In
by ,is the daughter of and a product of Hester's adulterous relationship
with a minister, the Reverend . Hester Prynne was married to , and thought herself a widow at
the time of the adulterous relationship. While Hester is jailed and pilloried for adultery, she
is determined to keep Pearl and create a life with her.
The name Pearl is
derived from the Bible, specifically Matthew 13:45-46, which is acomparing the kingdom of Heaven
to a merchant:
... who, when he had found one pearl of
great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
This suggests that Hester will sacrifice everything for Pearl, who is the most
important thing in her life. It implies that for Hester, Pearl is more important than worldly
goods or reputation. In the comparison of Pearl to Heaven, it emphasizes a model of Christianity
in which a mother's love for her child is a form of Christian piety, and that the sin of
adultery counts for less in the eyes of God than Hester's devotion to
Pearl.
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