美国文学史期末论《红字》象征意义.docx
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美国文学史期末论《红字》象征意义
《美国文学史》期末论文
2015-2016学年第二学期
论文题目:
论《红字中的象征主义》
英文题目:
AnAnalysisoftheSymbolismoftheScarletLetter
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学号:
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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
1.1.1LifeCareerandLiteraryCareer
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。
2.1.2ArthurDimmesdale
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.
2.1.3RogerChillingworth
RogerChillingworthalsohasmanysymbolicmeaninginthisnovel.Asothers