On the Symbolic Meaning in The Scarlet Letter

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Typical Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter 《红字》中象征手法的应用

Typical Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter Abstract: Nathaniel hawthrone is a great novelist in the American history. In 1850, he published his masterpiece The Scarlet Letter, which was written with rich content, excellent plot and exact description of the characters. The author also applied many techniques, symbolism was one among them. It also makes the characters live before us. This essay is mainly talking about symbolism used in The Scarlet Letter.摘要：霍桑是美国历史上一名杰出的小说家。

1850年，他出版了他的代表作《红字》。

《红字》内容丰富，情节优美，对人物的刻画非常深刻。

其中作者也使用了许多表现手法，象征手法是其中的一种，并使得人物鲜明的呈现在我们的眼前。

本文主要讲述了《红字》中象征手法的运用。

Key Words: symbolism The Scarlet Letter the letter “ A”关键词: 象征红字字母”A”Introduction: Symbolism is a kind of artistic technique, using specific images to express abstract things and meanings so as to express the author’s viewpoint. Symbolism is applied in many places. This essay highlights and interprets the symbolism of the book represented by the colors, and the letter “A”.引言: 象征是一种艺术手法,用具体形象表达抽象的事物及意义,从而表达作者的观点,小说中多次使用象征手法,本文中着重谈论关于红色及字母A的象征作用.2. The scarlet color and the character “A” are the most typical symbolism used in the novel.2.1 The scarlet colorThe scarlet color goes through the whole book from beginning to the end. The story is set against a gloomy background and a miserable plot, however, the author merely makes “the scarlet letter” as an exception. During the whole process of reading the book, ”scarlet” always draws our attention and our nerve. Even after finishing reading the book, the letter still haunts around our mind and leaves a deep impression for us, which drives you to associate with wider and richer content. The color should have represented beauty, purity and intense love and this kind of love is the basis for human beings’ lives and should be extolled at any time. Yet under the serious rule of the Puriton thought, truth is often as a mistake, what should be sung is often condemned conversely. The scarlet letter, which symbolizes the sacred love and the life source, should be wore on the breast to show punishment. There is no doubt that this is an absolute satire. And on the other side, the scarlet letter is like an intensely flaming fire, giving her warmth and courage when she was lone, desperate and hopeless. The people’s discrimination and condemnation couldn’t make her give in, on the contrary, they make her start a new life, have a better understanding of the society. With the strong belief that the bright days would come, she finally passed the hard time and overcame the mental pressure. Formly, the heroine-Hester accepts the punishment without any resistance, but in reality, she ignores all the rules of the society morality. There are some implications:Stretching forth the official staff in his left hand, he laid his right upon the shoulder of a young woman, whom he thus drew forward; until, on the threshold of the prison-door, she repelled him, by an action marked with natural dignity and force of character, and stepped into the open air, as if by her own free-will.The young woman was tall, with a figure of perfect elegance, on a large scale.Those who have before known her, and had expected to behold her dimmed and obscured by adisastrous cloud, were astonished, and even startled, to perceive how her beauty shone out, and made a halo of the misfortune and ignominy in which she was enveloped.These are strong enough to show that she is a disobedient image who strives bravely for the rights in human life, she doesn’t regard “sin” as a shame, but as a “honor”. She is brave enough to believe herself, belittle the possibility existed in the new world, believe the rights and power for love.Scarlet is a symbol for lust for love, it happens naturally and spreads rapidly. It can also bring endless happiness, but if it overfired without control, it may become the disastrous power to make the player burn himself. Scarlet is also a symbol “sin”, which originates from the Bible. a scarlet letter “A” for her is like a equals to label “lust” for her. The scarlet letter makes the souls purified in the mind and punished forever.2.2 Letter “A”Letter “A” is another symbol.Firstly, she makes adultery, so she wears the letter, and it stands for adultery. Wearing it is to cover her behavior and educates her morality. After she gets out of the jail, she brings up Pearl and she is accepted by people, ”A” stands for “art”, she is so able that she not only gains income for her but also for other people, this time it stands for “able”. “A” also stands for love and passion, although Hester has so much trouble with Pearl, she still feels that Pearl is her treasure.。

