Pearl kissed his lips. A spell was broken. The great scene of grief, in which the wild infant bore a part, had developed all her sympathies; and as her tears fell upon her father’s cheek, they were the pledge that she would grow up amid human joy and sorrow, nor forever do battle with the world, but be a woman in it. Towards her mother, too, Pearl’s errand as a messenger of anguish was all fulfilled. (251)
This
was my favorite passage of the book-- as I read this, I had the most
inexplicable feeling of release; I realized all the built-up tension
that the Scarlet Letter had created these last few weeks. Until this
point, I think I was physically becoming stressed by the plight of the
characters in the novel.
I love this passage, in particular, because it reminds me of a fairy tale ending. It contains the most positive and light-hearted tone of any other part of the book, and it carries such a sense of closure, not only through its characterization of the assuring passage of time, but also through the emotional fulfillment of each of the characters sharing this moment. Most importantly, it just makes me happy to believe that at least one character can live her life free from crippling social and psychological pressures and have her own “happily ever after”.
I liked this part too, I was glad there was a (sorta) a happy ending. I also like the graph :).
ReplyDeletehaha this is a really funny and well-written post Lillian!! The way you used a graph to visually illustrate your feelings about The Scarlet Letter was ingenious and creative. I think this is a great post!!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I really liked your chart too it was hilarious! Although I thought the actual ending was a bit anti-climatic, I liked this passage too because it finally showed a transformation for Pearl and brought closure to the fact that the father and daughter had finally united.
ReplyDeleteHaha, wow, there's really nothing I can say to do this justice. Actually, when I first saw this, I thought you made a phase diagram, then I read it, and I realized it wasn't, and it was sad. :( But I like how you used so many personal anecdotes in this piece, and gosh darn it, you're right, that was such an out of place ending, given the dark tone.
ReplyDeleteOH MY GOD, LILLIAN, I LOVE THIS!!! Not to sound cliché, but that graph was truly genius! Also, I totally agree with you about the literary merit of that passage; it's just so beautiful. One of my favorites, too. :)
ReplyDeleteI like how you went out of your way to get the accent in cliché :)
DeleteME TOO
DeleteDid you make that graph?! That is so creative, Lillian!
ReplyDelete