The character Hester Prynne from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is one who is criticized by literary critic D.H. Lawrence. He underscores her flaws and sinful nature, denouncing Hawthorne’s portrayal of Hester as a heroine. In his essay, “On The Scarlet Letter,” Lawrence critiques the way Hester Prynne is depicted through terse syntax, biblical allusions, and a satirical tone. The choppy and abrupt way in which Lawrence arranges his sentences serves as direct jabs at Hester Prynne in order to villainize her with impact and clarity. Rather than phrasing his ideas in lengthy and elaborate sentences, he captures the central point of his statements by utilizing sharp and straightforward expressions. For example, he accentuates certain …show more content…
Alpha. Abel, Adam. A” (Lawrence). His writing resembles bullets in that he ‘shoots’ Hester down, as a bullet would do, with his pithy remarks. These single-worded expressions convey that Lawrence seeks to reveal Hester’s true character, different from Hawthorne’s presentation of her. Lawrence expresses an aversion of Hester Prynne as he articulates his evaluation of the character with sharp, emphatic syntax. Further rebuking Hester, he describes Hester’s sinful nature as being “fixed in a lie, adhering to a lie, giving itself perpetually [to] the lie” (Lawrence). Again, through syntax in which he uses parallel, but choppy, sentence structure, Lawrence is able to stress certain parts of his statement, such as the “lie” in which Hester’s sinful nature is perpetuated. Though the sentence itself is not particularly short, the phrases within it are sectioned off into their own parts due to the paralleled construction of the sentence; this creates a sense of choppiness and abruptness, and also …show more content…
He mocks Hester through these allusions, juxtaposing her with outside references to legitimize his criticism. Alluding to Virgin Mary, he calls Hester the “image of Divine Maternity” and “sinless Motherhood,” though he is actually suggesting the exact opposite, displaying the irony that is present throughout his argument (Lawrence). Lawrence ridicules Hester by comparing her to a figure who is unanimously known to be pure, “divine,” and “sinless,” though it is clear that thinks otherwise of Hester Prynne. He employs irony in his writing through the use of allusions to amplify his disagreement with Hawthorne’s portrayal of Hester; it is evident, through the ironic allusions, that Lawrence is mocking Hester. Hester is then compared to Abel, as Lawrence explains that “she lives on and is Abel” after Dimmesdale’s death (Lawrence). Here, he magnifies Hester’s masked sinfulness by mockingly classifying her as Abel, the victim of sin, mirroring the way she is portrayed by Hawthorne in the book. Though comparing her to Cain would have made more logical sense, Lawrence explicitly states that Hester is Abel, in order to induce more irony. This ironic allusion and paralleling of Hester and Abel aid in translating his ideas in a way that is counterintuitive in order to reveal her true nature and solidify his views
Hester Prynne is a character who gave up everything, even love, for her child. Hester Prynne sacrificed her peace, her beauty, her entire being for her child and this shows her determination and profound understanding of the world. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s piece, “The Scarlet Letter” shows the other side of the sinner’s story and not as a villain, but a victim.
Lawrence creates a sarcastic tone throughout his essay to exhibit Hester’s iniquitous behavior. He utilizes the biblical story of Cain and Abel to describe how “this time it is Mr. Dimmesdale who dies [while Hester] lives on and is Abel” (Lawrence). Lawrence mocks Hawthorne’s depiction of Hester by calling her Abel, which is ironic because Abel was the victim of the story. The sarcastic tone portrays Hester as a complete divergence to Abel, who was faithful to God and trustworthy. This tone also urges the readers to examine Hester and conclude that she goes not have these morally good characteristics like faithfulness and trustworthiness. Lawrence claims that placing Prynne on the scaffolding and exploiting her sins will “[become] a farce” (Lawrence). His mocking tone underscores the severity of adultery, which Hawthorne falsely describes Hester’s transgression as a “farce”. Lawrence’s use of sarcasm implies that her sins were substantial and grave. This conveys to the readers that Hester is a deplorable character and was portrayed wrongly by
Hester Prynne is seen by many as worthy of respect and admiration throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter. She is ultimately seen as a hero in many areas of the novel. Literary critic Mark Van Doren argues that Hester Prynne is a heroic citizen who rises above the consequences of her sin. Van Doren argues that Hester Prynne should be seen as a noble hero through his use of repetition, praiseworthy diction, and admirable tone.
Human nature thrives on labels and stereotypes; they are methods society uses to better comprehend others disposition and justify their behavior. However, when placed stereotypes can override individuality, and this can force one to conform to such labels, hide their true character, and change their persona. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester is a victim of such a stereotype. The Puritan society in which she lives confines and defines her based on her sin, and not by a totality of her actions and character. Nevertheless she emerges, reborn, as her own person once again. Hester Prynne's development through the use of archetypes, symbols, and Romanticism reinforce the theme of the effects of stereotypes and labels and their refutal in The Scarlet Letter.