The Symbolic Meanings of the Forest in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorn

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［任编辑：铭］责韩

浅析《红字》中象征主义手法的运用 Analysis of Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter

浅析《红字》中象征主义手法的运用Analysis of Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter1 Aim and SignificanceNathaniel Hawthorne is a great romantic novelist in America in the nineteenth century He is deeply influenced by Puritanism consciousness Transcendental philosophy and mysticism As a result instead of giving the objective description of the world he always gives a symbolic meaning to an objective thing to express his true understanding of the world trying his best to discover the hidden meaning through the symbols Therefore if we want to deeply understand Hawthornes writing style it is essential for us to make a thorough research on the symbols and symbolism in his works The Scarlet Letter is Hawthornes masterpiece which makes him well known around the world and it is also one of the most remarkable works in American literature This novel with an everlasting glamour mainly lies in Hawthornes skillful handling of symbolism From the title to the arrangement of the plot then to the description of the characters and objects the author uses only a few words to express rich meanings which leaves us much room for imagination The author of the paper develops a deep interest in The Scarlet Letter after having finished reading this novel What strikes the author most is the scarlet letter A It runs through the whole novel and manifests in various forms at different time places and scenes Furthermore the meaning of the scarlet letter A becomes richer and more complicated as the plot further develops2 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 symbolic meanings of the scarlet 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 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 aimsNathaniel Hawthorne is a great romantic novelist in America in the 19th century As a great romantic novelist Hawthorne is outstanding in handling application of symbolismThe 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 Hawthorne 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 forms 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 described 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 Scarlet LetterKey Words the scarlet lettersymbolismHester PrynnePearl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 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 Last but not least I will give my heartfelt thanks to my parents who have been always supporting and encouraging meContentsIntroduction 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 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 12 Conclusion 15Bibliography 16IntroductionNathaniel 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 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 nature Hawthorne graduated from Bowdoin 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 Italy Hawthornes masterpiece 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 sense 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 are 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 punishedbecause 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 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 the 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 has 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 in 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 little 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 punishment 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 seemingly caused by psychological distress Whats worse he is an advisor to the townspeople about their sins After 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 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 itself to American Puritanism The theme of the story should1 Various Symbolic Meanings of the Scarlet Letter A11 The Change of the Symbolic Meanings of the Scarlet Letter AIn 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 Hester Finally it becomes a symbol of able admirable and angel111 AdulteryIn the novel the letter "A" worn on Hesters bosom is a symbol of her adulteryagainst Roger Chillingworth Putting the letter A on her bosom and letting her show to the public is the puritan way of treating her as a criminal for the crime of adultery Hester is 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 This is the common way to explain the symbolic meaning of the letter The color of scarlet is the symbol of blood and desire Hester and Dimmesdale cannot control their love for each other and become the criminals of God A woman loses her purity and a holy minister is punished for bringing shame to his holy occupation Red should be regarded as the symbol of love and life but under the control of the Puritan strictness Hester has to wear the scarlet letter A in order to be regarded as a symbol of shame and punishmentHere she said to herself had been the scene of her guilt and here should be the scene of her earthly punishment Brown2002 Hester is ashamed of her sin but she chooses to face the reality rather than escape from it Many people may choose the way of leaving for some other places where nobody knows of her sin However Hester is brave enough to continue to live her life which shows great strength and integrity of her112 Alone and AlienationThe scarlet letter A also