美国文学史期末论《红字》象征意义文档格式.docx

美国文学史期末论《红字》象征意义文档格式.docx

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论《红字中的象征主义》

英文题目:

AnAnalysisoftheSymbolismoftheScarletLetter

*****

学号:

**********

专业:

英语

日期:

2015年6月29日

AnAnalysisoftheSymbolismofTheScarletLetter

ChapterOneIntroduction

1.1ResearchBackground

1.1.1LifeCareerandLiteraryCareer

1.1.2TheOriginofTheScarletLetter

1.2PurposeandSignificanceoftheStudy

1.3OrganizationoftheThesis

ChapterTwoTheOrganizationofSymbolism

2.1SymbolicMeaningoftheMainCharacters’Names

2.1.1HesterPrynne

2.1.2ArthurDimmesdale

2.1.3RogerChillingworth

2.1.4Pearl

2.2SymbolicMeaningoftheLetter“A”

2.2.1Adultery

2.2.2Alone

2.2.3Angel

2.2.4ArthurDimmesdale

ChapterFourConclusion

AnAnalysisoftheSymbolismoftheScarletLetter

ChapteroneIntroduction

1.1ResearchBackground

HawthornewasborninSalemin1804.HisfamilyhasalongPuritantradition.Hisfatherisaseacaptain,diedinDutchwhenHawthornewasonlyfour.Andhismotherreliedonrelativesinrearingthechildren.Besides,someofhisancestorswereajudgerelatetotheSalemWitchcraftTrailsof1692.Therefore,thefamilygraduallyfortunedeclined.YoungHawthornewaswitnessedtheprocessandawareofthemisdeedsofhispuritanancestors,sohehaddeepunderstandingofevilinhumanlife,peoplecalled“thatblacknessinHawthorne”.Thisaffectedmanyworksofhimandstatedtruthinhisbooks.

Heaspiredtobeawriterinhismiddleage.In1821,hewenttoBowdoinCollegewherehemadefriendswithWadsworthLongfellowandFranklinPierce,whowasthefourteenthPresidentoftheUnitedStates.Franklinhelpedhimwhenhewasinfinancialdifficulties.Aftergraduation,hespent12yearsinseclusiononliteraryapprenticeship,readingwidelyandpracticingwriting.In1839,HawthornehasworkedinBostoncustomsfortwoyears.Later,heenteredintoBrookFarmlandandcontactedwiththeideaoftranscendental.Then,HawthornewenttoSalemcustoms,inwhichaffectedthework“TheScarletLatter”directly.

In1842,HawthornegotmarriedandlivedinConcord,madefriendswithhisneighbors,EmersonandThoreauandothers.Finally,hediedin1864andburiedinSleepyValleycemetery.Hawthorne’sfirstnovelisabouthisschoollife,whichwasafailurenovel.Soheburntallhiscopiesingreatrage.Later,hepublishedacollectionofshortstories,calledTwice-ToldTalesin1837,whichattractedsomepopularandcriticalattention.Anothersuccessfulshortstorycollection,MossesfromanOldMansecameoutin1846andbroughthimgreatfameandmadehimfinallyfinanciallycomfortable.In1850,anovel,TheScarletLettercameout,whichmadehimknownbyothersandmadehisnameasawriterofnosmalltalent.In1851,TheHouseoftheSevenGablescameout,tobefollowedbyTheBlithedaleRomancein1852andTheMarbleFaunin1860.

1.1.2TheOriginoftheScarletLetter

ThestoryofTheScarletLetterisverysimplebutverymoving.ThestoryissetinNewEnglandinseventeenthcenturyBoston,whichisunderPuritancommand.

Ayoungbeautifulwoman,namedHesterPrynne,issentaheadtoAmericabyhishusband-----anagingEnglishscholar.However,fortwoyears,hedoesnotarrivehere.Buttwoyearlater,heisbewilderedtoseehiswifeinpillory,wearingascarletletter“A”onherbreastandholdingababyinherarms.Sheisconsideredtheguiltyofadulteryandbroughttotrial.TheoldscholarpretendstobeaphysicianandchangeshisnameRogarChillingworth.Gradually,hediscoveredthathiswife’sloveristheyoungclergyman,ArthurDimmesdale.Hesterrefusestonameherloverallthetimeandlookeddownonbyothers.Dimmesdalesufferedphysicalandmentaltorture.ButHesterresponsetothescarletletterisapositiveone.Shelivesaquietlifewithherdaughter,Pearl.Shehelpsherfellowcreaturesasasisterifmanyofsortsorasaskilledembroidererinmodestmanner,andfinallywinsother’sloveandadmiration.Becausethescarletletter“A”,thechurchmemberssuggestPearlbetakenawayfromHester,andDimmesdalehasapoorhealth.SheplanstoleaveAmericawithDimmesdale,butherefusedherhelp.Hediesintheendinherarmswhileconfessinghissinatapublicgathering.Chillingworthwithers.Pearlismarriedintoanoblefamily.

1.2PurposeandSignificanceoftheStudy

SymbolismisnotonlyasignificantfeatureofHawthorne’sworks,butalsoamajorfeatureofRomanticism.Therefore,studyofHawthorne’smasterpiece,thescarletletter,symbolismcanhelpthereadersknowsmoreaboutthenovelandreadhisworkswithoutanydifficulties.Whenwelearnasymbolismofanovel,wecouldstudyitfromthecharacters,situations,environmentandothers.Itisveryimportantforreaderstounderstandanovel’sthesis.

