从红字荆棘鸟Word文件下载.docx

1、 08-10-28 09:02:00 作者：佚名 编辑：studa0714 -AbstractLove is the eternal theme in human life. However, love changes much because of the influence of asceticism. Although love is a tragedy, the spirit of main characters longing for love and struggling with the doctrine of religions is worth learning. It ca

2、n also be learned that the asceticism restrains the human nature and results in the destruction.This thesis will deal with the influence of asceticism on love in The Scarlet Letter and The Thorn Birds. The influence reflects mainly in the leading characters Dimmesdale and Ralph. Both of them are pri

3、ests and fall in love. The worse is that each of them has a child. However, they have to abandon their beloved because of the asceticism, and they bear too much torture. So tragedy cannot be avoided.Key WordsLove; desire; tragedy; asceticism摘要爱情是人类永恒的话题. 可是在西方社会中，爱情由于宗教禁欲主义的影响发生了一些变化，带有了一定的悲剧色彩。在西方描

4、写神职人员爱情的文学作品中，虽然他们的爱情是悲剧，但他们那种为了爱情而努力奋斗，甚至和宗教做抗争的精神使我们振奋。从中我们也能深刻的感受到宗教对人性的摧残。本篇论文将从红字和荆棘鸟两部作品中的主要人物丁梅斯代尔和拉尔夫来看宗教禁欲主义对他们内心的摧残和折磨,从而导致的悲剧. 丁梅斯代尔和拉尔夫都是牧师，却同样陷入了感情之中。但是因为宗教的禁欲主义，他们不能接触爱情，一旦有了感情就要经受很多折磨和痛苦。所以悲剧的产生是必然的。关键词爱情; 欲望; 悲剧; 禁欲主义IntroductionLove, one of the most beautiful and romantic emotion in

5、 human life, has been struggling with Asceticism in western society. Just because of this, love, the most beautiful feeling in humans heart, is both a dream and a punishment in the eyes of clergymen under Asceticism. Therefore, love of clergymen in the western literary works ends in tragedy. This pa

6、per will deal with the love tragedy under Asceticism in The Scarlet Letter and The Thorn Birds.The Scarlet Letter is written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The story happened in the background of American colony ruled by Puritan in the sixteenth century. The leading characters in this novel Dimmesdale and

7、Hester fall in love with each other. But Dimmesdale is a priest. Before he meets Hester, he has devoted himself to the God. In this paper, you can learn Dimmesdales mixed feeling. He loves Hester, but he must abide by the rule of Puritan. Pearls birth not only sends Hester to the prison and Hester i

8、s sentenced to wear the scarlet letter “A” all her life, but also gives Dimmesdale more spiritual torture, because Dimmesdale has no courage to confess his sin. He is afraid of losing his fame, his status and the punishment of religion. The torture he suffering is not so much coming from his conscie

9、nce as coming from the forbidden of asceticism. Therefore, it is asceticism that results in the tragedy love between Dimmesdale and Hester. In The Thorn Birds, Ralph has more than one chance to choose his own life, which is not controlled by the doctrine of religion. In order to get the power, fame

10、and his career, Ralph abandons his love. His choice provides him with the power, and forbids himself at the same time. But on the other hand, he cannot forget Meggie and he realizes the importance that Meggie means to him gradually. At that time, the religious doctrines have taken back his right sta

11、ying with Meggie. Therefore, the tragedy happens inevitably.In a word, Asceticism is cruel and inhuman to the priests in western society. It strangles too much love and resulted in too many tragedies. I. Love in Guilty and Self-accusationTragedy under Asceticism in The Scarlet LetterA. The Brief Con

12、tents of The Scarlet LetterThe Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne discusses the original sin of human being through the love tragedy between Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale with the background of American colony ruled by Puritan in sixteenth century. The story tells about the life of

13、the resident under the surrounding of persecution derived from the ineradicable religion in Massachusetts of Boston in New England in public. The symbol of Asceticism in this article is the scarlet letter “A”. The four leading actors are: Hester Prynne, a woman with her beloved but living in injury

14、because of adultery; Arthur Dimmesdale, a handsome and educated young man, at one time, whose behaviors and words are generally regarded as divine sign among all inhabitants in that place and godly pastor of Hester. However, he falls in love with Hester and because he is a minister, so their love is

15、 forbidden, they must face the love tragedy; by contraries, Roger Chillingworth, husband of Hester, is an ugly old man being a both skillful physician and surgeon. Unfortunately, he pursues to revenge for the humiliation by Dimmesdale with taking care at the same time, digging at him for monstrous c

