Innocence of Children in Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter Essay -- Scarl

Innocence of Children in Hawthornes The red-faced Letter In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne does an admirable job of expressing the true character of his characters. Nowhere in his story is this more obvious than in his portrayal of the children. Children, in their whiteness will say or do anything, for distant adults, they atomic number 18 not constrained by societal expectations. They are oblivious to most manners and politics and therefore, are less reserved than the adults when it comes to question things or speaking their mind. Pearl, the leading child in the novel, is an excellent face of childish innocence combined with almost preternatural perception. Her willpower and humor make her a blessing and a curse to her mother, who has paid such a dear price for her child. After testing both smiles and frowns, and proving that neither mode of treatment possessed any calculable influence, Hester was ultimately compelled to defend aside, and permit that the child be swayed to her own impulses (Hawthorne 82). Pearl could not be controlled by anyvirtuoso, nor did she easily establish relationships with others. The other children in town would very much tease her and gang up on her, berating Pearl and her mother. Pearls anger, however, was released in fits of fury as she screamed and flung things at her opponents. These heathenish qualities and unintelligible screams made some(prenominal) of the townsfolk believe her to be a witch (Hawthorne 85-86). In one of the final chapters, Mistress Hibbins, a confirmed witch, proclaims Pearl to be the fille of the Prince of the Air, another term for Satan (Hawthorne 222). Pearl is never, in the entire disc afraid to speak her mind. Her mother, embarrassed by many of these outbursts, tries in nugatory to... ...t of humanity. Maturity and responsibility come with time, but so do the restraints that humanity put on their actions, tongues, and hearts. Children, however, are very perceptive, and Hawthorne makes t his very clear. Their eyes and ears are always open, yet no one notices a child. Pearls wisdom and innocence are infuriating and lovable aspects of her personality, and in many ways, she voices what Hester provided thinks. Adults in The Scarlet Letter, especially Mr. Dimmsdale, keep their thoughts, feelings, and emotions to themselves, sometimes with disastrous results. In truth, only children can be trusted to tell the complete and utter truth, for they do not understand the tact of white lies, the manners with which we must study ourselves, or the politics of society. Work CitedHawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. 1850. New York The Modern Library, 2000.