Rhetorical Analysis On The Scarlet Letter

In D.H. Lawrence’s critical analysis, On the Scarlet Letter, Lawrence examines Hester Prynne and the sin of adultery that she commits. Instead of discussing what the actual consequences were, he talks about his feelings of adultery and how horrible a person she is for committing it. Lawrence uses sarcastic allusions to historical/biblical events, choppy, short syntax, and harsh diction to analyze Hester Prynne. Lawrence frequently alludes to biblical events and another novel with similar situations throughout his analysis. These allusions show how Hester compares to the people who go through the same thing she does, showing how horrible she is when compared to others. For example, he compares the situation that Hester puts Dimmesdale in

He lists everything in abullet-point format as if to shoot and kill Hester, such as when he says, “A. The Scarlet Letter. Adulteress! The great Alpha. Alpha! Adulteress! The new Adam and Adama! American!” By using such short, choppy sentences, he is able to draw attention to the harshness of each and every word. Each word is meant to be sarcastic as she is being compared to great people and Lawrence sarcastically represents her as a hero. Lawrence also says, “The Scarlet Letter gives the show away.” He elaborates on this statement for the remainder of the analysis. He uses mockery and sarcasm in his sentences to state that “the show” is in fact pretentious behavior exhibited by the characters (especially Hester) and should therefore not have pity taken on them. By using the choppy sentences, each word is very emphasized. As he is very critical of Hester, the words in his sentences tend to be negative. These negative words are all meant to “wound” Hester Prynne. Due to their bullet point format, Lawrence is expressing this very plainly. This allows him to show his disapproval of Hester as he feels that Hester’s sin is unforgivable and she should be shunned for eternity instead of painted as a hero, which is what Hawthorne