The Scarlet Letter

Why can’t her mother explain what it means?

Scarlet Letter Chapter 15 (XV) Hester and Pearl

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Hester's refusal to tell Pearl the true meaning of the letter is symbolic of Pearl's role in the novel. Pearl has often been compared to a living version of the scarlet letter. Thus, until she is told what the letter really means, she is unable to know herself. Her role as a living scarlet letter is to announce to the whole world who the guilty parties are, something she has unwittingly done throughout the novel.

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