t is impossible to get Pearl to follow the strict rules of Puritan society. Hester loves her child, but worries about her. The narrator describes the child as an "outcast," but Pearl is even more than an outcast: "An imp of evil, emblem and product of sin, she had no right among christened infants." Pearl herself knows how different she is from other people. When Hester tries to teach her about God, Pearl says, "I have no Heavenly Father!" Knowing she is alone in this world, she fills it up with her own imagination. Moreover, the very first thing baby Pearl notices is not her mother's smile, but the scarlet letter on Hester's chest.Chapter 7: The Governor's HallChapter 8: The Elf Child and the Minister Summary In Chapter 7, Hester, worried that Pearl (now three) will be taken away from her, goes to Governor Bellingham's mansion. Her excuse is that she is delivering the fringed and embroidered gloves that he ordered. The governor's mansion is filled with all sorts of curious and expensive furnishings characterized with a sternness and severity. The suit of armor, especially, captures Pearl's attention. In Chapter 8, we meet Bellingham, Wilson, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth a little more intimately. In front of them, Hester protests that she will not give up Pearl, her dearest treasure and her torture. She begs Dimmesdale to speak for them and, when he agrees that the child was meant to be both blessing and curse, wins them the right to stay together. Strangely, Pearl has taken well to the minister who always seems to have his hand over his heart. As Hester leaves, Mistress Hibbins pokes her head out of the window to invite Hester to a witches' gathering. Hester tells her that if she had not been able to keep Pearl, she would have gone willingly. The narrator then comments, "Even thus early had the child saved her from Satan's snare."Chapter 9: The Leech Chapter 10: The Leech and His Patient Summary These chapters introduce ...