symbolizes Hesters lonely life in New England Hesters social life is virtually eliminated as a result of her shameful past She has to live in such a community regardless of others ironical words and with great courage and ability It had been built by an earlier settler and abandoned because the soil about itwas 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 Hester comes to have a part to perform in the world with her native energy of character and rare capacity" Chase 1957 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 was 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" Hester has no friends in the world and little Pearl is the only companion of her lonely life In other peoples eyes Hester is a criminal and most of them regard communicating with her as a shameful thing Therefore the scarlet letter A is also a symbol of alone and alienation113 Able Admirable and AngelThe 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 original signification Rubinstein 1988 We can see that the meaning of the scarlet letter A changes from adultery to being able angel and admirable At the beginning people living in the town looked down upon the woman because of her crime But later they find that Hester is so skillfully in needlework and she always help the poor and sick without expecting any return or thanks She is unselfish and always ready to help others considerately and patiently People in the town then realize her noble nature and change the view on her Do you see that womanwith 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 Hawthorne 1994 The people in the town soon begin to regard the letter A as a badge served to ward off the evil This is a kind woman who should not shoulder the shame and be looked down upon by others Hester is an angel sent by God to the people in the town And she should win the respect and sympathy of others instead of being punished by having to show her crime to the public by wearing the scarlet letter People and the author of the novel really admire her pure nature and abilityThe three changes in the scarlet letter are significant they show the progressive presentation of her sin her lonely life and her ability Hester is an admirable woman who experiences more emotional torture than most people go through in a lifetime12 The Scarlet Letter and the Strictness of Puritan SocietyThe Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the scarlet letters to symbolize he harshness of Puritan society showing how they branded sinners for life Although Puritan society is unforgiving towards the sinful scarlet letter their strictness improved the bearers of the sin The scarlet letter was also an example of how Puritan society will always remember the sin When strangers looked curiously at the scarlet letter-and none failed to do so they branded it afresh into Hesters soul Hawthorne 1994 A letter A but freshly green instead of scarlet was created by her showing how Hawthorne made a jest at the punishment Puritans put upon Hester And the scarlet letter was also a toy to Pearl something that she enjoyed Hawthorne uses the scarlet letter to depict his feelings of the exaggerated emotions of the puritans and theirdramatic punishments The author of the paper thinks that the symbolism in this novel is used quite skillfully The technique Hawthorne uses makes his novel more artistic2 The Symbolic Meaning of the Four Main Characters21 Hester PrynneHester Prynne is one of the most important characters in The Scarlet Letter Hester is the symbol of love beauty kindness and truth She was described by Hawthorne like this The young woman was tall 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 eyes Harold 1990104 It is true that Hester is beautiful and attractive in appearance But the most precious part of the character lies not only in her kindness toward other people but also in her great courage of facing her love Her love for the minister Dimmesdale is pure and true This is the reason that she refuses to speak out the name of her partner in sin but takes over all the punishment by herself Instead of running from the hostile colonists Hester withstands peoples insolence and pursues a normal life She proves her worth with her uncommon sewing skills and provides community service Hesters sin gives her sympathetic knowledge of the sin in other hearts Even though the people she tries to help often reviled the hand that was stretched forth to succor them Xia199634 She continues her services because she actually cares At last the colonists come to think of the scarlet letter as the cross on a nuns bosom which is not small accomplishmentHester is the homophone of the word haste At first she gets 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 love with Arthur hastily and gives birth to Pearl for which she is condemned to wear on the breast of her gown the scarlet letter "A" which stands for adultery However the author of the paper thinks that it is natural and understandable Hester has the freedom to pursue the true love of her deep heart and the happiness of the life The punishment of puritan society is somehow too harsh on a woman who is led by human instinct She doesnt love her husband and when she falls in love with Dimmesdale she is tortured physically and mentally for her sin The strictness of Puritan society accounts for Hesters sympathetic fate and Dimmesdales tragedy22 Arthur DimmesdaleArthur Dimmesdale is a young minister whose initials are AD which also stands