毕业论文红字中海斯特的形象分析.docx

毕业论文红字中海斯特的形象分析.docx

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毕业论文红字中海斯特的形象分析

ABriefAnalysisoftheImageofHesterintheScarletLetter

AThesisSubmitted

ToForeignLanguageDepartment

OfCollegeofInformation&Business,

ZhongyuanUniversityofTechnology

InPartialFulfillmentoftheRequirements

FortheDegreeofBachelorofArts

By

StudentIDNumber:

Supervisor：

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