Pearl is the daughter of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale. She is born as a result of Hester’s adultery, which results in her being branded with a scarlet letter A.
The girl is considered to be a “blessing” and a “curse” by her mother. She is wild and unruly, and often referred to as a “little imp”.
In fact, Pearl is very attached to her mother, but this attachment causes problems for both mother and daughter. The relationship between them is strained when the townspeople mock Pearl for the way she looks like her mother, and even more so when they begin to mock her father as well (hearing this upsets Pearl greatly).
In addition, Pearl is the only person who knows the true identity of her father. She doesn’t know that he’s a minister at Boston’s First Church—she just knows that he lives in one of those “closets” behind Mr. Wilson’s shop (where Hester lives). And she doesn’t believe that Mr. Wilson is his friend—she thinks he’s been sent by Satan himself!
As we can see, Pearl is a constant reminder of Hester’s sin and serves as a living symbol of the scarlet letter. The Puritans shun her because they believe she brings shame upon them all. They believe she will grow up to be an immoral woman like her mother if not properly educated by Reverend Dimmesdale or someone else in their community. It takes many years before she learns how to read because no one wants to teach her anything but needlework which she dislikes doing anyway.
At the end of the novel, Pearl marries a wealthy man named Roger Chillingworth II who has been supporting her financially during her life as an outcast in Boston society.
