Beginning of Essay
In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, many of the characters suffer from the tolls of sin, but none as horribly as Hester's daughter Pearl. She alone suffers from sin that is not her own, but rather that of her mother. From the day she is conceived, Pearl ....

Middle of Essay
.... Pearl's existence and purpose asking God, "what is this being which I have brought into the world, evil?" or inquiring to Pearl, "Child, what art thou?" Hester sees Pearl as a reminder of her sin, especially since as an infant Pearl is acutely aware of the scarlet letter A on her mother’s chest. When still in her crib, Pearl reached up and grasped the letter, causing "Hester Prynne [to] clutch the fatal token so infinite was the torture inflicted by the intelligent touch of Pearl's baby-hand" (Hawthorne 66). The torture Hester felt was reflected by the significant reminder of the sin that brought Pearl into life. Hester feels guilty whene ....