1.22.08 | Hawthorne (day 5)

• Business• Pearl and the A• HW – Finish the book for tomorrow.– Upcoming schedule:• Melville, thurs.• Poe, Mon.• Auster, Tues. – Tues. • First paper due [2/8]

“A”

• It is both a punishment for adultery and a prideful sexy adornment, it makes imagination feel sinful, crashing it on the rock of the real, yet inspires imagination to contemplate sin, unites Hester with all sinners and ostracizes her.

• What does the symbol A mean?

Pearl• "But, in truth, Pearl was the one, as well as the

other [Hester’s object of affection and the emblem of her guilt and torture]; and only in consequence of that identity had Hester contrived so perfectly to represent the scarlet letter in her appearance.“– Pearl's dress– "But it was a remarkable attribute of this garb, and indeed, of the child's

whole appearance, that it irresistibly and inevitably reminded the beholder of the token which Hester Prynne was doomed to war upon her bosom. It was the scarlet letter in another form; the scarlet letter endowed with life!" 92

• So we have to ask: – What is the relationship between Pearl and the

letter?

Pearl• Character sketch.

– Elfish, impish: energetic, mysterious, imaginative, strange to H and others, prefers woods, cut off from others, free-spirited, mischevious, jokster, in-tune with nature, intuitive, observant, willful, not respectful.

– Obsessed w/ A– stubborn– Brave, not intimidated. – Social considering her outcast status, outspoken– Aggressive. Playing like gathering an army– “Devil child”– Passionate. From H’s state.– Opposite of H and D. – wants to reveal. – Life to H and the oppression – compared to H w/o letter. – Perception by others

• Frightens, especially D.– Bastard, not baptized, – Could reveal

• Don’t think she is being properly educated• Want to take her away.

Pearl and the A

• What is Pearl’s attitude toward the letter?• What are some of the ways she shows her

interest?– First object she showed awareness of is the letter.

86– Throws flowers at the letter 87– Rings the letter with thistles. – Makes her own from eel-grass 162.– Flips out when Mom takes it off.

• Reintroduces the question of its meaning:– P. 162-165– "What does the letter mean, mother?-- and why

doest thou wear it? -- and why does the minister keep his hand over his heart?

– Pearl makes her own A out of seaweed, wants to know the correlation between Hester's A and Dimmesdale holding his chest. Hester lies, says it is a fashion choice, but Pearl knows better.

– “Do no tease me; else I shall shut thee into a dark closet!” [165]

• Why do we keep returning to this question?• Can we offer an answer?

The Brook – Pearl• The First Meeting:– both mysterious, flowed through gloom– asks what the brook says, WHAT IT MEANS:• “What does this sad little brook say, mother?”

– "If thou hadst a sorrow of thine own, the brook might tell thee of it,” answered her mother, "even as it is telling me of mine.”» it gets aligned with the meteor. [170]

– reacts by dancing and singing.• “So Pearl, who had enough of shadow in her own little

life, chose to break off all acquaintance with this repining brook” [171]

The Child at the Brookside• The second meeting. – Set the scene: What just happened, what’s happening

now?• The symbols– D and H standing together see Pearl advancing:

• “as the little hierogplyphic, in which was revealed the secret they so darkly sought to hide, -- all written in this symbol, -- all plainly manifest,-- had there been a prophet or magician skilled to read the character of flame! And Pearl was the oneness of their being. Be the foregone evil what it might, how could they doubt that their earthly lives and future destinies were conjoined , when they beheld at once the material union, and the spiritual idea, in whom they met, and were to dwell immortally together?” [190]

• “‘I have a strange fancy,’ observed the sensitive minister, ‘that this brook is the boundary between two worlds.’” [192]– Remember: "If thou hadst a sorrow of thine own, the

brook might tell thee of it,” answered her mother, "even as it is telling me of mine.”

• Pearl doesn’t come when called, but stands at the edge of the brook pointing at her mom’s chest, now missing the A, so that her reflection points as well.

• Pearl makes mom put it back on, then kisses it.

• What do you make of this scene?– On your own, write a paragraph unpacking this

scene. What is the significance?

• Tomorrow is our final day on The Scarlet Letter.– Bring any final questions– We will try to wrap up discussions

• The plot, the pillory• The stakes as outlined in the introduction• The letter A. • Your questions.

– Melville for Thurs. We are talking symbol there as well. Think about how H and M compare in regards symbolization.