When meeting someone for the first time, all you can see is their outward appearance, or their mask. With time, you will have learned their true self, and the lasting impression will be the one that stays with you. The Pearl Poet challenges the reader's perceptions of the ego and id in Freudian terms, and the persona and self in Jungian terms. Furthermore, he shows the value of first impressions through Sir Gawain and the Green Knight with his usage of archetypes, similes and symbols.

The colour green symbolizes rebirth, and nature, while the colour red symbolizes healing. Together, as his head gets chopped off, the colours of his body and blood come into play as he gets up, confidently holds his head up high and rides away on his horse. The colour gold on Sir Gawain’s armor represents infancy or innocence, as he is just starting out on a quest to the Green Knight, or to conquer his shadow and reach his true self.

The holly and the lack of shoes show that the Green Knight is not there to fight, but rather to play a game. The holly is also a foreshadowing of the beheading of the Green Knight, as the holly is green and red, just as he was when his head was chopped off. The holly never dies, again, like the Green Knight. The shield is a representation of Gawain’s persona, and the values that he is supposed to adhere to. The portrait of Mary on the back is a representation of Christianity, even though Gawain “fatherless”, being a double entendre in a literal sense of not having a father, or godless, without faith.

The Pearl Poet uses the description of the Green Knight to portray an almost mythological creature, whose skin was completely green, who was extremely large in size, and picked his head off after having it completely chopped off by Gawain. Gawain, in an act of fright and ignorance, chops the Green Knight’s head off completely, instead of following Arthur’s advice of simply giving him a “nick”. Therefore, the Green Knight is a clear representation of Gawain’s natural instinct and his fear of death, and so his id and shadow.

The Green Knight gave an impression of an almost impossible person, with strange qualities to him, who is so incredibly large, that Gawain became too nervous and frightened that he chopped his head off in hopes that it will prevent him from chopping Gawain’s head off. This has of course proved to cause even more problems for him, as the Green Knight walks always with his head almost as if he was unscathed. Gawain is seen to us as a young, imprudent knight who does not have faith in Arthur, for fear of his own life. First impressions always leave a big impact on the people around you, and people will react differently based on what their first impression of you is.