1.2OrganizationoftheThesis

InTheScarletLetter,symbolismisusednotonlyinthemaincharactersbutalsointhecapitalletter“A”whichsymbolismadultery,alone,alienation,angelandArthurDimmesdale.

ChapterTwoTheOrganizationofSymbolism

2.1SymbolicMeaningoftheMainCharacters’Names

2.1.1HesterPrynne

HesterPrynneisoneofthemaincharactersinthisnovel.Hawthorneendowshernamewithmuchsymbolicmeanings.Firstly,whenweseetheword“Hester”,wemaycontactitwithHastier,whoisthesisterofZeusinGreekmythology.Sheiskitchengoodness.Sheisalsoverybeautifulgod.HawthornenameshismaincharacterHester,whichgivereadersastrongsensethatHesterisabeautiful,passionateandwarm-heartedwoman.Inthisnovel,Hestertriesherbesttohelpothersandasaskilledembroidererinanunobtrusiveandundemandingmanner.Whatevershegoes,sheiswarm-heartedandking.Besides,thesoundof“Hester”issimilarto“Hastier”,whichisdifficulttodistinctthem.Notonlyisherbehaviorlikegoodness,butalsoherbeautifulappearance.

Secondly,Heateristhehomophoneoftheword“Haste”,whichmeansdoingsomethingquicklysothatyouarecarelessandmakemistakes.ShegetsmarriedtoRogerChillingworth,whoisanuglyandoldmananddevotesallhislifetohisbooks,hiswifejustcouldgetalittlelovefromhim.Asayoungwoman,shegoesthrougheverydaylonelinesswithoutlivinganormallife.ShedoesnothaveababywithRoger.Soshefeelssexualinhibition.What’smore,herhusbandsenthertoAmerica,whilehedisappearedfortwoyearswithoutanynews.HesterfallsinlovewithArthurquickly,ayoungclergyman.Asaresult,herfortunatelifestartswithhasty.

Hester’ssurnamealsohasitssymbolicmeaning.Firstofall,“Prynne”soundslike“Prurient”.Hester’shusbandissooldthathecouldnotgivehersexuallove.WhichmakesHesterlovestheyoungmansohastily.Asaresult,sheisputintoprisonandforcedtoweartheletter“A”allthetimeandeverywhereforthecrime.HawthorneusesPrynnetosuggesttheoriginpainofHester.

What’smore,“Prynne”issimilarto“Prune”sothataffectreader’sunderstanding.HawthornenotonlypointoutthereasonforPrynne’sguilty,butalsobelievesthatshecouldrecoverfromthepaininthelateoflife.WhenHestergetsouttheprison,sheneverabandonsherself,buthascouragetofacethecoldworld.Shehasapositiveattitudetofacethescarletletterandtherumorsinthistown.

Thelastbutnotleast,“Pry”thefirstsyllableof“Prynne”,whichwiththemeaningofspyingonsomebody.TheauthorwantstodiscovertheevilfromthelifeofPrynne.Inmanyyearswithoutcontactingothers,Prynnehasbeenthinkingherguilty,italsomakeherawareoftheevilspiritbeneaththesurfaceofthesaints.Ifyouputpeople’smindonthetable,maybeeveryonehasascarletletter.Everyonehassinsintheirdeepmind。

AuthorDimmesdaleisthemaincharacterinthisnovelwhoisanadmirableclergyman.Theabbreviationofhisname“AD”represents“adultery”.HisnameremindsusofAdamwhoishumanbeing’sancestor.IntheHolyBible,AdamandEve,theancestorsofhumanbeings,wholiveintheGardenofEden.Oneday,Eveeatsthefruitofthetreeinthemiddleofthegardentrickedbytheserpent.Afterthat,theyknowthegoodandtheevil,andeventoknowthesex.FromtheBible,wecanknowtheadulteryistheoriginalsinofhumanbeings.Arthurisapriestandalsothesonofthegod.Butheisamanactually.Heisalsomadebybloodandflesh.Hecan’trefusethetemptationoftheevil.

Fromthepointoflinguistic,thefirstsyllableofDimmesdaleanditssecondsyllablecombinationsmeans“badluck”.FromHawthorne’sview,Arthurmakesamistakethatcouldnotbeforgiven.HeisdifferingfromPrynnebecausehehideshisloveinhismindandlivesindepression.“Dim”meansdarkandweak.HisadulteryisagainstHester.HehasnocouragetotellothersthathelovesHester,justisolatedfromthecommunity.Atthebeginning,whenthepeoplechargeHester,healsohasnocouragetoconfesshissininthepublic.Becausethefearofthegod,hefollowsotherstocriticizeHesterwhenshewasonscaffoldinfrontofthepeopleoftheircommunity.Shewasmadelaughedbyallthecitizens.Hedidnotstandouttotellthetruth.

ArthurDimmesdaleisacoward.Justbecauseofhishypocrisy.HehasbeencontrolledbyChillingworth,whoserevengemakeshimmoreagonyandscared.Inordertoreducehispains,hesometimedoesnoteatanythingtoconfesstotheGod.ComparedtoHester,heisnegativesothatgraduallyhehasabadconditionandbecomeweakerandweaker.Intheend,heconfessedallhissins,whichmadehimpeacefulanddiedinHester’sarmswithsmile.

RogerChillingworthalsohasmanysymbolicmeaninginthisnovel.Asothers