for adultery Obviously he should take part in the punishment for Hester He loves Hester deeply and is the father of Pearl but he is not brave enough to admit their relationship Only in the forest or in darkness he can show his passion and love for Hester So the word Dimmesdale also has symbolic meanings Dim means dark and weak and dale means valley so the name here is actually a symbol of the dim-interior of the clergyman The scarlet letter A in his heart symbolizes his condemn to himself in his deep heart Meanwhile it is also the symbol of the mental control of the Puritanism If thou feel it to be for thy souls peace and that thy earthly punishment will thereby be made more effectual to salvation I charge thee to speak out the name of thyfellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer Fan200356 He feels that he will never been seen the same as before in front of God and that no amount of penitence can ever return him to Gods good graces He hates his hypocrisy to sin but dares not tell the truth that he is the fellow-sinner of Hester When he finally decides to expose the truth and tell his followers of how he deceives them his fixation on his sin has utterly corroded him to the point of death The only good that comes out of conceding his guilt is that he passes away without any secrets At the end of the story the writer put the morals that press upon the readers from the poor ministers miserable experience into one sentence Be true Be true Be true Show freely to the world if not your worst yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred Hu1997 89 As a man Dimmesdale couldnt even relate to and shouldered the obligation He is not brave enough to admit the truth However his tragedy is also the result of the strict puritan society and the psychological tie of the local religion23 Roger ChillingworthAnother main character Roger Chillingworth is a man of complicated nature and abnormal psychology The words chilling and worth compose the surname Chillingworth Chilling comes from the word chilling which means this man is a merciless avenger He is calm and kind in appearance but keeps evil intentions All his strength and energy has been used to avenge This unhappy man has made his aim in life to add 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 hell He is really an unforgivable criminal According to the explanation of the Christian and the Romantic period theunforgivable crime means to infringe on others soul and feelings in order to know about their reaction toward something Chillingworth intends to look into the young ministers heart depending on some knowledge of medical science and miracle ways in religion He pretends to be the young minister true friend moves close to him in order to torture and devastate Dimmesdales heart His curiosity and intention of avenge make him become the symbol of monster and evil Due to his abnormal psychology he also becomes a victim in the story This character symbolizes the great influence of the sin on people Chillingworth married Hester a woman with youth and beauty deluding him with the idea that intellectual gifts might veil physical deformity in a young girls fantasy He married Hester not because he loved her but because he wanted to light a household fire in his lonely and chilly heart He is a bookworm who spends his best time in libraries and shows no love to his young wife It is he that has destroyed Hesters flower like youth and indirectly leads to Hesters tragedy After he discovers that his wife bore another mans child Roger gives up his independence His life center has become punish the man who seduced his wife For seven years he digs into the ministers heart with pleasure He searches the ministers thoughts he causes the poor minister to die daily a living death He searches into the ministers dim interior for a long time and turns over many precious a tread and as wary an outlook as a thief entering a chamber where a man lies only half asleep or if it may be broad awake with purpose to steal the very treasure which this man guards as the apple of his eyes When he finally found the scarlet letter "A" on the bosom of the minister he busted out a ghastly rapture When he does these he is turning from a victim to a sinner Hu199745Chillingworth also symbolizes that the avengers life is worthless When he finds his wife betrays him he devotes all his time and energy to seeking revenge He forgets that he needs to lead a new life of his own Therefore he is the victim of his own abnormal action After Dimmesdale reveals his secret to the world All his strength and energyall his vital and intellectual force seemed at once to desert him in so much that he positively withered up shriveled away and almost vanished from mortal sight like an uprooted weed that lies wilting in the sun He dies less than a year later because he has nothing left to live for24 PearlPearl is one of the most complex and misunderstood symbols in the novel This character throughout the story develops into a dynamic symbol which is always changing Pearl is a source of many different kinds of symbolism Firstly she is the symbol of her mothers sin or the symbol of the scarlet letter Pearl is also a symbol of valuable thing with high price And we can understand that Pearl is the beautiful and precious crystallization of her parents true love For the mother Hester Pearl is love rather than burdenThe most significant symbolic meaning of Pearl in the novel is her association with the