英语专业毕业论文《红字》赏析全英文.docx

1、英语专业毕业论文 红字赏析全英文摘要 红字是一部关于爱情，清教，复仇的美国经典浪漫主义文学作品，无疑是文学史上的一大巨作。小说的主题是“罪恶”。它向我们展示了主人公“净化”心灵的历程。通过自己的善行和努力，主人公改变了自己在人们心中的形象，甚至将原来表示“通奸”的标志“A”字，变成了德行的象征，赢得人们的尊敬。该作品大量引用象征主义创作手法，并且引起读者的关注和共鸣。也正是由于象征手法的运用，红字成为美国文学史上最早的也是最重要的浪漫主义文学作品之一。红字为美国文学的发展和繁荣立下了不朽的功勋。本文从红字的多重象征意义，主要人物的人名寓意以及景物等方面入手，研究红字的象征主 义手法。关键词:

2、霍桑 ;红字; 象征AbstractThe Scarlet Letter, the powerful tale of passion, Puritanism，and revenge is one of the foremost classics of American literature. Its main theme is sin and guilt and the novel exhibits us the process of the heroines heart-purification. Through her kindness and great effort, she chan

3、ged her image and even changed the symbol of the letter A from “Adultery” and disgrace into virtue and respect. There are many usage of symbolism in the novel，which inspires contemplation and feeling on the part of the readers. And it is just this feature that promotes The Scarlet Letter to be one o

4、f the earliest and the most significant novels of romantic style in America. The Scarlet Letter made great contribution to the progress and prosperity of America. This thesis researches the symbolism in this novel from the following three aspects: the changing symbolic meaning of the scarlet letter,

5、 the name of the major characters and many objects that are described in the novel to make the symbolism clear to the readers.Keywords: Hawthorne ; The Scarlet Letter; symbolismChapter One Introduction The definition of symbolism and the summary of the storySymbolism is a traditional artistic form w

6、hich uses something concrete to express abstract concept. As a famous writer of romanticism, Hawthorne is skillful at the using of symbolism in his work. The various usage of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter makes the novel a great work of the world. The Scarlet Letter was set in Puritan Boston. The

7、beautiful Hester Prynne falls in love with a young and respectable minister Dimmesdale, and gave birth to her daughter, Pearl; as a result, she committed adultery and was banished from the main stream of the community. While her sinner lover, Dimmesdale, was unpunished and worshipped more and more b

8、y the multitude often people. Hesters husband, Chillingworth found out about the guilty minister and took every chance to torture Dimmesdales soul. Seven years later, Hester was accepted again by the masses due to her devoted services for the community, and Dimmesdale was brave to stand with Hester

9、and his daughter, openly admitted his sin, and then he died.Chapter Two Different meanings of the scarlet letter A2. 1 The Changes of the Symbolic Meaning of the Scarlet Letter AIn this novel, the readers can see the glittering “A” for many times, and the scarlet letter A changes its meaning many di

10、fferent times. The letter A begins as a symbol of sin. It then becomes a symbol of being alone and alienation, and finally it becomes a symbol of being able, angel and admirable. The three changes are rather significant. They show the progressive possession of Hesters sin, her lonely life and her ab

11、ility. Hester is a strong admirable woman who goes through more emotional torture that most people go through in a lifetime.2.1.1AdulteryThe letter A, worn on Hesters bosom, is a symbol of her adultery against Roger Chillingworth. This is the puritan way of treating one as a criminal, for the crime

12、of adultery. The puritan treatment continues, because as Hester walks on the streets, she will be looked down upon as if she is some sort of demon from hell that commits a terrible crime. This letter is meant to be worn in shame, and to make Hester feel unwanted. Here, she said to herself, had been

13、the scene of her guilt, and here should be the scene of her earthly punishment(霍，2000：74) Hester is ashamed of her sin, but she chooses not to show it. She commits this sin in the heat of passion, and fully admits it because, though she is ashamed, she also receives her greatest treasure, Pearl. She

14、 is a very strong woman to be able to hold up so well against what she must face. Many will have fled from Boston, and seek a place where no one knows of her great sin. But Hester chooses to stay there, which shows a lot of strength and integrity.2.1.2. Alone and AlienationThe scarlet letter A also

15、stands for Hesters lonely life in New England. The letter separates her from the common circle of her neighborhood, since children find it offensive; strangers consider it queer while community people frown upon it. After she is released, Hester lives in a cottage near the outskirts of the city. It