Lawrence uses a satirical tone to negatively emphasize Hawthorne’s portrayal of Hester Prynne. Throughout the Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne depicts Hester in a way in which the reader develops a sympathetic attitude towards
Lawrence uses biblical allusions to help demonstrate that Hester is a sinner because they compare her to well-known figures in a way that brings out her corruptness. Lawrence compares Hester to Mary by saying she is “the sacred image of sinless Motherhood, whose infant was to redeem the world” (Lawrence). Mary is one of the most pure figures in religion and Lawrence is blatantly being sarcastic in his comparison of the two character to provide an idea of how ridiculous it is to consider Hester a hero. Mary was given the gift of Jesus by God while remaining a virgin and faithful to her husband. Hester on the other hand had a baby with a man she was not married to. Moreover, Hester is compared to Abel from the story of Cain and Abel. While Dimmesdale is the one who dies for their sins, Hester “lives on and is Abel” (Lawrence). One would think that Lawrence would compare Hester to Cain instead, considering he is the one who lives and Abel is the one who dies. By stating this, Lawrence is showing the irony and ridiculousness that Hawthorne ensures by condemning the pure and innocent Dimmesdale to death but the sinning and corrupt Hester to live on. He is also using “Abel” as a play on words in an ironic way, demonstrating that the A stands for able and Abel, but is given to the person farthest from resembling
Lawrence’s pessimistic and hateful diction, he is able to express his negative outlook on Hester Prynne. Lawrence communicates such words to specify his hatred and anger towards how Hester is portrayed in an angelic and victimized way. He focuses in on how “Hester Prynne is the great nemesis of woman”, which indicates to the reader how unforgivable her sin was, according to the traditional Puritan values in that time period. Such hateful diction persuades the reader to believe in Lawrence’s views, and to take part in the idea that Hester is diabolical. Lawrence does not despise the novel’s plot, but rather the way that Hester is portrayed. He goes on to mock and ridicule her, commenting, “Oh, Hester, you are a demon… a man must be pure just so that you can seduce him to a fall”, which reveals the possible truth behind Hester’s actions, according to the critic (Lawrence). He pokes fun at the character, and once again uses sarcasm and a ridiculous pretense. His utilization of pessimistic diction is the key toward illustrating a wicked appearance of Hester Prynne. In Lawrence’s critique, he weaves in a sarcastic and critical tone as a way to effectively convey his opinion of Hester. Lawrence evaluates Hester’s sin and the consequences upon her and upon others in the novel, exclaiming “But keep up the games, keep up appearances… Look out Mister, for the Female Devotee...Mind your Purity”, which is an impactful take on how Hester is able to
Lawrence again refers back to sarcasm in his tone to emphasize his criticism. For example, he talks about the idea of Hester “Glittering with gold thread. Abell Adultery. Admirable!” (Lawrence). It is clear that Lawrence is simply mocking the tone of those who sympathize with Hester Prynne. By criticizing and retaliating against the idea that Hester Prynne is an admirable character, Lawrence succesfully attacks how Hawthorne seeks to portray Prynne, as well as those who cannot see Hester Prynne as a contradictory symbol to pure society. In this case specifically, Lawrence targets the seduced reader who fails to detect Hester’s mortal sin, mainly because it helps him lead into the gravity of her sin itself. Lawrence also warns those of pure society to not “let [Hester] start tickling [them]” (Lawrence). Lawrence issues a direct statement to the reader that Hester Prynne’s characterization is used for the mere purpose of seduction. Those who have been seduced undermine the virtues of pure society, and are therefore criticized by Lawrence. Lawrence warns his fellow members of pure society to not fall under this
In this scene, the reader is able to see inside Hester's head. One is able to observe the utter contempt she holds for the Puritan ways. She exhibits he love and respect for the father of her child, when she refuses to relinquish his name to the committee. The reader can see her defiant spirit due to these actions.
Nathaniel Hawthorne paints Hester Prynne as a person, a person that made mistakes, but who worked tirelessly to atone for them. Hawthorne’s use of of positive diction and profound imagery also set Hester’s tone as a woman scorned, but
Hester Pryne of The Scarlet Letter Hester Pryne, after being punished for her sin, lived an important life. In "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester was convicted of adultery. However, after her conviction, she managed to raise a daughter, became an important seamstress in her community, and set an example for her close-knit community. Pearl, the daughter of a convicted sex offender, grew up living a different life from her peers.
In Nathanial Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the reader meets the character Hester Prynne who, as the novel progresses, notices the changes in her character are very dramatic. The changes are both physical and in her mannerism’s. There are many significant events which took place before the start of the novel and during the novel. Some of the events that lead to this dramatic change include the affect of wearing the scarlet letter, the secrets she keeps, and her daughter Pearl’s evil characteristics.
Throughout all the sinful things Hester Prynne has done, she still managed to obtain good qualities. Hester was an adulterer from the book The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hester was looked down upon by the citizens of Boston because of the sin she and another person committed, but no one knew who her partner in crime was because she refused to release his name. Towards the very end of the story Hester’s accomplice confessed and left Hester and Pearl feeling joyous, because now they didn’t have to keep in a secret. Hester is a trustworthy, helpful, and brave woman throughout The Scarlet Letter.
One of the main symbols in Lawrence’s short story is Hester. She is the mother of Paul and both are main characters. Hester is a good representation of greed, selfishness and being materialistic. She values money more than her children “She had bonny children, yet she felt they had been thrust upon her, and she could not love them” (Lawrence, 295). Hester is not capable of creating...
The Scarlet Letter is a fictional novel that begins with an introductory passage titled ‘The Custom-House’. This passage gives a historical background of the novel and conveys the narrator’s purpose for writing about the legend of Hester Prynne even though the narrator envisions his ancestors criticizing him and calling him a “degenerate” because his career was not “glorifying God”, which is very typical of the strict, moralistic Puritans. Also, although Hawthorne is a Romantic writer, he incorporates properties of Realism into his novel by not idealizing the characters and by representing them in a more authentic manner. He does this by using very formal dialogue common to the harsh Puritan society of the seventeenth century and reflecting their ideals through this dialogue. The Puritans held somewhat similar views as the Transcendentalists in that they believed in the unity of God and the world and saw signs and symbols in human events, such as when the citizens related the meteo...