LaurenEtling

Well well well,

Once again we agree Lauren. I think that it's true that Pearl is truly the only character that can actually be loved, for she was not involved with the community of sinners. Maybe Hawthorne was trying to bring up the idea that children seem to have some sort of purity. They are not better seen than heard. They need to be heard, considering how the people in that era "were sinners in the eyes of an angry God." Maybe Hawthorne was trying to make that evident.

Let me know, and thanks for commenting on my blog.

I agree with the way that the story ended for Pearl. She really did deserve it. I also think that she was the best character in the book. As you said in the class, if it was not for her, I would have been lost in the story.

Haha we know how much you like Pearl! Personally, I didn't like her character too much-she actually annoyed me at times. Yet I know she is a great literary device and a huge symbol, so I'll let it go.

Weren't you upset that Pearl just basically disappears at the end though? The reader doesn't know whether she is alive or dead, married or not, living happily or in poverty. For such a large character in the book, a little bit of conclusion would have been nice.

Pearl definitely ruled this novel. I think that's what Hawthorne was trying to get us to understand: anything is possible. Hester, cast away by her peers, was still able to return home and live the life she wanted. Pearl was able to triumph gloriously! I want to say I saw it coming, though. Pearl deserved to be an heiress and swept away to a far away place, where she could have her "devil-child" adventures of a lifetime!

I agree wuth you too. Throughout the whole story, Pearl had to endure hardships from the town over a situation she had no control over. She got what she'd been wanting all along, and she deserved every bit of it. I think people in the town forget that she was a real person too, someone that obviously had a better understanding of the world around her then they gave her credit for. I thought it was a good ending to the story.

Good call, J. There's definitely a sense of a movement from innocence to experience as far Pearl's concerned, but that would be true of any well developed character. But the story definitely doesn't close with a happy ending. What thoughts on that lil' bit?

I completely agree with you. Throughout the book the townspeople gave her a hard time for a situation that she had absolutely no control over. I think, as far as the story goes, Pearl plays an important part. She acts as an understading aid. She helped me understand a lot of things, that I didn't quite get from another perspective.

hi all! i'm glad that you all can bear with me on my Pearl rantings, but seriously...i did think that she was the most important character in the novel. Vanessa- i guess you're right...i would have liked a little bit more information about what happened to Pearl, but i'm sure that all is well. Hawthorne woudl have said something if you she died, right? also, i highly doubt that she was living in poverty, considering she inherited all of Chillingsworth's property and money. if only i were that lucky ::sigh:: Thanks everyone for all the comments!