Nathaniel Hawthorne presented the child Pearl to the audience in his novel, The Scarlet Letter as a living representation of the letter itself. Hester Prynne was condemned to wear a crimson letter "A" on her chest for committing adultery while her husband was said to be lost at sea. The child that she bore from that crime was the little Pearl. Pearl is to be perceived as a living version of the letter itself. Hawthorne …showed first 75 words of 591 total…

…showed last 75 words of 591 total…A" are representations of what Hester Prynne loves and despises in her life. This is initially established towards the beginning of the book when Hester dresses Pearl for the occasion of going to Governor Bellingham's mansion. Also, Hawthorne further illustrates his idea by showing what happens when Hester briefly discards the "A". The importance of this is it helps understand Hester's feelings and reinforces the Love and Hate theme which is repeated throughout the novel.