as Pearl grows older, she symbolizes the punishment itself by continuing to torment Hester about the scarlet A embroidered on her dress. But above all, Pearl represents Hester's passion. "Hester could only account for the child's character-and even then the most vaguely and imperfectly-by recalling what she herself had been, during that momentous period while Pearl was imbibing her soul from the spiritual world, and her bodily frame from its material of earth. The mother's impassioned state had been the medium through which were transmitted to the unborn infant the rays of its moral life; and, however white and clear originally, they had taken the deep strains of crimson and gold, the fiery luster, the black shadow, and the untempered light of the intervening substance." Style The style of The Scarlet Letter is precise, descriptive, and formal. In some parts of the book, tedious descriptions of environments or events dominate the text, as when the interior of the Governor's mansion is described in chapter seven. Other parts consist mainly of dialog, as when Hester talks with Chillingworth by his herb garden in chapter fourteen. Hawthorne uses formal diction and syntax throughout the book, even in the dialog. Each word is carefully chosen for precise meaning. Hawthorne avoids using any ungrammatical or colloquial expressions. The Scarlet Letter is of the romantic genre. This is shown by Hawthorne's selective use of symbols to perpetuate the desired ideas and emotions. One example of this is the scarlet A that appears in the sky. This is not something that would realistically happen, but has been included to add meaning to the events that had transpired. Another element of Hawthorne's style is his combing of historical characters with fictional characters. Many of the characters he uses in the book were actual people that lived during that time period. These include Governor Winthrop, Governor Bellingham, and Reverend Mr. Wilson. He also ...
