Is Pearl biologically Mia’s daughter?
From Mia’s estranged parents, Mrs. Richardson discovers Mia’s surrogacy arrangement, from which she had fled with Pearl. Pearl is Mia’s own biological daughter whom she was meant to relinquish to Pearl’s father (who had inseminated her) and his fertility-challenged wife. Pearl, Mia’s daughter, was named by her mother for a character in The Scarlet Letter—a precocious child whose strained relationship with her mother ultimately threatens both women’s well-being. In Little Fires Everywhere, Pearl and Mia repeat that dynamic.
How did Mia get pregnant with Pearl?
In their home, she inseminates herself with Joseph’s sperm, and by September, Mia is pregnant. The Ryans move her to a small apartment and provide maternity clothes. Mia only tells Warren of her plan, and he disagrees with her decision, saying it will be hard to give up the baby. At the art gallery, Pauline introduces Mia to Anita. On her way back home, a man follows Mia on the subway; he is Joe Ryan. His wife can’t have children and he wants to pay Mia to be a surrogate mother. Due to unexpected cuts to her college scholarship, Mia accepts his offer.