The Inhumanity of Pearl

Pearl, from the very beginning, is described in terms relating to nature or as a mystical and otherworldly being. Her "wild" nature which is described as being "like a floating sea-bird, on the long heaves and swells of sound." All of this combines to make Pearl seem to others as possessing a "shadowy and intangible quality." This creates a stark distinction between Pearl and all the Puritans, even estranging her from her mother. Everyone cannot truly view Pearl as a person because of the circumstances of her conception. It is not until the very end of the Scarlet Letter that the opinions of the townspeople change. Once Pearl inherits the fortune, the American obsession with wealth is shown as the townspeople warm to her slightly. But even then she is not viewed as being human. Only when considering what had happened to Pearl is her humanity bestowed. The belief that allowed Pearl to be seen as human is the belief that girl children are wild and must, as it is supposed happened to Pearl "subdued, and made capable of a woman's gentle happiness." This makes it possible then, that Pearl's being female is at least in part of what allows her to see through people's facades and justify her elfish spirit. Femaleness and ideal femininity in the Scarlet Letter defines not only Hester, but also Pearl. However, because Hester removes Pearl to the cottage by the sea, Pearl is able to live outside of the definition which so greatly impacted the life of Hester. Pearl's inability to conform to the Puritan ideal of feminitiy results in the townspeople viewing Pearl as inhuman.