 Examining the very beginning of the story,‭ ‬Pearl’s name,‭ ‬and Arthur’s name shows that the letter‭ “‬A‭” ‬has a great deal of significance to the story beyond the life of Hester Prynne.

‎	‏The fact that the book begins with the letter‭ “‬a‭” ‬is Hawthorne’s way of saying that the whole reason that the story begins is because of the letter‭ “‬a.‭” ‬Were it not for the adultery that causes Hester Prynne to bear the scarlet letter for the rest of her days,‭ ‬the story would not exist,‭ ‬and so the entire tale,‭ ‬begins with the letter‭ “‬a.‭” ‬The placement of the letter‭ “‬a‭” ‬is important in Pearl’s name,‭ ‬similar to the way it is in the beginning of the book.

‎	‏Pearl is the daughter of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale,‭ ‬and is the result of their act of adultery. This act of adultery is what causes Hester to bear the scarlet letter‭ “‬A‭” ‬on her clothing at all times,‭ ‬and is what she is known for. The reincarnation of the letter‭ “‬A‭” ‬within Pearl is the‭ “‬a‭” ‬in her name. The‭ “‬a‭” ‬is at the very center of her name,‭ ‬the same way it is in the very center of her,‭ ‬the essence of her very being. This center becomes less and less potent as the story unfolds,‭ ‬and the people stop seeing the‭ “‬A‭” ‬as such a bad thing,‭ ‬but at the beginning of the story,‭ ‬during the beginning of Pearl’s life,‭ ‬she is looked down upon as the Devil’s daughter,‭ ‬and other slanderous names. Pearl’s interaction with the scarlet letter shows her relationship with it,‭ ‬and her comfort around it point to the fact that on some level,‭ ‬it resides within her.‭	 ‬The relationship between the placement of the letter and the meaning of that placement is a bit different with Arthur Dimmesdale.

‎	‏Arthur Dimmesdale’s name starts with the letter‭ “‬A,‭” ‬and that is ironic,‭ ‬because his life ends as a result of the letter‭ “‬a.‭” ‬He was a party in the adultery that Hester was convicted of,‭ ‬and as a result,‭ ‬bore a similar,‭ ‬physical sign of his guilt,‭ ‬even though his was kept in secret. Eventually,‭ ‬he decides to show to the entire town that he has this sign of guilt on his chest,‭ ‬and dies shortly after. Were it not for the act of adultery,‭ ‬he would not have felt the guilt that gave him the physical mark on his chest that he would die after revealing to the town. So were it not for the letter‭ “‬a,‭” ‬he would not have died.

‎	‏American essayist Logan Pearsall Smith once said,‭ “[‬w]hat I like in a good author is not what he says,‭ ‬but what he whispers‭” (‬Guillemets‭)‬. This quote relates to the idea that an author does not necessarily need to say things up front,‭ ‬they can get the same message across,‭ ‬perhaps even more strongly,‭ ‬if they say it in a non-explicit manner,‭ ‬leaving it up to the reader to find it for themselves.