浅析《红字》中象征主义手法的运用Analysis of Symbolism in The Scarlet LetterWord格式.docx

1、2 Main Methods and Ways of StudiesThe research into the symbolism in The Scarlet Letter can make readers deeply understand Hawthornes writing style First by way of exploring the various symbolic meanings of the scarlet letter A to different characters and the changing symbolicmeanings of the scarlet

2、 letter A at different time places and scenes the thesis can help readers have a better understanding of the rich meanings of the letter A in the novel and the process of moral growth of the main characters Second the research into the symbolic meanings of the characters names various objects in the

3、 novel and the symbolic meanings of Pearl can make readers deeply understand Hawthornes unique artistic writing characteristics the profound social significance revealed by the novel and the authors writing aims AbstractNathaniel Hawthorne is a great romantic novelist in America in the 19th century

4、As a great romantic novelist Hawthorne is outstanding in handling application of symbolism The Scarlet Letter is Hawthornes most important symbolic novel which is the best work of Hawthorne and one of the indubitable masterpieces of American Literature And it is this novel that makes Nathaniel Hawth

5、orne known all around the world In this work Hawthorne uses the symbolism so skillfully that it enhances the artistic effects of his work greatly In The Scarlet Letter symbolism runs through the whole novel The most important symbol is the scarlet letter itself Not only does A manifest in various fo

6、rms but also it has changing meanings from adultery to able even angelic in the novel Besides the name of the four major characters in the novel Hester Prynne Arthur Dimmesdale Roger Chillingworth and Pearl also have their own symbolic meanings Some other objects and natural surroundings that are de

7、scribed in the novel such as the jail the forest the rose bush and so on are all endowed with a deep symbolic significance The author of the thesis will explore the usage of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter from the three aspects mentioned above and analyze Hawthornes skillful use of symbolism in The

8、 Scarlet Letter Key Words the scarlet lettersymbolismHester PrynnePearl 摘 要纳撒尼尔霍桑是十九世纪美国伟大的浪漫主义小说家作为一位伟大的浪漫主义小说家霍桑对象征主义手法的运用可以说是独具匠心长篇小说红字是霍桑重要的象征主义代表作品无疑也是美国文学浪漫主义时期最著名的作品之一也正是这部巨著使得霍桑誉满全球在这部作品中作者巧妙运用了象征主义手法加强了作品的艺术效果整篇作品象征主义手法贯穿始终其中最重要的要数红字A本身的象征意义它不仅以各种各样的形式出现并且其象征意义不断变化从通奸到有能力的甚至天使般的 此外小说中四个主要角色

9、海丝特丁梅斯代尔齐灵沃斯珠儿也都有其各自的象征意义小说中描述的景物和场景例如监狱森林玫瑰花园等等也都寓意深刻本文正是从以上这几个方面着手探究作者在小说红字中对象征主义手法的巧妙运用关键词 红字象征海丝特普琳珍珠AcknowledgementsThis thesis is the product of the author and the supervisors three months of efforts It has been repeatedly revised under the guidance of Professor XXX It was the joint efforts of

10、 both the author and the teachers in Foreign Languages Department I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Professor XXX and the teachers who have helped the author in the process of the thesis writing I will also give my thanks to my classmates and friends who have helped me revise the thesis

11、 Last but not least I will give my heartfelt thanks to my parents who have been always supporting and encouraging meContents Introduction 11 Various Symbolic Meanings of the Scarlet Letter A 311 The Change of the Symbolic Meanings of the Scarlet Letter A 3111 Adultery 3112 Alone and Alienation 4113

12、Able Admirable and Angel 512 The Scarlet Letter and the Strictness of Puritan Society 52 The Symbolic Meaning of the Four Main Characters 621 Hester Prynne 622 Arthur Dimmesdale 723 Roger Chillingworth 824 Pearl 93 The Symbolic Meanings of the Objects in the Novel 12Conclusion 15Bibliography 16Intro