scarlet letter "A" At the beginning Pearl is the symbol of her mothers shame and crime She is like the scarlet letter A on Hesters bosom showing to others that she is a woman committing the crime of adultery Pearl really is the scarlet A on Hesters chest showing to others that she is a woman committing the crime of adultery WhenHester stood fully revealed before the crowd it is her first impulse to clasp Pearl closely to her bosom not so much by an impulse of motherly affection as that she might thereby conceal a certain token which was wrought or fastened into her dress Pearl is the scarlet itself which is endowed with her life And in most peoples eyes she is Hesters burden and shameMeanwhile Pearl also symbolizes her parents true love She is the crystallization of her parents true love Xia 199678 The author describes in the novel that Pearl likes the scarlet letter so much So we can see that the close relationship between little Pearl and the scarlet letter Their common nature is that they are both the crystallization of love and the hopeful future of humankindPearl is a very beautiful girl There was fire in her and throughout her she seemed the unpremeditated offshoot of a passionate moment Hester named her daughter pearl as being of great worth purchased with all she had She is her only important treasure Although Hester has so much trouble foe having Pearl she still feels that Pearl is her treasure Pearl is the most important part of her mothers life If she had never been come into this world Hester would have never been found guilty of adultery and thus never would have had to wear the scarlet letter A on her chest However if Pearl is not in her life she will lose the courage of going on her life and almost have committed suicide It is Pearl who brings hope and joy to Hesters life and gives her mother the courage to live After Hester gets the permission to still keep Pearl at her side Mistress Hibbins invites her to go to the forest to meet the Black Man together with her But Hester refuses and says with a triumphant smile I must tarry at home and keep watchover my little Pearl Had they taken her from me I would willingly have gone with thee into the forest and signed my name in the Black Mans book too and that with mine own blood Hawthorne 199498 It is Pearl that saves Hester from the Satans snarePearl also symbolizes moral in this novel The moral she is meant to teach is that Hester and Dimmesdale should fully commit their sin and then take the responsibility for their sin The first thing Pearl see in her infancy is the scarlet letter causing her mother intense agony at the shame it generated in her Later she plays a game when she throws flowers at her mother and jumps around in glee every time hitting the scarlet letter Diao2000204 She also makes her own letter A to wear When she finds Hester removes the scarlet letter from her chest in the forest Pearl starts screaming and convulsing and refuses to cross the stream until Hester reattaches the letter She is really a constant mental and physical reminder to Hester of what she has done wrong With Pearl at her side Hester will never escape the punishment of her wrong deedMoreover Pearl is the person who eventually makes Dimmesdale admit to his crime She constantly asks why the minister keeps putting his hand over his heart and figures it out that it is for the same reason that her mother wears the scarlet letter Her role as a living scarlet letter is to announce to the whole world whom her guilty parents are After Dimmesdale manages to keep the mother and daughter together in the governors hall Pearl responses amazingly She takes his hand and places her cheek against it This simple gesture is full of meaning because it implies that Pearlrecognizes Dimmesdale as being connected to her Meanwhile Pearls stand of urging the minister to commit his sin is firm When Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold where Hester suffered her public humiliation several years before he meets Hester and Pearl who have been at Governor Winthrops deathbed taking measurements for a robe he invites them to join him on the stand When all three hold hands Pearl asks Dimmesdale Wilt thou stand here with mother and me tomorrow noontide Dimmesdale answers Not so my child I shall indeed stand with thy mother and thee one other day but not tomorrow Hawthorne 1994 Pearl laughs and attempts to pull away her hand until the minister promises to take her hand and her mothers hand at the great judgment day When they later meet in the forest Hester says to Pearl He loves thee my little Pearl and loves thy mother too Wilt thou love him Pearl says Doth he love us Then asks Will he go back with us hand in hand we three together into the town The answer is not now Hawthorne 199444 So when Dimmesdale impresses a kiss on her brow before they leave the forest Pearl broke away from her mother and running to the brook stooped over it and bathed her forehead until the unwelcome kiss was quite washed off At the end of the novel when the minister climbs up the scaffold with the help of Hester and Pearl confessing his sin to his followers Pearl kisses his lips She accepts her father finally Pearls role as the living scarlet letter is over and Dimmesdale who finally takes responsibility for his sin has learned the moral which she is meant to teach3 The Symbolic Meanings of the Objects in the NovelIn The Scarlet Letter most of the objects that are described in the novel have。

