美国文学史简答题论述题.docx

美国文学史简答题论述题.docx

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美国文学史简答题论述题

TheScarletLetter《红字》NathanialHawthorne

象征意义

TheScarletLetter

Thescarletletterismeanttobeasymbolofshame,butinsteaditbecomesapowerfulsymbolofidentitytoHester.Theletter'smeaningshiftsastimepasses.Atfirst,itisatokenofshame,"Adultery,"butthenthegenuinesympathyandhelpthatHesterofferstoherfellowvillagerschangesitto"Able."Laterinthestory,theletterAappearsinthesky,signifying"Angle."

TheletterfunctionsasaphysicalreminderofHester'saffairwithDimmesdale.Itseemsinsignificant,andhelpstopointouttheultimatemeaninglessnessofthecommunity'ssystemofjudgmentandpunishment.Theletterismerelyahumancontrivance（发明物）.Andtheinstabilityoftheletter'sapparentmeaningcallsinto（实行，去）questionsociety'sabilitytousesymbolsforideologicalreinforcement.

TheMeteor（流星）

AsDimmesdalestandsonthescaffold（绞刑台）withHesterandPearlinChapter12,ameteortracesoutan''A''inthenightsky.ToDimmesdale,themeteorimpliesthatheshouldwearamarkofshamejustasHesterdoes.However,themeteorisinterpreteddifferentlybytherestofthecommunity,whichthinksthatitstandsfor''Angel''.

But''Angel''isanawkwardreadingofthesymbol.ThePuritanscommonlylookedtosymbolstoconfirmdivinesentiments.Inthisnarrative,however,symbolsaretakentomeanwhatthebeholder（旁观者）wantsthemtomean.Theincidentwiththemeteorobviouslyhighlights（强调，突出）andexemplifiestwodifferentusesofsymbols:

Puritanandliterary.

Pearl

AlthoughPearlisacomplexcharacter,herprimaryfunctionwithinthenovelisasasymbol.Pearlisasortoflivingversionofhermother'sscarletletter.Sheisthephysicalconsequenceofsexualsinandtheindicatorofatransgression（犯罪）.Yet,evenasareminderofHester's''sin,''Pearlismorethanamerepunishmenttohermother:

sheisalsoablessing.Sherepresentsnotonly''sin''butalsothevitalspiritandpassionthatengendered（产生）thatsin.Thus,Pearl'sexistencegiveshermotherreasontolive,bolstering（支持）herspiritswhensheistemptedtogiveup.ItisonlyafterDimmesdaleisrevealedtobePearl'sfatherthatPearlcanbecomefully''human.''Untilthen,shefunctionsinasymboliccapacityasthereminderofanunsolvedmystery.

主题

Themes

Sin,Knowledge,andtheHumanCondition（身份）

SinandknowledgearelinkedintheJudeo-Christiantradition.TheexperienceofHesterandDimmesdalerecallsthestoryofAdamandEvebecause,inbothcases,sinresultsinexpulsion（驱逐）andsuffering.Butitalsoresultsinknowledge—specifically,inknowledgeofwhatitmeanstobehuman.ForHester,thescarletletterfunctionsas''herpassportintoregionswhereotherwomendarednottread,''leadingherto''speculate''abouthersocietyandherselfmore"boldly"thananyoneelseinNewEngland.Finally,Hesterachievedthehumancondition.

TheNatureofEvil

Thecharacterstrytorootoutthecausesofevil.TheconfusionoverthenatureandcausesofevilrevealstheproblemswiththePuritanconceptionofsin.

Thebookarguesthattrueevilarisesfromthecloserelationshipbetweenhateandlove.EvilisnotfoundinHesterandDimmesdale'slovemaking,noreveninthecruelignoranceofthePuritanfathers.EvilisfoundinthecarefullyplottedandpreciselyaimedrevengeofChillingworth,whoselovehasbeenperverted（堕落，滥用）.AndDimmesdale,whoshouldlovePearl,willnotevenpubliclyacknowledgeher.Hiscrueldenialoflovetohisownchildmaybeseenasfurtherperpetrating（犯罪）evil.

IdentityandSociety

AfterHesterispubliclyshamedandforcedtoleave,sherefused.Hester'sbehaviorispremisedonherdesiretodetermineherownidentityratherthantoallowotherstodetermineitforher.Toher,runningawayorremovingtheletterwouldbeanacknowledgmentofsociety'spoweroverher:

shewouldbeadmittingthattheletterisamarkofshame.Instead,Hesterstays,refiguring（重新塑造）thescarletletterasasymbolofherownexperiencesandcharacter.Herpastsinisapartofwhosheis;topretendthatitneverhappenedwouldmeandenyingapartofherself.Thus,Hesterverydeterminedlyintegrateshersinintoherlife.

Dimmesdalealsostrugglesagainstasociallydeterminedidentity.Asthecommunity'sminister,heismoresymbolthanhumanbeing.Unfortunately,DimmesdaleneverfullyrecognizesthetruthofwhatHesterhaslearned:

thatindividualityandstrengtharegainedbytheself-assertionandbyareconfiguration,notarejectionofone'sassignedidentity.

Motifs（母题）

CivilizationVersustheWilderness

InTheScarletLetter,thetownandthesurroundingforestrepresentopposingbehavioralsystems.Thetownrepresentscivilization,arule-boundspacewhereeverythingonedoesisondisplayandwheretransgressions（犯罪）arequicklypunished.Theforest,ontheotherhand,isaspaceofnaturalratherthanhumanauthority.Intheforest,society'srulesdonotapply.WhenHesterandDimmesdalemeetinthewoods,forafewmoments,theybecomehappyyoungloversonceagain.Hester'scottage,which,significantly,islocatedontheoutskirtsoftownandattheedgeoftheforest,embodiesbothorders.