13、ductionNathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem in 1804 He was born in a prestigious New England family closely related with Puritan church his ancestors attended the persecution of people belonging to different churches such as Quakers When he was born his family declined He was aware of his ancestors

14、 misdeeds and thus blackness of Hawthorne formed He thought that the reason of his familys decline is his ancestors misdeeds And he didnt agree with the optimism held by Transcendentalists towards human nature He wrote lots of works on everlasting evil side in human natureHawthorne graduated from Bo

15、wdoin College Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Franklin Pierce the 14th American presidents were his classmates After graduation he lived in seclusion and wrote Later he worked in the US Custom House After Pierce became president he was asked to be the consular in Liverpool and ItalyHawthornes masterp

16、iece includes his short story collections Twice-Told Tales Moses from an Old Manse and novels The Scarlet Letter The House of Seven Gables The Blithedale Romance The Marble FaunHawthornes writing skills can be summarized as follows Hawthorne seems to be influenced a lot by the sin and evil in his se

17、nse He believes evil exists in human heart all the time For example in the novel The Scarlet Letter the minister Dimmesdale tries to pretend how pure and pious he is He wants to cover up the evil in his mind Not only Dimmesdale wants to do like this but also all the people in the world because we ar

18、e only human beings And the evil just likes a mark that exists in our mind when we are born And in Hawthornes mind people who commit a crime must be punished because people can get experience from this way And also he supports people to tell the truth and not to offend Nathaniel Hawthorne is a great

19、 romantic novelist in America in the 19th century and is considered to be the first greatest American fiction writer in the moralistic tradition Hawthorne is outstanding in literature skill especially in handling symbolism His work-The Scarlet Letter is notable for its symbolism and is regarded as t

20、he first symbolic novel in American literatureThe story begins in seventeenth-century Boston which is under Puritan command The husband-an old and ugly scholar sends a young woman named Hester Prynne ahead to America However for many years he himself doesnt arrive Obviously it is possible that he ha

21、s been lost in the sea While waiting for her husband Hester and a young local minister called Arthur Dimmesdale fall in love with each other They commit adultery secretly Because of Hesters Pregnancy the secret is finally discovered Hester and Dimmesdale love each other But their love is forbidden i

22、n that strict society It is sinful Due to this fact Hester is punished by society with a letter A on her chest which is considered to be an evil a shameHester is brave enough to face the cruel society She is always with a mind of courage She has been alone with her child for so long a time with litt

23、le communication Hester has to wear the letter A day by day seven years as for punishment and ill fame However Hester is a kind-hearted woman and is always ready to help other people in the community without expecting any thanks Later people in the town no longer view the scarlet letter A as a punis

24、hment but rather as representing her great strength and bravery and they say it means AbleBut Arthur Dimmesdale his sin against Hester and Pearl is that he will not acknowledge them as his wife and daughter in the daylight He is too weak to admit his sins He suffers from mysterious heart trouble see

25、mingly caused by psychological distress Whats worse he is an advisor to the townspeople about their sinsAfter Mr Dimmesdales death no one changes more in appearance than Roger Chillingworth All his strength and energy has been used to harm his patient This unhappy man has made his aim in life to add

26、 to the suffering of the young minister When the evil old man no longer has such a purpose the devil takes him back to the hellThe Scarlet Letter is a cultural allegory in which the author indirectly tells the future of Puritanism The Scarlet Letter is a sample in which American Romanticism adapted

27、itself to American Puritanism The theme of the story should 1 Various Symbolic Meanings of the Scarlet Letter A11 The Change of the Symbolic Meanings of the Scarlet Letter A In this novel the scarlet letter A changes its meanings for many times This change is very significant It shows growth in the characters and the community in which they live At the very beginning the letter A is regarded as a kind of sin or evil Then with the development of the story it becomes a symbol of alone and alienation of the female character Hest