How Is Hester Prynne Annotation In The Scarlet Letter

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A Cain Called Abel D.H. Lawrence’s critical essay “On the Scarlet Letter” addresses a multitude of ideas and criticisms regarding Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. He investigates different aspects of both her characterization and her sin through his analytical essay. In doing so, he reveals Prynne’s abhorrent actions and wrongfully gained admiration through use of repetition, choppy syntax, and Biblical allusions. Lawrence uses repetition to emphasize Hester's less-than-holy attributes. The most prominent example of this recurring diction is found in the words “seduction” and “purity”. Purity is something that can never be regained after its loss; it is something sacred and all too fleeting. Seduction, in contrast,
He states that “ this time it is Mr. Dimmesdale who dies. She lives on and is Abel” (Lawrence). In this case the word “able” is not spelled in its usual way, but instead is a name. This name refers to the Abel of the Bible, one of the sons of Adam and Eve who was killed by his brother Cain. By including this allusion Lawrence is seemingly depicting Hester as the victim. However, as the quote above displays, it was Dimmesdale who dies, and yet she still plays the martyr “stand[ing] meek on the scaffold, [fooling] the world” despite suffering no injury (Lawrence). Moreover, she is the one who seduces Dimmsdale and thus causes his death. This deception and feigned innocence is, according to Lawrence, “ the most colossal satire ever penned”, for in playing the victim she mocks those who praise her and discredits the death of the pure reverend (Lawrence). It is the praise she receives despite her deception that Lawrence attacks. Hester is supposed to be Able the martyr, when in reality she is Cain the deceiver. This realization is one that is only brought about by the Biblical allusion, effectively adding evidence in favor of Lawrence's claims regarding Hester Prynne’s

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