The Scarlet Letter 《红字》作品分析.docx

The Scarlet Letter 《红字》作品分析.docx

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TheScarletLetter《红字》作品分析

TheScarletLetter

HistoricalContext

TheTranscendentalistMovement

TheScarletLetter,whichtakesasitsprincipalsubjectcolonialseventeenth-centuryNewEngland,waswrittenandpublishedinthemiddleofthenineteenthcentury.Hawthornebeganwritingthenovelin1849,afterhisdismissalfromtheCustom-House,anditwaspublishedin1850.Thediscrepancybetweenthetimerepresentedinthenovelandthetimeofitsproductionhasoftenbeenapointofconfusiontostudents.BecauseHawthornetookanearliertimeashissubject,thenovelisconsideredahistoricalromancewritteninthemidstoftheAmericanliterarymovementcalledtranscendentalism（c.1836-60）.

TheprinciplewritersoftranscendentalismincludedRalphWaldoEmerson,HenryDavidThoreau,MargaretFuller,andW.H.Channing.Transcendentalismwas,broadlyspeaking,areactionagainsttherationalismofthepreviouscenturyandthereligiousorthodoxyofCalvinistNewEngland.Transcendentalismstressedtheromantictenetsofmysticism,idealism,andindividualism.InreligioustermsitsawGodnotasadistantandharshauthority,butasanessentialaspectoftheindividualandthenaturalworld,whichwerethemselvesconsideredinseparable.Becauseofthisprofoundunityofallmatter,humanandnatural,knowledgeoftheworldanditslawscouldbeobtainedthroughakindofmysticalrapturewiththeworld.ThistypeofexperiencewasperhapsmostfamouslyexplainedinEmerson'sNature,wherehewrote,"Ibecomeatransparenteyeball;Iamnothing;Iseeall;thecurrentsoftheUniversalBeingcirculatethroughme;IampartandparcelofGod."

EventhoughHawthornewasclosetomanytranscendentalists,includingEmerson,andeventhoughhelivedforawhileatthetranscendentalistexperimentalcommunityofBrookFarm,hewasratherperipheraltothemovement.HawthorneevenpokesfunatBrookFarmandhistranscendentalistcontemporariesin"TheCustom-House,"referringtothemashis"dreamybrethrenindulginginfantasticspeculation."Wheretheysawthepossibilitiesofachievingknowledgethroughmysticalexperience,Hawthornewasfarmoreskeptical.

AbolitionismandRevolution

MoreimportanttoHawthorne'sliteraryproductions,andparticularlyTheScarletLetter,wasabolitionismandEuropeanrevolution.These,inHawthorne'sview,wereepisodesofthreateninginstability.Abolitionismwasthenineteenth-centurymovementtoendslaveryintheUnitedStates.Thoughitvariedinintensity,abolitionismcontainedaveryradicalstrainthathelpedtoformaclimateforJohnBrown'scaptureofHarpersFerryin1859.（JohnBrownintendedtoestablishabaseforarmedslaveinsurrection.）TherisingintensityandviolenceofabolitionismwasanimportantcauseoftheCivilWar.Hawthorne'sconservativepositioninrelationtoabolitionismdidnotnecessarilymeanthathewaspro-slavery,buthedidquiteclearlyopposeabolitionists,writingthatslaverywas"oneofthoseevilswhichdivineProvidencedoesnotleavetoberemediedbyhumancontrivances."

WhatHawthornefearedwereviolentdisruptionsofthesocialorderlikethosethatwerehappeninginEuropeatthetimehewroteTheScarletLetter.ThebloodysocialupheavalthatmostinterestedAmericansbeganinFrancein1848.This,andotherrevolutionsoftheperiod,pittedthelowerandmiddleclassesagainstestablishedpowerandauthority.Whiletherevolutionseventuallyfailed,theywerelargelywagedunderthebannerofsocialism,anditwasthisfactthatcausedconcerninAmerica;asonejournalistwrote,asquotedbyBercovitch,heretherewere"forebodingshadows"of"Communism,Socialism,Pillage,Murder,Anarchy,andtheGuillotinevs.LawandOrder,FamilyandProperty."CriticshaverecentlypointedtoHawthorne'sguillotineimageryin"TheCustom-House"（whereheevensuggeststhetidle"ThePosthumousPapersofaDecapitatedSurveyor"forhistale）andmetaphorsofhisownvictimizationassomeevidenceofhissympathieswithregardtorevolutionandsocialorder.

ThePuritanColonies

Thenovelwaswritteninthemid-nineteenthcentury,butittakesthemid-seventeenthcenturyfortheeventsitdescribes（1642-49）.TheMassachusettsBayColonywasestablishedbyJohnWinthorp（whosedeathisrepresentednearthecenterofthenovel）andotherPuritansin1630.TheysoughttoestablishanidealcommunityinAmericathatcouldactasamodelofinfluenceforwhattheysawasacorruptcivilandreligiousorderinEngland.Thissenseofmissionwasthecenteroftheirreligiousandsocialidentity.Directedtowardtherealizationofsuchanideal,thePuritansrequiredastrictmoralregulation;anyoneintheconmmunitywhosinnedthreatenednotonlytheirsoul,buttheverypossibilityofcivilandreligiousperfectioninAmericaandinEngland.Notcoincidentally,theyearsHawthornechosetorepresentinTheScarletLetterwerethesameasthoseoftheEnglishCivilWarfoughtbetweenKingCharlesIandthePuritanParliament;thelatterwasnaturallysupportedbytheNewEnglandcolonists.

