The scarlet letter

So far we have seen how the scarlet letter , representing sin and guilt, has affected Dimmesdale and Hester both negatively. Hester has become statue like, while Dimmesdale cannot stand the guilt. We can now predict that Chillingworth is poisoning him, causing his condition to worsen which in return causes him more pain and guilt. We also notice how all Chillinworth's actions have led us to view him as devil-like. He slowly poisons Dimmesdale leaving him with greater pain and also doesn't encourage Hester to tell Dimmesdale that he is her husband, leaving us to believe he has a plan in mind. But back to Hester and Dimmesdale. They both agree to leave their miserable lives behind and run away to start all over. This plan sounds well to all but Pearl, since this leads to her mother changing her appearance (literally) as she takes off the scarlet letter and takes down her hair. Pearl is not used to this side of her mother so she rejects her mother's happiness which leads us to see Pearl as an evil character. We are also viewing Dimmesdale as a coward since it took him that long to finally realize that he needs to also confess his sin to the society and realize his wrongs. Even though his condition is very clear to the reader, Pearl seems to still not accept Dimmesdale unless he quote "walks to town with [her] and [her] mother holding hands." Pearl's constant request shows how she has a clue as to what her mother is trying to keep from her since she also shows great interest in the scarlet letter upon Hester's bosom.