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

statement stands out to the reader, allowing him/her to focus on Lawrence’s message of demeaning Hester Prynne.

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

Hutter persists in winning Deerslayer’s love throughout the novel, but Deerslayer rejects her and remains devoted to his Christian faith and his responsibility of duty and honor. Lawrence uses the Deerslayer to demonstrate how Dimmesdale should have refused Hester Prynne’s temptation, so he could remain focused as minister of the church. However, Lawrence argues that Hester Prynne’s seduction was so intense compared to that of Judith Hutter, it was nearly impossible for Dimmesdale to resist it. Lawrence condemns Hester Prynne for persisting in seducing Dimmesdale while Judith Hutter seduces the Deerslayer through intelligence and argument. Lawrence also refers to the short story “Ligeia” written by Edgar Allen Poe by stating that Hester “is the KNOWING Ligeia risen diabolic from the grave. Having her own back. UNDERSTANDING” (Lawrence). Ligeia is very similar to Hester because they both have black hair, are slender, and are amazingly beautiful. Lawrence argues that Hester has metaphorically risen from the grave -similar to Ligeia- to take charge of her own life. Ligeia rising from the grave symbolizes that the narrator of the story is not in touch with reality. When Hester Prynne rises to accept her sin and the scarlet “A”, Dimmesdale becomes more out of touch with reality and becomes delusional. Lawrence uses “Ligeia” to prove that Hester Prynne should not have risen and accepted her sin because it makes her seem like a hero and Abel, while Dimmesdale suffers the guilt of the sin of adultery.
Lawrence expresses an extremely critical tone to convince readers that Hester Prynne commits a huge sin by seducing Arthur Dimmesdale. He is disgusted with Hester Prynne’s sin and how she overcomes it to rise up in society. Lawrence states that Hester is a demon and a “man must be pure, just that [she] can seduce him to a fall” (Lawrence). He illustrates Hester as a woman who's only job is to seduce men. His attitude towards Hester is impeccably disgusting, causing the reader to be convinced that Hester is not a woman to be idolized. Another way Lawrence expresses a very critical tone is by claiming that “Hester Prynne is the greatest nemesis of woman” (Lawrence). Lawrence pits Hester against women by arguing that she is what women do not want to be represented as. That quote perfectly represents Lawrence’s tone throughout his essay because he does not approve of Hester Prynne and criticizes Nathanial Hawthorne for writing Hester Prynne as a fool who becomes revered. Hawthorne uses such an intensely disgusted tone, readers can not help but start to look at Hester in the same manner. Overall, Lawrence successfully proved his viewpoint on Hester Prynne by providing strong analysis proving Hester Prynne to have been completely sinful in seducing Dimmesdale. His use of powerful allusions, choppy syntax, and passionate tone showcases his disgust for Hester Prynne on a new level. This causes the reader to involuntarily begin to agree with Lawrence’s viewpoints, even though the reader may not have agreed with him at the start of the essay.