Hester Prynne In Scarlet Letter

Hester: A Heroine? In “On The Scarlet Letter”, D.H. Lawrence has a critical view of Hester Prynne. He believes Hester is glorified and condemns Hawthorne for the dishonest depiction. In his opinion, the impact of Hester’s sin is impaired by the praise expressed in Hawthorne’s writing. D.H. Lawrence effectively conveys his opinion to the audience by using allusions to literature, a concise syntax, and a harsh tone. D.H. Lawrence’s allusions to literature help to prove Hester Prynne’s mortal sin. He compares Dimmesdale and Hester to moral people to make their characters look worse. He contrasts Dimmesdale to Natty Bumppo, who avoided seduction by Judith Hutter. Lawrence says, “At least the Sodom apple of sin didn’t fetch [Bumppo].” (Lawrence 8). He shames Hawthorne and criticizes the author by explaining that Bumppo was written better than Hawthorne’s preacher. Further, Lawrence also alludes to the story of Adam and Eve by comparing …show more content…
Lawrence looks down on Hawthorne’s way of writing in The Scarlet Letter. When describing the victimization of Hester, he claims that eventually The Scarlet Letter “becomes a farce.”(Lawrence 23). He claims that Hester’s admirable portrayal is so absurd that it is funny. When he shows the audience that Hester really is the adulteress guilty of mortal sin, he is simultaneously discrediting Hawthorne’s writing by satirically explaining how unrealistic it is. To emphasize his belief that Hester is truly evil in her sin, he says, “Oh, Hester you are a demon. A man must be pure, just that you can seduce him to fall. Because the greatest thrill in life is to bring down the Sacred Saint with a flop into the mud.”(Lawrence 37). He addresses Hester like she’s immature and evil, which immediately removes her credibility to the reader. His passionate anger and powerful tone encourages the reader to believe his