NightVersusDay

Byemphasizingthealternationbetweensunlightanddarkness,thenovelorganizestheplot'seventsintotwocategories:

thosewhicharesociallyacceptable,andthosewhichmusttakeplacecovertly.Daylightexposesanindividual'sactivitiesandmakeshimorhervulnerabletopunishment.Night,ontheotherhand,concealsandenablesactivitiesthatwouldnotbepossibleortoleratedduringtheday.Nightisthetimewheninnernaturescanmanifestthemselves.EvocativeNames（动人的）

Thenamesinthisnoveloftenseemtobeinterpretedallegorically（寓言的）.Chillingworthiscoldandinhumanandthusbringsa''chill''toHester'sandDimmesdale'slives.''Dimmesdale''suggests''dimness''weakness,indeterminacy,lackofinsight,andlackofwill.Thename''Pearl''evokesabiblicalallegoricaldevice—the''pearlofgreatprice''.Thissystemofnaminglendsaprofundity（深度）tothestory.Italsoaligns（匹配）thenovelwithpopularformsofnarrativesuchasfairytales.

MobiDick《白鲸》HermanMelville

主题

Themes

TheLimitsofKnowledge

Overthecourseofthenovel,Ishmaelmakesuseofnearlyeverydisciplineknowntomantounderstandtheessentialnatureofthewhale,includingart,taxonomy（分类学）,andphrenology（骨相学）,butfailstogiveanadequateaccount（详细的说明）.Itsuggestthathumanknowledgeisalwayslimitedandinsufficient.WhenitcomestoMobyDickhimself,thislimitationtakesonallegoricalsignificance.ThewaysofMobyDick,likethoseoftheChristianGod,areunknowabletoman,andthustryingtointerpretthem,asAhabdoes,isinevitablyfutileandoftenfatal.

TheDeceptiveness（虚伪）ofFate

Ishmael'snarrativecontainsmanyreferencestofate,creatingtheimpressionthatthePequod'sdoomisinevitable.Manyofthesailorsbelieveinprophecies,andsomeevenclaimtheabilitytoforetellthefuture.Ahab,forexample,clearlyexploitsthesailors'beliefinfatetomanipulatethemintothinkingthatthequest（追寻）forMobyDickistheircommondestiny.

TheExploitative（利用）NatureofWhaling（捕鲸）

Atfirstglance,thePequodseemslikeanislandofequalityandfellowshipinthemidstofaracist,hierarchicallystructuredworld.Theship'screwincludesmenfromallcornersoftheglobeandallraceswhoseemtogetalongharmoniously.

However,theworkofwhalingparallelstheotherexploitativeactivities—buffalohunting,goldmining,unfairtradewithindigenouspeoplethatcharacterizeAmericanandEuropeanterritorialexpansion.EachofthePequod'smates,whoarenonwhitesperformmostofthedirtyordangerousjobsaboardtheship.Actually,itisfullofinequalityandracialdiscrimination.

象征意义

ThePequod

NamedafteraNativeAmericantribeinMassachusettsthatdidnotlongsurvivethearrivalofwhitemen,thePequodisasymbolofdoom.Itispaintedagloomyblackandcoveredinwhaleteethandbones,bristlingwith（布满）themementos（死亡的警告）ofviolentdeath.Itis,infact,markedfordeath.Adorned（装饰）likeaprimitivecoffin,thePequodbecomesone.

MobyDick

MobyDickpossessesvarioussymbolicmeaningsforvariousindividuals.TothePequod'screw,thelegendaryWhiteWhaleisaconceptontowhichtheycandisplacetheiranxietiesabouttheirdangerousandfrighteningjobs.Ahab,ontheotherhand,believesthatMobyDickisamanifestationofallthatiswrongwiththeworld,andhefeelsthatitishisdestinytoeradicatethissymbolicevil.

MobyDickalsobearsout（证实）interpretationsnottieddownto（束缚在）specificcharacters.Initsinscrutable（神秘的）silenceandmysterioushabits,forexample,theWhiteWhalecanbereadasanallegoricalrepresentationofanunknowableGod.Asaprofitablecommodity,itfitsintotheeconomicexpansionandexploitationinthe19thcentury.Asapartofthenaturalworld,itrepresentsthedestructionoftheenvironmentbysuchhugeexpansion.

Queequeg'sCoffin

Queequeg'scoffinalternatelysymbolizeslifeanddeath.Queequeghasitbuiltwhenheisseriouslyill,butwhenherecovers,itbecomesachest（金库）toholdhisbelongingsandanemblemofhiswilltolive.Heperpetuates（保持）theknowledgetattooedonhisbodybycarvingitontothecoffin'slid（盖子）.Thecoffinfurthercomestosymbolizelife.WhenthePequodsinks,thecoffinbecomesIshmael'sbuoy,savingnotonlyhislifebutthelifeofthenarrativethathewillpasson.

TheOpenBoat《海上扁舟》（Naturalism）StephenCrane

主题

Themes

Nature'sIndifferencetoMan

Despitethenarrator'sprofusionof（丰富的）animistic（animal-like）,humanistic（manlike）,anddeistic（godlike）characterizationsofnature,Cranemakesclearthat