Mark Van Doren's Use Of Tone

In Mark Van Doren’s essay he argues that Hester Prynne is not the victim of her puritan town, but the hero of the story. He emphasizes her heroic attributes and compares her to heroes of previous novels. Van Doren’s use of allusion, reverent tone, and hyperbole create a feeling of praise and puts emphasis on Hester’s heroic properties. Van Doren uses allusion to compare Hester to the heroes of the author Homer. Van Doren states that “[Hawthorne] is the Homer of that New England, as Hester is its most heroic creature.” This means that Hester is like Homer’s hero Odysseus. This is true, because they share an important character trait, they both have courage. While Odysseus has the courage to fight and save people, Hester has a more subtle courage. She protects someone from losing everything that he …show more content…
He points out that “[Hester] is a passionate woman whom Hawthorne does not need to call passionate.” His use of tone emphasizes the work that Hawthorne has put into the character of Hester Prynne. It brings to the reader’s attention the character traits of the protagonist in an attempt to make them understand that she is the hero. This tone shows the respect that Van Doren feels toward Hawthorne due to his successful portrayal of the character Hester Prynne. Van Doren points out her “she makes more show than she needs to make of the letter on her bosom, the symbol she insists upon adorning with such ‘wild and picturesque peculiarity.’” He uses his reverent tone to show how he respects the character of Hester Prynne for her bravery. To show that not only does she make the object of her punishment, but that she wears it with pride. The way that /he states this creates the feeling of respect for Hester’s courage. Not only that, but these points are made in rapid succession, giving the impression that he is excited to tell the