16、ontentment. Seen from another angle, he is also a victim of Asceticism. The last role is small Pearl, the daughter of Hester and Dimmesdale. The story begins in the sixteenth-century in Boston. At that time, it was a puritan settlement. Therefore, the ethics was puritans asceticism. The atmosphere a

17、t that time was rather depressing by the rule of Stern Puritan. People regarded exploring their real feeling as a shame. Hester is a woman who was released from the town prison with her illegal infant daughter Pearl. Hester is found adulterous guilty and sentenced to wear a scarlet letter to show he

18、r sin. Hesters husband, a scholar much older than her sends her ahead to American, but he does not arrived in Boston. Therefore, Hester thinks he has dead. The fact is that he has lost at sea. While waiting for her husband, Hester has love affair with a young minister Arthur Dimmesdale. Hesters husb

19、and, who is now practicing medicine and calling himself Chillingworth, intends on revenge when he escapes and arrives at Boston. For the reason that he wants to find the “true criminal”, he becomes another victim of asceticism. Readers often interpret The Scarlet Letter as a tale of sin. However, th

20、is novel is much more a love story between Hester and Dimmesdale than everything else. Through the strong emphasis of love, Pearls presence and Dimmesdales torture, it can be identified as a tale of romance. B. Dimmesdales TragedyDimmesdale, the hidden scarlet letter, dies after suffering the long t

21、orture and self-punishment.Life is hard, but accepting that fact makes it easier. This common phrase has been proven true in many peoples lives, but it is also a harsh fact that Dimmesdale, the key character in the Scarlet Letter, have to face. In this twisted story of deception and adultery set in

22、the Puritan era, Hawthorne introduces Dimmesdale as a weak and cowardly man who refuses to take responsibility for his actions. Yet, at last, he frees himself through facing his sin before it is too late, ultimately finding happiness.In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes imagery to con

23、vey that Dimmesdale can represent Puritan society rather than round character that can be seen on the surface level. This is seen through the imagery and symbolism of hypocrisy, Dimmesdale as a Christ figure, and the scarlet letter. Living in such surrounding, as a minister, because of the love, he

24、drops in the abyss of misery.In this article, Hawthorne describes Dimmesdale as “a viler companion of the vilest, the worse of sinners,” （Hawthorne, 2001） even though Dimmesdale is seen as the most holy man in the Puritan community. One really cannot understand Dimmesdale or his dilemma without at l

25、east a cursory understanding of the Puritans who inhabited Boston at this time and because he is in the dilemma of the love to Hester and Pearl and the loyalty to the God, so it is destined that he is a tragic character.Dimmesdale is a minister, love means sin to him. But he loves Hester. From this

26、point, he is not only a sinner to God but also a lover of Hester and a father to Pearl. He lives in this dilemma and cannot get away from it.As a minister, Dimmesdale has a voice that consoles and an ability to sway audience. His congregation adores him and his parishioners seek his advice. As a min

27、ister, Dimmesdale must be above reproach, and there is no question that he excels at his profession and enjoys a reputation among his ministry aids people in leading good lives. If he publicly confesses, he will lose his ability to be effective in this regard.For Dimmesdale, however, his effectivene

28、ss betrays his desire to confess. The more he suffers the better his sermons become. The more he whips himself, the more eloquent he is on Sunday and the more his congregation worships his words. Nevertheless, Hawthorne states in chapter 20, “No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to

29、 himself, and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true.” （Hawthorne, 2001）Dimmesdales struggle is dark and his penance is horrifying as he tries to unravel his mystery. In chapter 11, “The Interior of a Heart,” （Hawthorne, 2001） Dimmesdale struggled with h

30、is sin, his inability to disclose it to Puritan society, his desire for penance, he knows his actions have fallen short of both Gods standards and his own, and he fears this represents his lack of salvation. In an attempt to seek salvation, he fasts until he faints and whips himself on the shoulders

31、 until he bleeds. However, these punishment are done in private rather than in public and do not provide the cleansing Dimmesdale seeks and needs.As a sinner, Dimmesdale is weakened to temptation. As demonstrated later, his weakened condition makes it easier for him to associate himself with Black M

32、an in the forest. His congregations expect himto be above other mortals, and his life and thoughts must exist on a higher spiritual plant than others. Accordingly, his wonderful sermons are applauded by all for a reason his listeners do not understand. Sin and agony have enabled the intellectual scholar-minister to recognize and emphasized with other sinners.Hawthorne writes about one of Dimmesdales sermons that are, “addressed to the multitude a discourse on sin, in all its branches.” （Hawthorne, 2001） In Dimmesdales sermons, he speaks