Suggestions
Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.Please wait while we process your payment
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
Please wait while we process your payment
By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy.
Don’t have an account? Subscribe now
Create Your Account
Sign up for your FREE 7-day trial
Already have an account? Log in
Your Email
Choose Your Plan
Individual
Group Discount
Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan!
Purchasing SparkNotes PLUS for a group?
Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more!
Price
$24.99 $18.74 /subscription + tax
Subtotal $37.48 + tax
Save 25% on 2-49 accounts
Save 30% on 50-99 accounts
Want 100 or more? Contact us for a customized plan.
Your Plan
Payment Details
Payment Summary
SparkNotes Plus
You'll be billed after your free trial ends.
7-Day Free Trial
Not Applicable
Renews December 14, 2023 December 7, 2023
Discounts (applied to next billing)
DUE NOW
US $0.00
SNPLUSROCKS20 | 20% Discount
This is not a valid promo code.
Discount Code (one code per order)
SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan - Group Discount
Qty: 00
SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Free trial is available to new customers only.
Choose Your Plan
For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more!
You’ve successfully purchased a group discount. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. You'll also receive an email with the link.
Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership.
Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! Continue to start your free trial.
Please wait while we process your payment
Your PLUS subscription has expired
Please wait while we process your payment
Please wait while we process your payment
That little creature, whose innocent life had sprung, by the inscrutable decree of Providence … out of the rank luxuriance of passion. (Chapter 6)
This quote describes how Pearl is always connected to the circumstances of her conception. Although she is an innocent child, everyone who sees her associates her with the sinfulness of her parents. The quote, however, also hints that there might be a greater plan behind what happened, and that Pearl might function as a kind of redemption for Hester’s action.
Throughout all, however, there was a trait of passion, a certain depth of hue, which she never lost. (Chapter 6)
This quote describes an essential feature of Pearl’s personality. She has a passionate and impulsive nature which seems connected to the way she was conceived. This trait makes it hard for Pearl to fit into the reserved Puritan community, and also makes it more challenging for Hester to parent her alone.
I am but a child. It will not flee from me; for I wear nothing on my bosom yet. (Chapter 16)
Pearl speaks this line to her mother. She implies that because she is a child and not yet a woman, she doesn’t wear the same symbol that Hester does. Pearl therefore hints at her belief that she will someday end up with a similar symbol, which she imagines to be a natural part of being an adult woman. Hester is quick to insist that her daughter will not share the same experiences she does.
The mother-forest and these wild things which it nourished, all recognized a kindred wildness in the human child. (Chapter 18)
This quote describes how Pearl wanders safely through the forest while her mother speaks with Dimmesdale. While Pearl does not necessarily fit into human society, she is at home in the natural world because she is spontaneous and natural herself. The quote hints that Pearl is actually better off for being closer to nature, and not pressured to conform to social expectations.
So Pearl, the elf-child --the demon offspring… became the richest heiress of her day. (Chapter 24)
This quote reveals Pearl’s fate at the end of the novel, and shows the progression of her character. She starts off untamed and isolated from human society, but she ends up integrated into social life. She not only becomes a member of the community, but she ends up in a position of power and privilege.
Please wait while we process your payment