One could say that The Scarlet Letter of Hawthorne is a story of transformation. The personalities of the main characters evolve with their environment; the scarlet letter takes on a new light. Hawthorne's view of what is happening changes, as does ours. The book is dynamic in a sneaky way. If the reader isn't careful, a character can be radically changed in two or three pages, and no one knows how they got there. Pearl, Minister Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth are just a few of these characters. From the moment she is born, Pearl is a Pandora's box, or is it a Pandora's box? When we first see her, she is just a baby, cradled in her mother's arms. She looks like your average child, screaming loudly and snuggling up to her mother. Not for long. As Pearl gets older, she becomes more and more unusual. First, she's just a mischievous toddler with a complete disregard for the rules. She is compared to a nymph for an elf child. Hawthorne takes a very Dionysian approach with her, describing her beauty and vibrant nature, as well as her relentless pursuit of pleasure. She will do anything to have a good time, whether or not it is perceived as “moral” by Puritan society. Her fascination with the scarlet letter on her mother's breast constantly causes Hester grief. It seems that over time, Pearl becomes more and more obsessed with the letter, until she begins to think that it is a permanent characteristic of her mother, or even her mother (The Child at the Brook-side, p. 198). Pearl continues to mature and shows signs of knowing exactly what the letter means, despite her mother's desire to keep her in the dark. She wants Dimmesdale to appear with her and her mother in front of the whole town, but he refuses to do so. His refusal to kiss him after such responses shows a manipulative side. Finally, in the conclusion, we see that Pearl's fiery personality has transformed into a warm glow when she sends letters and gifts to her mother. Dimmesdale is a strange character. At the beginning of the story we see him as a trembling young man, filled with the Word of God. He seems incredibly innocent. Nothing bad can reach him or come from him.