DJs 21-25

DJ 21.
Pearl

Pearl is Hester's daughter who is born out of sin. Because religion if a big part of society, Pearl was really born from nature because that is where she grew up and society didn't accept her. Pearls, in nature, start of a grain of sand and after a long time and a lot of pressure, they are turned into the beautiful gem. This relates to the book because Pearl did not come from a typical family. She was looked at from society like a little speck of dirt. But she turns out to be a nice little child. Pearls are also very precious and are a treasure. In the book, Pearl is Hester's only treasure in life.

DJ 22.
Pg 80. "We have as yet hardly spoken of the infant; that little creature, whose innocent life has sprung... of a guilty passion."

The language that Hawthorne uses in this statement alludes to the face that she is a child of nature. He uses the word sprung to indicant that she sprung up like a flower. It is also ironic that he chose to use the word innocent to describe her life because she was born out of sin and because sins are transferred from mother to daughter, she would already not be innocent. Also, the phrase 'guilty passion' it the description of Hester and Dimmesdale's relationship. They both felt guilty for sinning, but they are in love and passionate for each other.

DJ 23.
Pg 80. "Day after day, she looked fearfully into the child's expanding nature; ever dreading to detect some dark and wild peculiarity, that should correspond with the guiltiness to which she owed her being"

This is talking about how everyday Hester would look at Pearl and see her individuality peaking through. Her nature is different than most at that time because she was not raised with the normal society. She has her own personal laws that she followed. This relates to transcendentalism because also though Pearl may be fit in with the rest of the little kids, she is staying  true to who she is. This sentence also relates to Hester's guilt and how she feels that because Pearl was born out of sin, she should reflect her mother actions in her personality. This guilt Hester feels more privately than publicly.

DJ 24.
Pg 81. "The child could not be made amendable to rules."

This is a foreshadow of how Pearl is going to grow up. She was born outside of the human laws and follows the laws of nature. During her childhood, she does things that aren't exactly 'normal', but she acts on what she wants to do rather than what people think is right. This also ties into transcendentalism.

DJ 25.
Pg 81. "The mother's impassioned state had been the medium through which were transmitted to the unborn infant... however white and clear originally, they had taken the deep stains of crimson and gold... the black shadow, the untempered light of the intervening substance."

This talking about how the scarlet letter has changed Pearl from a normal child to one that has been 'stained' with the red and gold from the letter. When something is described as stained that usually indicates that it is then ruined. At first, when Hester was still ashamed of herself and the letter, Pearl was more wild and strange. But as Hester and the letter change, so does Pearl. So people may have thought Pearl reflecting the letter would be a bad thing, but as Hester and the letter develop, so does Pearl.