Pearl & the Red Rosebush

By: Deanna, Sashini, Stefi, Zoe, Izzy, Caitln, Miranda and Amanda

THESISPearl’s refusal to live within societal limitations and her beauty is juxtaposed with the austere oppressive location of rosebushes. This suggests that the permanent reminder of sin exists as a threshold for redemption against the depraved nature of humanity.

Pearl• Vibrant skin, deep and fiery

eyes, shiny brown/black hair.• "There was fire in her and

throughout her"(69).• Her fierce appearance portrays

how she was the product of a passionate and lustful moment.

• Often dressed in gold and red, just like the scarlet letter, which is the symbol of Hester's sin of adultery

• Personification of adultery and the scarlet letter.

Pearl (continued)Hester and Dimmesdale are drawn to Pearl and gain a sense of happiness when surrounded by her, however, in those same moments, she has the ability to crush their spirits.

Quotes" Pearl kissed his lips. A spell was broke. The

great scene of grief, in which the wild infant bore a part, had developed all her sympathies" (226). ~~~The Revelation

  " o father in heaven, -if thou art still my father,- what is this being which I have brought into the world!"(82) . ~~~Pearl

The Red Rosebush• Appearance: dainty, ethereal beauty (petals) • Internal character: sharp, piercing, and precocious

nature (thorns) • Connections: physical connection between Hester and

Dimmesdale and keeps Hester grounded (branches)• Location: outside of prison • Red color: symbolizes passion and sin • Roses are considered a treasure

Quotes“But, on one side of the portal, and rooted almost at the threshold, was a wild rose-bush…It had merely survived out of the stern old wilderness…[and] sprung up under the footsteps of the sainted Ann Hutchinson” (43). ~~~The Prison Door

“The child finally announced that she had not been made at all, but had been plucked by her mother off the bush of wild roses, that grew by the prison door” (100). ~~~The Elf-Child and the Minister

REIMAGINED THESISBoth Pearl and the rosebushes epitomize sin through their vivacity and ambiguity. The emergence of the rosebush and Pearl in an austere Puritanical society represents hope for Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth as they search for redemption from their sin. Pearl and the rosebush also embody the innate and honest dark side of humanity. Their presence suggests that society struggles to define man as either morally just or astray. Yet, society fails since the candid man's nature exists as ambiguous and undefinable.