Concluding Thoughts on *The Scarlet Letter* (IR)

     

        I recently finished reading The Scarlet Letter. I have to say, I enjoyed the book a whole lot more than I initially thought I would. The plot was really pretty interesting and I was always wondering what would happen next. Also, the text was, for the most part, straight forward. There were, of course, times when I had to reread a few sentences to make sense of what had happened, but that's reasonable for a pre-1900s novel. Compared to other older books, The Scarlet Letter was written wonderfully. I have enjoyed reading this book much more than The Sound and the Fury and Heart of Darkness. The plot is captivating and the character development adds another element to the story.
       However, that doesn't mean I liked all of the characters. I mainly liked Hester and her great willpower to stay strong when everyone was against her. Arthur Dimmesdale was okay, and I obviously disliked Roger Chillingsworth, seeing as he was the antagonist of the novel and always caused trouble for Hester. And then there's Pearl. Those of us in The Scarlet Letter reading group refer to her as "the devil child". She comes into the story as this strange little girl who grew up alone in exile with her mother and seems to find joy in her mother's anguish. Pearl has a sense of pride in the fact that she is the child of the woman with the embroidered scarlet letter on her gown, and she is therefore convinced that she is special compared to the other children in her community. She also acts very wild and appears as more of a rebellious little girl. When around other children, she acts tough and harshly, never having the opportunity to make friends or establish bonds with others. This is most likely due to the fact that she has lived in isolation with only her mother, but I still dislike her attitude and actions throughout the book. She knows that the scarlet letter is emotionally painful to her mother, yet she does whatever she can to remind Hester that it is there. The one time in the book that Hester actually takes the letter off, Pearl freaks out and throws a temper tantrum. She simply won't accept the fact that her mother took it off. Her stubbornness forces Hester to cave in and put it back on and Pearl becomes agreeable again. Okay that was a long rant about Pearl. I just never really grew fond of her character. Let's just say, she annoyed me deeply.
         Anyways, The Scarlet Letter is a really good book. It shows a true struggle for redemption and the ability to stay strong. I may not have enjoyed every moment of it, but overall, the story was great. The words were full of meaning and flowed smoothly along. I'm glad to have had the chance to read The Scarlet Letter. It's a story I shall never forget.