Scarlet Letter Synthesis Essay

D.H. Lawrence harshly criticizes Hester Prynne in his essay “On the Scarlet Letter” because he finds her manipulative in the Scarlet Letter. He does not believe Hester should have been honored after overcoming the guilt of her sin. D.H. Lawrence incorporates fragmented and abrupt syntax, insightful and powerful allusions, and condescending and sarcastic tones to criticize Hester Prynne’s character. D.H. Lawrence uses blunt syntax to be clear on his opinion of Hester Prynne. By having straightforward statements Lawrence’s syntax almost resembles note taking of a subject by having straightforward statements. For example, he describes how the Scarlet Letter recognizes Hester Prynne by merely stating “Abel! Abel! Abel! Admirable” (Lawrence). He wants to get his point across by not blocking his statements with unnecessary descriptive words and sentences. Most of his essay is structured in bullet point format so each

After Lawrence writes the previous quote, he states that “it becomes a farce” (Lawrence). Lawrence is referring to the Scarlet Letter becoming a farce after Hester Prynne is admired for her empowerment. That quote stands alone without any other words around it so the reader can give his/hers full attention to it. This is an excellent example of how Lawrence causes all of his statements to seem extremely important by not crowding them with “filler” sentences. Lawrence uses compelling literary allusions to further prove that one of Hester Prynne’s faults, as the antagonist of the Scarlet Letter, is that she further complicates Arthur Dimmesdale’s life. D.H. Lawrence integrates a strong allusion from the novel Deerslayer as a way to undermine Hester Prynne’s actions as an adulteress. In the novel Deerslayer, the “Deerslayer refuses to be seduced by Judith Hutter” (D.H. Lawrence). Judith