symbol

The Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne

There are two main symbols within the book: Pearl and the scarlet letter. Both of the symbols relate to Hester's sin of adultery. In the last section, these symbols reach an end of some kind in a sense that they work in the final section to show Hester's ability to move on from the past. "Towards her mother, too, Pearl's errand as a messenger of anguish was all fulfilled" (Hawthorne, 197). Pearl was born into the world and was an constant reminder to Hester of her sin. The sadness would always exist as long as Pearl did not know the whole truth of her mother's story. When Dimmesdale revealed his secret, Hester no longer had to hide anything from her daughter. Furthermore, Pearl was no longer a symbol of all the trouble and pain that had occurred in the past,  but the lesson learned from what had happened. Hester had overcome this great obstacle while staying strong and doing the penance to better herself. The scarlet letter had become attached to Hester, but when she was able to detach herself from it, she showed how she had overcome the situation.