红字A的象征意义

On the Symbolic Meaning of the Letter “A” in the Scarlet姓名：胡钰琴班级：1002 学号：2010403210223Abstract:There are many different views among scholars about the symbolic meaning of the letter “A”in the scarlet letter. For instance, “A”for “adultery”, “angel” and “able”. Contrary to these scholars, this paper holds opinions that the letter “A” is the symbol of “adore”, “alone”“admirable”. This article focuses on these four things to analyze the whole novel.Key words:the Scarlet Letter, symbolism, romantic, Hester一、IntroductionThe Scarlet Letter is considered as the most famous novel of the American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne, who is one of the greatest romantic writers in the 19th century. This novel told us a story about Hester Prynne, who committed adultery with her puritan minister Arthur Dimmesdale and has given birth to a child, Pearl, during the time her husband was disappeared. So, she was forced to wear the letter “A” on her bosom all the time as a punishment. But when Hester’s former husband—Chillingworth knows the adultery after his arrival in Boston, he began to revenge on and torments Dimmesdale until his death. Many years later, Hester dies and she is buried with Dimmesdale. Their love continues after life, and the scarlet letter changes its meaning in people’s heart. In this work, Hawthorne successfully uses symbolism by concentrates on his creative characteristics and experience and make the scarlet letter his most famous masterpiece around the world.Nathaniel Hawthorn was born on the fourth of July, 1804 in Sales, Massachusetts. Some of his ancestors were big shots in seventeenth-century New England, which was under the control of Puritanism. One of them was a colonial magistrate, notorious for his participation in the persecution of Quakers, and another was a judge at the Sales Witchcraft Trail in 1692. Gradually, the family fortune declined. Hawthorne’s father was a sea captain, who died in an accident and left his mother and him behind to struggle to live for themselves. Young Hawthorn was quite aware of the misdeed of his Puritan ancestors, and this awareness made him believe that evil was at the core of human life. To some extent, Hawthorn wrote some of his books, such as The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gambles to try to make up for the sin of his ancestors.He is an extremely renowned American writer of fiction. He not only hascreated quiet a few classic novels, but also has written quantities of thought- provoking short stories, including The Scarlet Letter (1850), The House of the Seven Gables(1851), The Blithesome Romance (1852) and The Marble Faun (1860). And another novel-length romance, Fanshawe , was published anonymously in 1828. Until now, Hawthorn and his works have been the focus of discussion from the Chinese and foreign scholars. Contemporary response to Hawthorne's work praised his sentimentality and moral purity while more modern evaluations focus on the dark psychological complexity. McFarland said," The style of Hawthorn is purity itself. His tone is singularly effective ,wild, plaintive, thoughtful, and in full accordance with his themes... We look upon him as one of the few men of indisputable genius to whom our country has as yet given birth".In the terms of the book The Scarlet Letter ,literary historians believe that it was undoubtedly the first great American novel. The story begins in seventeenth-century Boston, which is under Puritan command. A young woman, named Hester Prynne, is sent ahead to America by her husband---an old and ugly scholar. However, for many years, he himself doesn’t arrive. Obviously, it is possible that he has 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 Hester’s Pregnancy, the secret is finally discovered.So the scarlet letter “A” on Hester’s breast represented the act of adultery that she had committed and was taken punishment for her sin and her secrecy. But adultery is not the main focus of The Scarlet Letter, just as the novel is not really a love story .Henry James ,who has learned directly from Hawthorne’s artistry ,made this comment :”To Hawthorne’s imagination the fact that these two persons [Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale ] had loved each other too well was of an interest comparatively vulgar ; what appwaled to him was their moral situation in the long years that were to follow.”(Tongming. A History of American Literature 103)Actually,the theme of The Scarlet Letter is characterized by multiplicity and various conclusions are dram in the filed of the thematic studies. It seems that scholars have shown major concern with such diathesis as the original sin, the moralconsciousness of Hawthorne, religious belief, individual and society, thoughts of female doctrine and the conflict between the head and the heart. At home ,some scholars focus on such themes as the symbolism in the scarlet letter ,the meanings of “A”,the ideas of marriage, moral problems and religious complex ,sin and redemption , the loneliness diathesis of the novel and analysis of wheather Hester gets rebirth and so on . Meanwhile some scholars abroad constrates on the following themes: the persistence of theocracy, reforming America and its men,original sin, the exclusion of the traditional villain from contemporary American literature ,the puritans of today: anti-Whig argument of the Scarlet Letter, branding the body American: violence and self-fashioning from The Scarlet Letter to American psycho, individual and community, Hawthorne’peal:woman-child of the future,A" for Atlantic: The Colonizing Force of Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, the dating problem of Hawthorne ,postponing politics in the novel，the dark problem of this life, motivation in the scarlet letter,writing skills of the novel However, very few scholars have ever done a thorough research into the life and death of the novel .