Plotsummary

Thenoveltakesplaceduringthesummerin17th-centuryBoston,MassachusettsinaPuritanvillage.Ayoungwoman,namedHesterPrynne,hasbeenledfromthetownprisonwithherinfantdaughterinherarmsandonthebreastofhergown"aragofscarletcloth"that"assumedtheshapeofaletter."Itwastheuppercaseletter"A".TheScarletLetter"A"representstheactofadulterythatshehascommittedanditistobeasymbolofhersin—abadgeofshame—foralltosee.Aman,whowaselderlyandastrangertothetown,entersthecrowdandasksanotheronlookerwhat'shappening.HerespondsbyexplainingthatHesterisbeingpunishedforadultery.Hester'shusband,whoismucholderthanshe,andwhoserealnameisunknown,hassentheraheadtoAmericawhilstsettlingaffairsinEurope.However,herhusbanddoesnotarriveinBoston,andtheconsensusisthathehasbeenlostatsea.Itisapparentthat,whilewaitingforherhusband,Hesterhashadanaffair,leadingtothebirthofherdaughter.Shewillnotrevealherlover'sidentity,however,andthescarletletter,alongwithhersubsequentpublicshaming,isthepunishmentforhersinandsecrecy.OnthisdayHesterisledtothetownscaffoldandharanguedbythetownfathers,butsheagainrefusestoidentifyherchild'sfather.[2]

TheelderlyonlookerisHester'smissinghusband,whoisnowpracticingmedicineandcallinghimselfRogerChillingworth.HesettlesinBoston,intentonrevenge.HerevealshistrueidentitytonoonebutHester,whomhehassworntosecrecy.Severalyearspass.Hestersupportsherselfbyworkingasaseamstress,andherdaughterPearlgrowsintoawillful,impishchild—inHawthorne'swork,Pearlismoreofasymbolthananactualcharacter—andissaidtobethescarletlettercometolifeasbothHester'sloveandherpunishment.Shunnedbythecommunity,theyliveinasmallcottageontheoutskirtsofBoston.CommunityofficialsattempttotakePearlawayfromHester,butwiththehelpofArthurDimmesdale,aneloquentminister,themotheranddaughtermanagetostaytogether.Dimmesdale,however,appearstobewastingawayandsuffersfrommysterioushearttrouble,seeminglycausedbypsychologicaldistress.Chillingworthattacheshimselftotheailingministerandeventuallymovesinwithhimsothathecanprovidehispatientwithround-the-clockcare.Chillingworthalsosuspectsthattheremaybeaconnectionbetweentheminister'stormentsandHester'ssecret,andhebeginstotestDimmesdaletoseewhathecanlearn.Oneafternoon,whiletheministersleeps,Chillingworthdiscoverssomethingundescribedtothereader,supposedlyan"A"burnedintoDimmesdale'schest,whichconvinceshimthathissuspicionsarecorrect.[2]

Dimmesdale'spsychologicalanguishdeepens,andheinventsnewtorturesforhimself.Inthemeantime,Hester'scharitabledeedsandquiethumilityhaveearnedherareprievefromthescornofthecommunity.Onenight,whenPearlisaboutsevenyearsold,sheandhermotherarereturninghomefromavisittothedeathbedofJohnWinthropwhentheyencounterDimmesdaleatopthetownscaffold,tryingtopunishhimselfforhissins.HesterandPearljoinhim,andthethreelinkhands.DimmesdalerefusesPearl'srequestthatheacknowledgeherpubliclythenextday,andameteormarksadullred"A"inthenightsky.ItisinterpretedbythetownsfolktomeanAngel,asaprominentfigureinthecommunityhaddiedthatnight,butDimmesdaleseesitasmeaningadultery.Hestercanseethattheminister'sconditionisworsening,andsheresolvestointervene.ShegoestoChillingworthandaskshimtostopaddingtoDimmesdale'sself-torment.Chillingworthrefuses.ShesuggeststhatshemayrevealhistrueidentitytoDimmesdale.[2]

Laterinthestory,whilewalkingthroughtheforest,thesunwouldnotshineonHester,althoughPearlcouldbaskinit.TheythenencounterDimmesdale,asheistakingawalkinthewoodsthatday.HesterinformsDimmesdaleofthetrueidentityofChillingworthandtheformerloversdecidetofleetoEurope,wheretheycanlivewithPearlasafamily.TheywilltakeashipsailingfromBostoninfourdays.Bothfeelasenseofrelease,andHesterremovesherscarletletterandletsdownherhair.Thesunimmediatelybreaksthroughthecloudsandtreestoilluminateherreleaseandjoy.Pearl,playingnearby,doesnotrecognizehermotherwithouttheletter.Sheisunnervedandexpelsashriekuntilhermotherpointsouttheletterontheground.HesterbeckonsPearltocometoher,butPearlwillnotgotohermotheruntilHesterbuttonstheletterbackontoherdress.Pearlthengoestohermother.DimmesdalegivesPearlakissontheforehead,whichPearlimmediatelytr