In this chapter, Hawthorne’s descriptions of Pearl reinforce her mysterious and ethereal nature. She is so closely linked with nature that here, in the forest, the sunlight plays with her, and forest creatures (a partridge, a squirrel, a fox, and a wolf) approach her and recognize “a kindred wildness in the human child.” Even the flowers respond to her and, as she passes, seem to say, “Adorn thyself with me, thou beautiful child, adorn thyself with me!” Pearl is “gentler here (in the forest) than in the grassy margined streets of the settlement, or in her mother’s cottage,” reinforcing that she is in accord with the natural world and not the man-made world. If Hester and Dimmesdale are to pass the test of natural law, they must meet with Pearl’s approval. That Pearl advances “slowly; for she saw the clergyman” does not bode well for the reunited lovers.
