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Analysis of the Character Pearl in The Scarlet Letter a Feminist Prospective Without a doubt, in the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne wanted to create a female character who stands out of their environment, whose lifestyle is culturally, economically and mentally different. At the time of writing this book, the author might have been unfamiliar with such a term as feminism. Nevertheless, to a contemporary reader it is quite obvious that Hawthorne's Pearl is a feminist symbol. Through her character, the author expresses how difficult it was to be a different, we can say a feminist, woman for Hester, Pearl's mother in the Puritan society. Pearl is a product of being different, being an early feminist, who Hester is. Both Pearl and her mother are economically independent, they sustain themselves.
Hester chooses to live this tough life, even though she can ask for help form Pearl's father. As a result, we can see that Pearl grows up to be a beautiful personality, with right values and attitudes. She requires from Dimmesdale to acknowledge her, she does not recognize her mother without the A letter, which proves that she is an honest person. Another feminist trait that the character of Pearl possesses is her independence of the public opinion and her strength to confront it. Pearl is a strong, autonomic girl that is free in expressing her inner state, which is really uncharacteristic for a Puritan society she lives in. She knows that she is different, yet has the strength not only to put up with this, but also to show this difference off and be proud of it.
She wears bright dresses, she dances in the woods, she knows why her mother wears the A letter, yet she is not ashamed. This calls for much disapproval from the fellow villagers, she is even called an elf child, she is associated with devil. Still, this does not bring her down and she continues to be true to herself. Pearl is the real feminist character in The Scarlet Letter. We see this girls as someone who is breaking the societal stereotypes of how a young girl should behave, dress, live, and this is exactly what feminists are known for.
Over the centuries they had the courage to confront the male-dominated societies. Perhaps, thanks to such brave female personalities as Hawthorne's Pearl, women now reached the equality and are free to choose their own lifestyle.
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Research essay sample on Scarlet Letter Puritan Society
