毕业论文红字中海斯特的形象分析Word文件下载.docx
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ZhongyuanUniversityofTechnology
InPartialFulfillmentoftheRequirements
FortheDegreeofBachelorofArts
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May29th,2011
论文摘要
霍桑的《红字》,是美国19世纪文学史上的经典作品,这篇著作反映了清教思想对人生活思想的影响。
本篇著作的背景发生在波士顿一个小镇上,介绍了这个地区的人是如何被清教所影响的,其中女主角海斯特·
白兰和镇上受人尊敬的牧师丁梅斯代尔通奸并生下女儿珠儿,作为惩罚,她被戴上红字“A”——“Adultery”的象征。
本文通过分析海斯特的性格,也展现了清教法规苛刻无情的刑罚,在清教社会,不管谁犯罪都要接受惩罚。
本文还涉及到霍桑的清教观,他对清教价值观和思想的肯定以及对其消极方面对人民思想控制的批评,这也决定海斯特最后的命运是在经过艰苦工作、自我提升后得到救赎。
霍桑通过塑造海斯特这个形象向读者展示了他的清教观,以及清教思想对他的影响。
海斯特最初是勇敢坚强的,最终却在清教社会的压迫下,承认了自己的罪过并通过赎罪得到了社会的认可。
通过红字“A”象征意义的变化反映了海斯特的形象变化。
关键字:
清教影响;
海斯特性格;
原罪;
救赎
Abstract
TheScarletLetter,NathanielHawthorne’srepresentativework,isaclassicalnovelinAmericanliteratureinthe19thcentury.ThenoveldisplaysPuritanism’sgreatimpactonpeople’slifeandthought.ThisthesisofthePuritantownBoston,andintroducehowthecommunitiesinthetownaredeeplyinfluencedbyPuritanism.TheheroineHesterPrynneandArthurDimmesdale,thetown’sreverendpriest,engagesintheactofadulteryandproduceababygirlnamedPearl.
Meanwhile,byanalyzingthemaincharacterHester,thethesisaimsatpresentingtheharshnessandthestrictpunishmentinPuritansociety.Inpuritancommunities,whoevercommitsasinwillbepunished.ThethesisalsopresentsHawthorne’sattitudetowardsPuritanism.Ononehand,heappreciatesthepuritanthoughtandvalue;
ontheotherhand,hecondemnsthenegativeimpactofpuritansocietyonpeople’sspirit.AndthisthoughtinfluencesHester’sfinalfate—togetsalvationthroughself—improvementandhardworking.HawthorneexplainshispuritanthoughtsthroughcreatingHester.Hesterisbraveandstrong,asasinner,Hesterfinallygetsalvationbyworkinghard.
keywords:
Puritanism;
Hester’scharacteristic;
sin;
salvation
TableofContents
Abstract(Chinese).......................................................................................................Ⅰ
Abstract(English)…………………………………………………………………...Ⅱ
1.Introduction1
2.Hawthorne’sIntentionofCreatingHester.1
2.1PuritanInfulenceonHawthorne1
2.2Hawthorne’sOwnThoughtonPuritanism2
3.OriginalImageofHester:
StrongandBrave4
3.1AGracefulandBeautifulLady4
3.2EagerforTrueLove5
3.3ProtectingDimmesdale5
4.AsaSinner,WorkingHardtoGetSalvation5
4.1BeingShamedfor“Adultery”…………………………………………………..5
4.2WorkingHardAsaMotherandSinner……………………………………….…...7
4.3FinalImageofHester:
Angle,BearingthePainofLosingLover………………....8
Conclusion...................................................................................................................10
Bibliography12
Acknowledgements13
1.Introduction
ThisnovelhappenedinBoston,whichwasacolonyofEnglandin17thcentury.Atthattimeandatthatplace,thedoctrineofPuritanswaslookedastheruleofpeople’sdailylife.Hawthornewasborninapuritanfamily,whosegrandfatherwasanauthority.ThatmadehimwasdeepinfluencedbyPuritanism.Ononehand,hereceivedthedoctrineofhardworkingandthrifty,ontheotherhand,HethoughtthatthePuritanreligionwastoostrictandharsh.Wecanseehowhedislikedthembythewaypeopleact,talk,andlive.
HesterPrynneisawoman,whohasgreatcouragetodevotetorealloveandawomanwhoexperienceshardlifeandlongsforfreedom.Shelovesherlifenomatterhowdifficultitis.Shetriesherbesttostruggleagainsttheadversity.Sheisabeautiful,virtuous,braveandtoughwoman.Becauseofbeingasasinner,sheisforcedtowearan“A”onherbreasttoshameher.SheshowedextremestrengthandcouragetoresistthebiasofthePuritanismbyhergooddeedsandfinallyisreceivedandbeingrespectedbythesocietyandgetsalvationthroughhardworking.
2.Hawthorne’sIntentionofCreatingHester
HawthornewasborninapuritanfamilysothathewasdeepinfluencedbyPuritanism,butthestrictpunishmentandthecontrolofpeople’sspiritalsomadehimantipathy.ThushecreatedHester,whowassinnedandpunishedbypuritanauthority,butfinallygotsalvationbyhardworking.Hawthornecreatedhersinnedbutalsopraisedherbravenessandstrength.
