红字中海斯特的性格分析.docx

1、红字中海斯特的性格分析AbstractAs one of the worlds most famous writers and “the Shakespeare of American” Nathaniel Hawthorne played a critical role in the highlight of romantic novel. As a trailblazer of writing romantic novel with psychology analysis, His representative work Scarlet Letter boosted him in the

2、literary creation. And The Scarlet Letter has wined the world-wide attention. Especially the female protagonist Hester Prynne has attracted large numbers of scholars to analysis her characters. This paper is determined to detect the characters of Hester through three approaches which are her life ex

3、perience, her daughter and the social environment she lives in. The result we get is that Hester is a pure, courageous, and kind-hearted woman whose spirit has enlightened a generation of women who lived in the dark corner of the world.Key words: pure; courageous; kind-heated摘要作为世界著名作家之一和“美国的莎士比亚”，霍

4、桑在将浪漫主义文学推向了高峰。霍桑是将心理分析融进浪漫主义小说的创始人。他的代表作“红字”更是吸引了世界范围内人们的注意。而女主人公海斯特更是吸引着无数学者研究她的性格，对她的各种分析也是屡见不鲜。本论文将从海斯特的生活经验，家庭以及生存环境来分析她独特的性格。得出的结论是她是一位纯洁，勇敢，善良的女性并且激励者一代又一代生活在黑暗处的女性。关键字：海斯特； 纯洁；勇敢；善良 1. Introduction of the novel and the authorNathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts. Some of his a

5、ncestors were men of prominence in the puritan theocracy of seventeenth-century New England. One of them was a colonial magistrate, notorious for his part in the persecution of the Quakers. Young Hawthorne was intensely aware of the misdeeds of his puritan ancestors, and this awareness led to his un

6、derstanding of evil being at the core of human life. All his life, Hawthorne seems to be haunted by his sense of sin and evil in life. Reading his tales and romances, one cannot but be overwhelmed by the “back” vision which these works reveal. And his representative novel Scarlet Letter is the best

7、embodiment of this viewpoint. The way in which Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter suggests that American Romanticism adapted itself to American Puritan moralism. In the novel, what Hawthorne predominantly concerned with was the moral, emotional, and psychological effect of the sin on the people in g

8、eneral and those complicated in it in particular. The Scarlet Letter is not a praise of a Hester Prynne sinning, but a hymn on the moral growth of woman when sinned against. Hawthornes flair of symbolism and supernatural in the novel greatly shows his ingenious craftsmanship. The Scarlet Letter stan

9、ds high in the peak of American Romanticism, and was the pioneering work of romanticism which rolled with psychology elements. It contributed greatly to Hawthornes reputation, which offers another testimony of Hawthornes power and permanence.Analysis of Hesters character2. Description of Hesters com

10、plex characteristics2.1Pure: She has a pure love with Dimmesdale.In the Old Testament, women was lured by snake which was the symbol of mans Penis, thus begun the degeneration of human beings. So women were bounded to be one of the original sins together with sex. As a consequence, since always, wom

11、en are regarded subject to men. In the settlement of Christian man, Bible and male chauvinism were even legalized and rules are issued to emphasize mans superior to women. However, our female protagonist Hester Prynne is a pure love-seeker. She and her husband lack of understanding and communication

12、 which are the most critical and basic factors in love. Being deformed, her husband cant satisfy her both physically and mentally. After she came to New England, she fell in love with the young priest. They hit it off quickly. However, the thing was discovered quickly because her pregnancy of baby.

13、She went to jail waiting for the trail. When the time came, the pastor asked her who the father of baby was. She looked at the audience with an air of dignity indifference, without any shame, guilty, or regret. She rejected to tell the name of her lover for the sick of protecting his prestige. She b

14、urden every jeers and sneers; all the blame and contemns. It was intolerable to be borne. Of an impulsive and passionate nature, she had fortified herself to encounter the stings and venomous stabs of public contumely. After she had finished the serving in the prison, she could go to a new place to

15、start over. Her sin and her ignominy were the roots which she had struck into the soil. It was as if new born, with stronger assimilation than the first, had converted the forestland, still so uncongenial to the pilgrim and wonderer into Hester Prynnes wild and dreary, but long-lived home. But what

