The characterization of Hester Prynne demonstrates a contrast to pure society, as writer and critic D.H. Lawrence suggests in his article, “On the Scarlet Letter.” There is a genuine disparity in the methods Lawrence uses to portray Prynne, and the methods used by The Scarlet Letter’s author, Nathaniel Hawthorne. Because of his utilization of impactful syntax, religious allusion, and critical tone, D.H. Lawrence’s claim that Hester Prynne is a contradictory character to pure society is effectively justified when compared to the misleading seductive elements of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s writing. Lawrence uses impacting syntax in order to shift the societal view of Hester Prynne. Lawrence states that “the first thing [Hester] does is to seduce …show more content…
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 "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, he focuses on alienation. Being part of the Puritan society and considered an outcast by society. Hester Prynne has been pushed aside from her community because of her affair with the minister, Mr. Dimmesdale. This sin affected Hester by forcing her to wear the Scarlet Letter “A” on her chest to remind her of this everyday. She has embraced the issue and addresses it by changing her attitude. For work, Hester performs needlework and is a seamstress for the community. She works to earn back her respect from the townspeople, yet they believe in perfection and have trouble accepting her back.
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.
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
"Lovely ladies ready for the call. Standing up or lying down or any way at all. Bargain prices up against the wall" (Boublil). The selling of one's body is consensual. When a woman decides to put herself for sale, she will be given the cold shoulder by her peers. Many women make the decision to sell themselves solely to provide for a child. The song "Lovely Ladies" from the musical Les Misérables, involves whores in France selling themselves to men in a Parisian back ally. The musical Les Misérables was based on a book written by Victor Hugo. One character in this book goes by the name of Fantine. She had a child out of wedlock to a man who left her and their child alone. She had to work to support not only herself but also her daughter, Cosette.
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
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.
This particular tone is evident when he accuses Hester of “seducing a man:...the greatest triumph of woman” (Lawrence). As Lawrence repeats this line several times, he illustrates Hawthorne’s foolishness for unreasonably respecting Hester even though she committed a mortal sin. It is obvious that an act of seducing someone is not something to be congratulated for, let alone to be named as the greatest triumph. By saying this in a mocking tone rather than blatantly stating Hawthorne’s false portrayal of Hester, Lawrence emphasizes the absurdity of Hawthorne’s words. Likewise, Lawrence exhibits a sarcastic tone when he suggests to “put [Hester] upon the scaffold and worship her there” (Lawrence). Here, Lawrence is not really proposing to worship Hester, but rather, is exhibiting a ridiculing tone to display how Hawthorne glorifies Hester by depicting her as a heroine with noble qualities when she is obviously a disgrace to society. Here, Lawrence purposefully makes an incongruent statement to mimic Hawthorne’s perspective; a scaffold is not a platform to worship people but is rather to publicly execute criminals. Because readers can recognize this incongruence, Lawrence effectively demonstrates that Hawthorne mischaracterizes Hester by claiming that Hester is a victim and a heroine. If Lawrence had established a forthright tone instead of a sarcastic tone, he would not have strongly revealed his disapproval of Hawthorne’s depiction of Hester as a victim.
The repetition of words such as pure, seduce, adultery, American, and Abell help to guide the reader’s emotions and thoughts about Hester and her sin. When Lawrence describes her, his sinful diction is revealed by mocking her as an “A. Adulteressl Abell Abell Abell Admireabel” (Lawrence 22). These words of sin emphasize the negative and evil faces of Hester Prynne and associates herself as a person not commendable. Hester’s character is continuously used as a reminder that she goes with her sin. He reminds us again by commenting that it “all begins with A. Adultress. Alpha. Abel. Adam. A. America” (Lawrence 28-29). Continual reminders force the readers to become more conscious of Hester Prynne's non-admirable character, thus Lawrence’s sinful diction is more
The repetition of words such as pure, seduce, adultery, American, and Abell help to guide the reader’s emotions and thoughts about Hester and her sin. When Lawrence describes her, his critical diction is revealed by mocking her as an “A. Adulteressl Abell Abell Abell Admireabel” (Lawrence 22). These words emphasize the negative and evil faces of Hester Prynne and associates herself as a person not commendable. This proves to be more effective because the repetition of these words establish an emotional interaction with the readers while also sending many reminders of the words and their pessimistic connotations. Hester’s character is continuously used as a reminder that she goes without her sin. He reminds us again by commenting that it “all begins with A. Adultress. Alpha. Abel. Adam. A. America” (Lawrence 28-29). This repetition forces the readers to become more conscious of Hester Prynne's non-admirable character. Both the context and meanings of each of the words chosen by D.H. Lawrence, like seduce and adultery, are negative ways to depict Hester when describing her. By following through with this literary technique, the audience becomes more familiar with viewing Hester Prynne in the same connotations as sinner and
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s well known novel, The Scarlet Letter, extensive diction and intense imagery are used to portray the overall tone of the characters. In particular, Hester Prynne, the wearer of the Scarlet Letter, receives plentiful positive characterization throughout the novel. Hester’s character most notably develops through the town’s peoples ever-changing views on the scarlet letter, the copious mentions of her bravery, and her ability to take care of herself, Pearl, and others, even when she reaches the point where most would give up and wallow in their suffering.
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.
The guilt that now rests in Hester is overwhelming to her and is a reason for her change in personality. The secrets Hester keeps are because she is silent and hardly talks to anyone. “Various critics have interpreted her silence. as both empowering. and disempowering. Yet silence, in Hester’s case, offers a type of passive resistance to male probing”
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.
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...