2.1PuritanInfluenceonHawthorne
ThestorytellsaboutthelifeoftheresidentunderthesurroundingofpersecutionderivedfromtheineradicablereligioninMassachusettsofBostoninNewEnglandinpublic.Boston,whichwasacolonyofEnglandatthattime,thelocalBostonpeoplewastherepresentativeofpuritans.Fromthepoliticalauthoritiestothekidsplayingbeforethechurch,theircharacteristicsarethesame.Thethesisaimsatanydifferencesfromothersarehereto.AttheearlyculturesofBoston,agesandexperienceareemphasis;
thereisnocultureofyounger.That’swhyHawthornemakesthestoryhappensthere.Tothepuritans,anypersonorthingwhichisdifferentfromthemwillbepunishedorbebanished.Tothepuritans,thelawsaresacred;
anyonewhobreaksthelawshouldbepunishedstrictly,that’sthespecialenvironmentwhichHesterlivedin.
Allhislife,Hawthorneseemstobehauntedbyhissenseofsinandevilinlife.Readinghistalesandromances,onecannotbutbeoverwhelmedbythe“black”visionwhichtheseworksreveal.Evilexistsinthehumanheartasisevident,forinstance,intheshortstory,“Earth’sHolocaust,”whichtellsusthat,thoughallsymboloftraditionandthepasthavebeenburnedinthebonfireofthelifeoftheNewWorld,thesourceofevil—thehumanheart—remainsintact.Everyoneseemstocoveruphisblackveil(“TheMinister’sBlackVeil”).Evilseemstobeman’sbirthmark(“TheBirthmark”).A.H.QuinnperceptivelystatesthatHawthorneisathisbestwhendealingwithsin,thesupernatural,andNewEnglandpast,TheScarletLetterissetintheseventeenthcentury.(Barlow,2000,3)ItisenelaborationofafactwhichPuritanismruled.Hesterwassinnedadultery,whichcannotbeforgivenandmustbepunishedatthattime,thisreflectsHawthorne’sthoughtofsin,everyonehassinandtheymustusetheirwholelifetoexpiatethemselves.Buthealsothoughtthepunishmentsaretooharsh.ThuswhyhemadeHestersinned,butdidn’tadmithersin.
2.2Hawthorne’sOwnThoughtsonPuritanism
Inthisnovel,Hawthorneusestherepressive,authoritarianPuritansocietyasananalogueforhumankindingeneral.ThePuritansettingalsoenableshimtoportraythehumansoulunderextremepressure.Hester,Dimmesdale,andChillingworth,whileunquestionablepartofthePuritansocietyinwhichtheylive,alsoreflectuniversalexperiences.HawthornespeaksspeciallytoAmericanissues,buthecircumventstheaestheticandthematiclimitationsthatmightaccompanysuchfocus.Hisuniversityandhisdramaticflairhaveensuredhisplaceintheliterarycanon,tolerantandcruel.HethinksthatthePuritanreligionwastoostrictandharsh.Readerscanseehowhedislikedthembythewaypeopleact,talk,andlive.
Meanwhile,healsoshowshowhethoughtthePuritanpeoplewouldreacttothemannerinwhichHesterstitchedthe“A”,andhedoesnotmakethemlookverypleasant.Byshowingthemasbeingruthless,andevil,HawthorneisabletorevealhisviewsofthePuritanpeople,andhowhedislikesthemthroughthetownsfolk(thewomaninparticular).Hemakesthemcomeacrossaspeopleyouwouldlovetohate.Throughouttheentirebook,Hesterislookeddownuponthoughslightlylessasthestoryprogresses,andistreatedlikeasecondclasscitizen.HawthorneshowshisdistasteofthePuritanculturebyexpressinghimselfthroughthecharactersandtheiractions.Notonepersoninthisnovelistrulygood,andallthecharacterssins.Itisimpossibletohaveaperfectsociety,andNathanielHawthorneexplainstousinTheScarletLetter,thatoneisruledbythePuritanreligion,provesthistrue.(Gao,2000,4)
Nevertheless,althoughheisshockedbythePuritaninjustice,heisconvincedthatthereisbothgoodandevilinPuritanism.HethinksalotabouttheconflictofGodasomniscientandomnipotentononehand,andvengefulandcruelontheother.Heseesthatreligionisabletoproduceevil.Thingslikethewitchtrials,whereinnocentpeoplehavetodie,canhappeninhisPuritanhometownofSalem,whichleadshimtotheopinionthatthefusionofreligiousdogmaandpoliticalauthorityistheworstevil.HisancestorsandalltheotherPuritansmaybethinktohavefoundthedevilwhenprosecutingwitches,butHawthorneisofadifferentopinion.Hawthorne’sansweristhatdevilexistedineverybody.Itmakespeopleblindsotheyarenotabletorecognizetheevilinthemselves.
Inawhole,Hawthorne’sattitudetowardsPuritanismissplit.Therearethingsheisabsolutelyinfavorofandthingshecondemnsfromthedepthofhisheart.Andtosomeextent,HawthorneisaPuritanbecauseofhisPuritanorigin.ItisPuritanismthathasledtotoday’sAmericanachievementorientedsociety.ButHawthornedescribesthePuritansocietyofthe17thcenturyasnarrowandrelentless.Hedoesnotsharethedogmasanddelusionsofthepeoplewhoarecondemned,becausehehaslittleinterestandlessbeliefindoctrinesandtheologicaldebate.Hisimaginationisrepeatedlydrawnthesubjectsoftemptation,guiltandshame.Heseeksthedepthofthehumanthings.
OfcourseHawthorne’spointofviewisthatofthe19thcentury,notthatof17thcentury,wherehisshortstoriesaresettled.Heisawareofhisrootsandhistory,buthequestionstheserootsandhistoryfromhismodernpointofview.
BacktohisattitudestowardsthePuritanismofancestors,whenHawthornereadtheaccountsabouthisfirst