16、had been built by an earlier settler, and abandoned, because the soil about it was too sterile for cultivation, while its comparative remoteness put it out of the sphere of that social activity which already marked the habits of the emigrants. (霍，2000：75) Hesters social life is virtually eliminated

17、because of her shameful history. Hester comes to realize that she is no longer part of the world. “However, there was nothing that made her feel as if she belonged to it. Every gesture, every word, and even the silence of those with whom she came to contact, implied, and often expressed, that she wa

18、s banished, and as much alone as if she inhabited another sphere, or communicated with the common nature by other organs and senses than the rest of human kind. She stood apart from moral interests seemed to be the sole portion that she retained in the universal heart.(霍，2000：78) Hester has no frien

19、ds in the world, and little Pearl is the only companion of her lonely life, so the scarlet letter A also is a symbol of the words alone and alienate.2.1.3. Able, Admirable and AngelLater, the scarlet letter A changes its meaning into being able, angel and admirable. Because she intends to do good fo

20、r the colony that once banishes her, more for her clear conscience than for the purpose to return to the society. The letter was the symbol of her calling. Such helpfulness is found in her so much power to do and power to sympathize - that many people refuses to interpret the scarlet letter A by its

21、 original signification.(霍，2000：148) At this point, a lot of the townspeople realize what a noble character Hester possesses. Do you see that woman with the embroidered badge? It is our Hester the towns own Hester who is so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick, so comforting to the afflicted!(霍，

22、2000：149) The townspeople soon begin to believe that the badge served to ward off evil, In sorrow and seclusion Hester grows stronger .Her charity to the poor, her comfort to the broken-hearted, her brave presence in times of trouble most prove that she is not worthy of the fate which has been dealt

23、 to her.Chapter Three The Symbolic Meaning of the four Major Characters Names3.1Hester PrynneHester Prynne is one of the major characters in The Scarlet Letter. The writer gives her much symbolic meaning by giving her this name. And her name reflects her characteristic. Firstly, Hester sounds like H

24、estier, Zeus sister in Greek mythology, who is a very beautiful goddess. This gives us a sense that Hester is a passionate beautiful woman. In this novel, she is the symbol of the truth, the goodness and the beauty. Nathaniel Hawthorne describes her in Chapter Two like this: The young woman was tall

25、, a figure of perfect elegance on a large scale, she had dark and abundant hair, so glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a gleam, and a face which, besides being beautiful from regularity of feature and richness of complexion, had the impressiveness belonging to a marked brow and deep black ey

26、es( 霍，2000：50)Due to the adultery, Hester is compelled to wear the infamous letter A, to move to the edge of the community, and worst of all to be alienated from the society. But her sin leads her to a moral growth. Instead of running from the hostile colonists, Hester withstands their insolence and

27、 pursues a normal life. She proves her value with her uncommon sewing skills and provides community service. At last, the colonists come to think of the scarlet letter as the cross on a nuns bosom, which is not small accomplishment.Secondly, Hester is the homophone of the word haste. At first, she g

28、ets married to Roger Prynne, an ugly man who gives his best years to feed the hungry dream of knowledge. Not having got the news about her husband who should have arrived by ship from England, she falls in love with Arthur hastily and gives birth to Pearl, for which she is forced to wear the disgrac

29、eful scarlet letter A on her dress, which stands for adultery. Besides, prynne also has its symbolic meaning. Prynne is the homophone of the word purifying. The author not only explores the root of Hesters sin, but also believes that she can purify herself. After releasing from prison, she has the c

30、hance to move to another place .But she still choose to live in the place where she committed sin. Finally, the townpeople even think her as the symbol of angel.3.2. Arthur DimmesdaleArthur Dimmesdale is a well-regarded young minister, whose initials are AD, which also stands for adultery. The autho

31、r obviously tells us Author Dimmesdale is the partner in sin of Hester Prynne by giving him this name. The word Dimmesdale also has many symbolic meanings. Dim means dark and weak and dale means valley, so the dimdale here is actually a symbol of the dim-interior of the clergyman. He loves Hester de

32、eply, and he is the father of Pearl, but he is a coward. Dimmesdale is not courageous enough to tell the town that he was the one who committed adultery with Hester and the one who deserved to stand in the scaffold with Hester and Pearl while they are being punished openly by the town-peoples stares and whispers. In contrast he tries to be a double-dealer, the honorable minister in the daylight and only show his passion for her in the forest or in darkness. The punishment for him is not as obvious as that of Hestersits the remorse rooted in his own consc