16、she compelled herself to believe, what, finally, she reasoned up as a motive for continuing the resident of New England was half truth and half self-delusion. And the love she had for Dimmesdale support her to live on in the place. So, Hester Prynne did not flee, nor did she afraid of the coming lif

17、e. She lived in a thatched cottage, established herself and the enfant. Lonely was her situation, without a single friend, she, however incurred no risk of want, she possessed an art which is the needle work that sufficed to supply food for her thriving infant and herself. She bore on her breast in

18、the curiously embroidered letter, a specimen of her delicate and imaginative skill. She decorated the infants attire with fanciful, fantastic ingenuity but she is doom to wear one ornament-scarlet letter. The love Hester had for Dimmesdale can be fully displayed in chapter 17 and 18 when she met wit

19、h Dimmesdale in the forest at night. She passionately hugs the man she love and motivate him to run away with her, to seek the happiness of their own, to live freely and dignity. She took off the Scarlet Letter and threw it in the dump of rotten leaves. Then she unbound her long, dark hair. This evi

20、dent that no matter how the situation changes, her romance and passion never dies out. She never ceases pursuing her happiness. Never stop loving even in the most dreadful place.2.2 Courageous: She is courageous enough to face with the social reality.To begin with, Hester is a courageous woman who p

21、ursues the true love of life. The combination of her and Chillingworth is a false because a marriage without love is like a flower without water, it will wither quickly. The moment she met Dimmesdale, she knew it clearly that is where her happiness lies. Without hesitation, without regret, like a mo

22、th fly to a fire, she embrace the secret love with open arms though it is to blame by worldly conception. Whats more, In contrast to the two distorted male personalities who counterpoise her- one obsessed with revenge, another with his purity-Hester appears almost a miracle of wholeness and sanity.

23、While these men struggle with their own egos and fantasies, she has real battles-to maintain her self-respect in a community that scorns her, to stay sane in solitude, to support herself and her child, to raise that child to normal adulthood despite so many obstacles. Curiously, though she has been

24、cast out of society, Hester remains very much in the world, whereas Chillingworth and Dimmesdale at the very center of the society, are totally immured in their self-absorption. In her inner integrity and her outer responsiveness, Hester is a model and a counterstatement. In front of the audience, s

25、he kept an air of regretful, and she did it successfully, but in her inner heart, she still held an active and rebellious attitude. When she stood on the execution qround, facing the harsh words of people and their investigation, she always kept quiet and wont let any information of the father of he

26、r daughter. She didnt compromise, nor did she give up, this was the first time that she challenges the public authority and was succeed. When the viceroy and the pastor want to split her daughter from her, she tried her best to overcome the difficulty, to challenge the authority and to pursue the ha

27、ppiness she deserves. This was her second success. To make a conclusion, Hester is indeed brave enough to challenge the male-chauvinism and the authority which conquered the then society. Her rebellious companied with solitude, push her on the lonely way to fight for free love and happiness, and she

28、 had no road back. Her courageous was highlighted when she selected to live in New England to face the harsh life and the people who hate her, and to start a new life under such circumstance. She continued her life with the scarlet letter on her bosom which always mentioned her that she is someone g

29、uilty, but she is trying hard to fit in with her kindness and patience.2.3 Kind-hearted: She treats others in a friendly way regardless of other peoples opinions.After Hester selected to continue live in New England, she lives on by her beautiful hand-work to support her and her baby. Except for sma

30、ll expenditure for her child, Hester bestowed all her superfluous means in charity, on the less miserable than herself and who frequently insulted the hand that feed them. Much of the time, she employed in making coarse garments for the poor. She had in her nature a rich, voluptuous, oriental charac

31、teristica taste for gorgeously beautiful. As time went by, she got associated with people in the community and won their respect with her kindness and goodness, people gradually forget her misstep and accepted her as a common member of their community. Once an old priest suffered a thrust and come t

32、o the low ebb of his life, at the most miserable of his all life-time, Hester came to his bed to take after him and persuade him to leave the place to search new and free life. With determination and perseverance, Hester not only fitted in the community, but also change peoples concept. Years later,

33、 she donated the letter “A” some new, positive meanings. People now say that “A” is the representative of art, for she boasted a splendiferous handcraft. Another saying is that “A” symbolizes able, for she could manage to bring up the baby so well in such tough condition. Some say it symbolizes the Acts of the apostle. And it also can repr