Pearl could, or could not be a believable character in The Scarlet Letter depending on how the reader interprets Pearls’ actions and speech. I plan to prove that Pearl could be believable, and that she could net be believable. Throughout the book Pearl either says or does things that are not typical of a girl of her age. After Hester talks to Chillingworth, Pearl is asked if she knows why Hester wears the scarlet letter. Pearl replies, “It is for the same reason that the minister keeps his hand over his heart”.
I do not believe that a seven your old girl could be observant enough to discover that the same reason that Dimmesdale puts his hand over his heart is the same reason that Hester wears the scarlet letter. If the whole town did not discover that there was something going on between Dimmesdale and Hester, then how could pearl? Another example that Pearl is not a believable child is when Hester, Pearl, and Dimmesdale are talking in the forest, and Dimmesdale decides to give Pearl a kiss. Pearl then walks over to the brook and washes off the kiss.
Pearl seemed to like Dimmesdale previous to this incident, and now all of a sudden, she does not like Dimmesdale enough to not wipe off his kiss? Yet another example that Pearl is not a believable child is when she is walking in the woods alone, she says, “Why art thou so sad? Pluck up a spirit, and do not be all the time sighing and murmuring! ”. If a young girl believes that a brook can be sad, that shows some serious mental problems. Most children would think of a brook as a brook, not a sad brook, and tell it to pluck up its spirit.
Also in the forest when Pearl is talking to Hester, Pearl says, “And so it is! And, mother, he has his hand over his heart! Is it because, when the minister wrote his name in the book, the Black Man set his mark in that place? But why does he not wear it outside his bosom, as thou dost, mother? “. I do not believe that Pearl would know that Arthur Dimmesdale has sinned, and even if she did know, how could she be smart enough to know that he wore his shame in secrecy. No child seven years old could determine that, even if they where extremely smart and observant.
Those are just a few of the reasons that Pearl is not a believable child. Pearl also showed signs of a normal, somewhat believable child. An example of her being believable is at the Governor’s mansion, Pearl is asked by Mr. Wilson who made her, Pearl says that she was plucked by her mother from a rose bush. Sounds like a typical three year old saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Yet another example of how Pearl is a believable child is at the festival when the seamen asks Pearl to relay a message to Hester and pearl replies, “If the message pleases me I will”.
I believe that most seven year olds would come up with something quite similar to that. Another good example of Pearl being believable is when she threw the stones at the sea birds. I believe that a typical girl of her age would do the same thing out of curiosity and boredom. Throughout a full day Pearl relentlessly asks Hester why she wears the scarlet letter. Even though Hester repeatedly tells Pearl to stop asking, Pearl keeps it up, typical of a seven-year-old child.