Rhetorical Analysis Of Hester Prynne

Lawrence incorporates a sarcastic tone in his essay to belittle the adulteress because she is not deserving of a high reputation. Hester is degraded because she is shameful to all women. Lawrence sarcastically insists that she be put “upon the scaffold and worship her there” (Lawrence). Since the author does not approve of Hester’s adultery, he uses sarcasm so his readers can envision another side of Hester as a woman who is worthy of anything but praise. Lawrence sarcastically comments that she is being worshipped, which contrasts with Nathaniel Hawthorne’s judgement towards Hester who he believes plays the heroine in the novel. His sarcastic tone enables him to bring more emotion beyond the words’ literal meaning. In addition to Lawrence’s disrespect for Hester regarding the unnecessary worship she receives in the novel, he is also sardonic when he describes her appearance. Hester’s scarlet letter only represents her shameful sin of adultery in Lawrence’s eyes. He speculates that the women will be “envying [Hester’s] sin, and beating [her] because [she’s] stolen an advantage over them” (Lawrence). His sarcastic tone indicates that he has no respect for any woman who commits adultery. Because Lawrence believes that it is the woman, not the man, who is at fault for the development of an unorthodox relationship, he immediately blames Hester for creating such a relationship with Dimmesdale. Lawrence will not change his opinion on Hester no matter what she does in attempt to better her reputation.

D.H. Lawrence’s critical essay “On the Scarlet Letter” displays his views of how the protagonist of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne, is depicted, as well as how he feels she should have been depicted in the novel. Hawthorne and Lawrence have many clashing views about Hester’s sin; Hawthorne seems to focus on the effects of the sin whereas Lawrence focuses on the sin itself. Lawrence utilizes the literary devices of choppy syntax, biblical allusions, and satirical tone to emphasize his opinion that Hester Prynne’s sinful actions should not have been “praised” by Hawthorne. Lawrence uses choppy syntax to sarcastically emulate the way in which Hawthorne praises Hester throughout the novel.

Hester accounted for pearl’s character by “recalling what she herself had been, during that momentous period while pearl was imbibing her soul from the spiritual world, and her bodily frame from its material of earth.”

In his essay, “On The Scarlet Letter,” D.H. Lawrence provokes Nathaniel Hawthorne’s portrayal of Hester Prynne as a miraculous hero. Throughout the whole essay, he implies that Hester Prynne is a shameless transgressor, who only cares for herself. Hester Prynne is shamed by Lawrence for her atrocious actions. Lawrence provides several writing techniques in his essay including biblical allusion, degrading diction, and hyperbole, to prove that Hester Prynne is a wicked sinner.

In D. H. Lawrence’s essay “On The Scarlet Letter,” Lawrence analyzes Nathaniel Hawthorne’s portrayal of the adulteress Hester Prynne. He argues that Hester’s character is not worthy of the praise she receives in The Scarlet Letter because of the severity of the sin she commits in the novel. Instead of focusing on Hester’s character after the sin, he bases his argument on the sin itself. Lawrence uses terse syntax, an accusatory tone, and biblical allusions to depict Hester as the sinner of the story.

    Lawrence employs direct, choppy syntax that quickly pierces Hawthorne’s noble image of Hester before the next aspersion is thrown. He uses this quick-paced style of syntax to maintain the interest of the reader while building up a strong argument to support his thesis. His harsh remarks are thrown together to increase the impact of his words and mock Hester, “The fiery heart. A. Mary of the bleeding heart. Mater Adolerata! A. Capital A. Adulteress! Glittering with gold thread. Abel! Adultery. Admirable!” (Lawrence 24). He combines the phrases ‘fiery heart’ and ‘admirable’ with his own phrases like ‘adulteress’ and ‘abel’. This tears down the image of Hester’s pureness by contrasting what she is idolized for with what she is guilty of.

In his essay “On the Scarlet Letter,” D.H. Lawrence criticizes society’s perception of Hester Prynne. Hester is the protagonist in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter, and Lawrence regards her relationship with Arthur Dimmesdale as morally inacceptable. Lawrence also condemns those who try to condone her sinful behavior. In order to create an effective criticism of Hester Prynne’s portrayal, D. H. Lawrence uses powerful syntax, an ironic and critical tone, and insightful allusions.

