Hester Prynne Character Analysis Essay

D. H. Lawrence critically analyzes Hester Prynne’s characterization in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Through his writing on Hester Prynne, Lawrence criticizes the world’s views on the main character and her actions. D. H. Lawrence believes that Hester Prynne was a manipulative, evil person, who should not be praised by the audience. Lawrence uses constant repetition, brief diction, and biblical allusion to critically analyze Hester Prynne. Lawrence uses repetition to critically analyze Hester Prynne’s character throughout the novel. Throughout the writing, Lawrence repeats phrases to help persuade the audience and effectively get his point across. Lawrence gives evidence by repeating lay calling Dimmesdale a “pure-pure young parson … such a pure young man…” (Lawrence). Lawrence repetitively states how pure Dimmesdale was before Hester seduced him. The repetition of the word pure convinces the audience that before this crime,
D. H. Lawrence uses many biblical allusions including a comparison of Hester to “Mary of the Bleeding Heart. Mater Adoleratal A. Capital A. Adulteress. Glittering with the gold thread. Abel! Adultery. Admirable!...”(Lawrence). The numerous biblical allusions help show Lawrence’s opinion of Hester’s characterization and portrayal. These well known biblical allusions aide the audience to better understand how Lawrence interprets Hester. Another very important biblical allusion is when Hester is compared to “Abel! Abel! Abel! Admirable!”(Lawrence). Lawrence uses the allusion of Abel and Kaine to show that Hester was made to be the victim, when she is not. Comparing Hester to the victim of a story shows that Lawrence believes other don't portray Hester as the true villain he believes she is. The biblical allusions used by Lawrence throughout his writing help the audience understand his opinions on Hester’s