Quote Response #2- The Scarlet Letter

    In chapter eight of, The Scarlet Letter, I found a quote describing Hester Prynne’s daughter, Pearl. This quote can be found on page 97 and is only a few sentences long. The quote reads, “The old minister seated himself in an armchair, and made an effort to draw Pearl betwixt his knees. But the child, unaccustomed to the touch or familiarity of any but her mother, escaped through the open window and stood on the upper step looking like a wild, tropical bird, of rich plumage, ready to take flight into the upper air”. I believe this short statement shows the true innocence of Pearl and how unfair her life has already been. Later on, it describes Pearl as being about three years of age and it is clear that in the those three short years, she has been pretty much sheltered from the world around her. While I can totally understand why Hester would want to shelter her daughter from the judgmental people of their community, I also think that her daughter would have benefited greatly from being around other people.
    Also, I believe that Pearl may have felt the tension that her mother was experiencing from being around these judgmental individuals. She obviously could sense that her mother, the one and only person that she was close to, was feeling uncomfortable and in a way, that feeling became familiar to her as well. The simile, “But the child, unaccustomed to the touch or familiarity of any but her mother, escaped through the open window and stood on the upper step looking like a wild, tropical bird, of rich plumage, ready to take flight into the upper air”, compares Pearl to a bird that needs to escape from a predator or unfamiliar situation. Pearl was unfamiliar with this man and obviously did not feel comfortable with him being as close to her as he had been.
    I believe this quote is significant because it illustrates the fact that the tension Hester Prynne feels every time she has to walk around her town is very real. This tension and uncomfortably has now transferred into her own innocent daughter. Although Pearl has done nothing wrong, the town finds her very existence to be sinful within itself. This quote illustrates just how innocent, but also how aware Pearl is of all the tension that she is unfairly experiencing. It just goes to show that life is sometimes unfair and no matter how much you want to change it, it simply cannot be done.