man, when he knows he is despicable and vile. He has, though, masqueraded as a good person for so long, that he forgets which version of himself is the true one--the one he believes, or the one the people believe. The same can be said for Hester. The Scarlet Letter acts as her mask. She wears it for so long, masquerading as a heavenly saint, that she forgets the reason she originally was forced to wear the Letter in the first place--she was the woman who had an affair with the Reverend.