A Comparison of Arthur Dimmesdale and Pearl
In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and Pearl are two essential characters. Because they are father and daughter, they have some similar qualities, but also some different ones. The apple does not fall far from the tree: the apple is the child of the tree (the parent); therefore, it inherits similarities in personality, but it also retains its own individual qualities. Dimmesdale and Pearl share few similar traits, but Hawthorne makes these similarities significant. Passion greatly affects the lives of both Dimmesdale and Pearl. Dimmesdale commits adultery -- a sin of passion. Pearl inherits "all this enmity and passion [ . . . ] by inalienable right" (Hawthorne 87). From the moment Hester Prynne gives birth to her daughter, the sin of adultery marks Pearl permanently just as the scarlet "A" marks her mother. Throughout the entire novel, Pearl serves as a symbol of Dimmesdale and Hester's passion. Although the same force of passion affects Dimmesdale and his daughter, he makes the choice to commit adultery while Pearl does not have the power to decide to be borne out of a sin. This sin inflicts grief upon both the father and daughter. Dimmesdale, "overcome with a great horror of
Although her birth comes from a sin, Pearl maintains her honesty and innocence throughout the novel. It continues to haunt him for as long as he refuses to confess to the sin. Her father's admission to his sin along with his death brings about significant change for Pearl: ironically, as her father departs from the human world, Pearl finally enters it. How can she not be grief stricken? The mutual love between her mother and herself helps Pearl to cope with the grief; neither one of them receives Dimmesdale's acknowledgement, so they must stick together and support each other. On the other hand, Dimmesdale lacks the honesty and innocence that Pearl possesses. Although Pearl and her father share a few similarities, the differences seem to be more significant. However, they become aware of his guilt when the sinner finally goes to the scaffold on Election Day and confesses to the sin in agony. Although a man of the cloth, he lacks honesty, unlike his daughter. Similar in some ways and complete opposites in others, traits that Pearl and Dimmesdale possess represent those of most parents and their children. In the harsh Puritan society of the early 1600s, most parents would not allow their apples (their children) to fall far from the tree, but Pearl is an example of an apple that fell farther than most. Hawthorne writes, "The great scene of grief [ .
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