Part II: Chapters 6-10
Baby Pearl is her mother’s greatest treasure, and at the same time, the greatest symbol of her sin. Pearl is a strange impish child who, like her mother, is separated from the rest of society. When she does come in contact with other children, she quickly scares them away by such actions as throwing rocks. Pearl is immensely fascinated by her mother’s scarlet letter. Hester worries that Pearl is possessed by a fiend that keeps her from acting as a normal child. Hester learns that there is talk of taking Pearl away from her, and as a result, she goes to speak with Governor Bellingham. While Hester and Pearl are at the Governor’s mansion, Hester sees a suit of armor that distorts the scarlet letter, making it appear bigger than it really is. Hester finds the Governor in the company of Reverend Wilson, Reverend Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth. When tested of her knowledge of the Puritan beliefs, Pearl replied she was not made, but rather "plucked.......of the bush of wild roses." While Wilson is ready to take Pearl away, Dimmesdale makes a strong argument in Hester’s favor and convinces the rest of the men to allow Hester to keep Pearl as both a blessing and reminder of her sin. On her way out, Hester is met by Mistress Hibbins, the Governor’s sister, and rejects her invitation to a meeting of witches later that evening. Roger Chillingwoth takes the position of Arthur Dimmesdale’s physician and becomes quite close to the minister. There are rumors of the physician having connections to hell and Satan himself. Chillingworth begins to see a connection between Dimmesdale and Pearl and starts to pry at this hidden sin in Dimmesdale’s heart. As Dimmesdale is sleeping, Chillingworth opens his garments to reveal a symbol on the man’s chest, assuring the physician that he had found his guilty suspect.