Pearl

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 …

…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.