Pearl's Shameless Life in The Scarlet LetterNeither Hester's love for Authur Dimmesdale nor her need for atonement for her sins were the main reasons for which Hester remained in Boston. However, Hester primarily lived through her punishment to set an example for Pearl of what she should not become. Hester Prynne's life had been a continuous series of disappointments and shame. Because she cared for her daughter, Pearl, Hester viewed her punishment more as a means of teaching Pearl a respectable lifestyle than as a means of confronting her vices. Hester suffered terrible blows three times, the likes of which most would encounter only once in their lives. . Marrying Roger Chillingworth was Hester Prynne's first documented mistake. She even went so far as to call it her biggest sin, despite the array she had to choose from. Not only had Hester married Roger Chillingworth when she didn't even love him, but she was also partly responsible for causing so much pain to her true love, Authur Dimmesdale. When Chillingworth deduced that the Reverend Dimmesdale was Hester's partner in destroying the purity of their marriage, he made it his duty to take revenge by torturing Dimmesdale: This unfortunate man had effected such a transformation by devoting himself, for seven years, to constant analysis. from a heart full of torture, and drawing its enjoyment, and adding fuel to these fiery tortures which he analyzed and rejoiced. The scarlet letter burned on Hester Prynne's breast. This was another ruin for which he was partly responsible. (116) Hester could not escape her evil husband or her responsibility for increasing Authur's anguish. Second, Hester's adultery was the most important sin in the eyes of ...... middle of paper ...... uh. Hester proved, as she had before, that she was fallible. She momentarily lost sight of Pearl's lesson. However, Reverend Dimmesdale was a martyr, losing his life just when Hester's desires for a new setting were at their peak and thus bringing back her primal motivations. The conclusion of chapter twenty-four proved that Hester's decision was best for Pearl, it was all she had wanted. “Pearl was not only alive, but happily married and caring for her mother” (177). Pearl is successful after her marginalized childhood, free from the mistakes Hester made and able to be loyal to everyone around her. Pearl was a better person because her mother was brave enough to keep them there in the fire and teach her daughter how to live a life without shame. Works Cited: Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The scarlet letter. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.