It is very clear that Lawrence thinks Hester is undeserving of everyone's attention, whether that attention is good or bad, when he tauntingly remarks “Oh luscious sin!” (Lawrence). Although it may seem as if he supports Hester, what he is really doing is mocking her and the fact that she is getting so much attention over a sin she committed. Lawrence goes on to state ¨To seduce a man. To have everybody know.

Lawrence’s admirable diction makes Hester out to be undeniably unique in her beauty, making her stand out from the other women in the village and thus seen as an icon. He then takes this concept further by using sarcasm to mock her selfish beauty. She is “put upon the scaffold [to] worship her there” just so all will start “envying [her] sin, and beating [her] because [she’s] stolen an advantage over [the villagers]” (Lawrence). By showing off her scarlet letter and accepting worship, Hester uses her sin as a way to get pity from the public. Lawrence’s use of the admirable diction points out the irony of the situation. As a hero is worshipped for good deeds, Hester uses her looks to turn the tables and get people to worship her for her sin. D.H. Lawrence sees her as a goddess, “so picturesque in her attire and mien” (Lawrence). Hester Prynne is so beautiful that she is as unnatural and fake as a painting. She deceives the public eye into making them see her as a picture perfect woman. This is a selfish lie to manipulate people into loving and adoring her.

Lawrence utilizes biblical allusion by forming phrases said by Hawthorne in biblical terms to make Hester’s sin seem less of what it actually is. This is used more against Hawthorne in the sense that it brings in the Puritan religion by using relative characters that correlate with the events that occur. Moreover, these allusions draw conclusions to the characters while using statements that audience members may recognize or understand better, “it is Arthur Dimmesdale who dies… she lives on and is Abel” (Lawrence

In D.H. Lawrence’s critical essay, “On the Scarlet Letter”, Lawrence mocks Hester Prynne for being a lustful sinner who commits adultery with Reverend Dimmesdale in Nathaniel Hawthorne's revered novel, The Scarlet Letter. Lawrence uses repetition, a caustic tone, and biblical allusions in order to show how impure Hester Prynne truly is.

In D.H. Lawrence’s critical essay, “On the Scarlet Letter”, Lawrence believes that Hester Prynne is a character who does not deserve praise because she committed adultery. He explains the methods Hester used to seduce men, and how her actions are not heroic. Lawrence uses repetition, brief syntax, and sarcastic tone to convey that Hester Prynne is no heroine. D.H. Lawrence uses repetition to represent that Hester is guilty of sin. Lawrence uses his words in a repetitive way to clearly show his opinion of her when he states, “The great Alpha.

In his essay On The Scarlet Letter, D.H. Lawrence contradicts Hawthorne’s portrayal of Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne respects Hester and portrays her as a victim, whereas Lawrence argues that she is one of the main sinners in the novel. D.H. Lawrence establishes and supports his claim that Hester Prynne is unworthy of Hawthorne’s praise by effectively utilizing concise syntax, frequent repetition, and strong biblical allusions.

D.H Lawrence uses literary allusions to denounce Hester by comparing her to other sinners. First, Lawrence portrays Hester Prynne as someone who sins by seducing others. He alludes to the book, The Deerslayer, and states “Deerslayer refused to be seduced by Judith Hutter. At least the Sodom apple of sin didn’t fetch him” (Lawrence n.p.). In this case, Deerslayer is compared to Dimmesdale, and Judith Hutter is compared to Hester Prynne. Judith Hutter is seen as a very sinful character in The Deerslayer, so by depicting Hester Prynne as Judith, Lawrence emphasizes how much of a sinful person Hester is. Lawrence also points out that unlike Dimmesdale, Deerslayer refused to be

Hester Prynne, a character within The Scarlet Letter, is a prime example of Hawthorne's common transformation of individuals within his books. These mutations involve the qualities and attributes of her physical appearance, feminine emotions, and reputation among the townspeople. Throughout the novel, the mentioned elements of Hester's character develop and change several times, providing the reader with better understanding of the influence that the scarlet letter and other characters have on her.