Pearl plays a significant role in the novel. Her mother has paid for this child with her honor; therefore, the name has importance, for she is Hester's only treasure. She is further a living manifestation of the scarlet letter and a constant reminder of her parents' sin. The product of a natural, but unblessed, union, Pearl displays signs of wildness, rebellion, and freedom. Her lively nature cannot be curtailed, and her mother often worries about …showed first 75 words of 391 total…

…showed last 75 words of 391 total…that the child has yearned for his love and acceptance in the open. When he asks her for a kiss this time, she willingly gives it. Her sense of human identity is established in her acceptance of Dimmesdale's paternity. As a result, she cries with real human emotion for the first time in the book, foreshadowing that her past is put away and she will be able to live a normal life in the future.