二、BodyA. “A” for AdoreThe letter “A” stands for Hester Prynne’s sincerity love to her minister Arthur Dimmesdale. We can know that though the expression on Hester’ face when she was bring to the scaffold. “In a moment, however, wisely judging that one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another, she took the baby on her arm, and with a burning blush, and yet a haughty smile, and a glance that would not be abashed, looked around at her townspeople and neighbors.” In order to protect the man she love she was willingly to take the punishment, sins and hash remarks all alone. When Hester’ term of confinement was finally at an end she can totally throw the letter away and leave the place where she suffered humiliate a lot and emerge into another state, hiding her character and identity under a new exterior. However, she didn’t choose to do so because on this land lived the man she loves, they fell in love with each other here. This love, which gave her the most courage and power to enduring the huge pain, also supported her to expect the coming of their happy life. So, we can say that the letter “A” Hawthorne showed us was not just a symbol of sins but also the symbol of the great love between Hester and Arthur.B. “A” for AloneHester and Chilli ngworth’s marriage was a tragedy. She was fair-faced women, who marriedChillingworth’s a knowledgeable but misshapen doctor. He thought that the disable of his bodycan be made up by knowledge and techniques and totally ignored Hester’s inner heart. A marriage which lack of comprehension and communication was doomed to be unhappy. However, when Hester met with her minister Dimmesdale, they two fell in love with each other soon. But that behavior was prohibited by the puritan beliefs. When Hester gave birth to Dimmesdale’s child Pearl, the whole thing came to light. And she was forced to wear the letter”A” on her bosom the whole lifetime as a punishment. Hester accepted the court’s sentence in the eye of all people’despise. After her confinement was finished she and Pearl live in a cottage that away from the residential area.None of her friends dared to meet her and herself also felt that she didn’t even belong to this world. Pearl, her daughter was her world. Hester always dreamed of one day her lover could stay with her and comfort her. It had been seven years since she was deserted by the society. At last, Hester talked into Demmisdale to get rid of all burden and go with her. At that time, she was no longer alone.C. “A” for AdmirableHester’s courage to pursue her true love was very admirable. She broke the bondage of social moral codes and deserted the traditions. In order to protect her lover she would rather to take all condemns. As a woman, she is strong and brave. At the end of the story, Hester’s inner beauty had won all other people’s respect and admiration.三、ConclusionThe scarlet letter was a novel about saving one’s souls. The original meaning of the letter “A” was symbolizing humiliation. Obviously, Hawthorne was also trying to convey to us other important information by creating the figure Hester. Her thoughts were filled with rebellion and struggle. From the transformation of the conception of the letter “A”, we can figure out the praiseHawthorne gave to Hester.Besides the characters, the most obvious symbol is the scarlet letter itself, which has various meanings depending on its context. It is a sign of adultery, penance, and penitence. It brings about Hester's suffering and loneliness and also provides her rejuvenation. In the book, it first appears as an actual material object in The Custom House preface. Then it becomes an elaborately gold-embroidered A over Hester's heart and is magnified in the armor breast-plate at Governor Bellingham's mansion. Here Hester is hidden by the gigantic, magnified symbol just as her life and feelings are hidden behind the sign of her sin.Still later, the letter is an immense red A in the sky, a green A of eel-grass arranged by Pearl, the A on Hester's dress decorated by Pearl with prickly burrs, an A on Dimmesdale's chest seen by some spectators at the Election Day procession, and, finally, represented by the epitaph "On a field, sable, the letter A, gules" (gules beingthe heraldic term for "red") on the tombstone Hester and Dimmesdale share.In all these examples, the meaning of the symbol depends on the context and sometimes the interpreter. For example, in the second scaffold scene, the community sees the scarlet A in the sky as a sign that the dying Governor Winthrop has become an angel; Dimmesdale, however, sees it as a sign of his own secret sin. The community initially sees the letter on Hester's bosom as a mark of just punishment and a symbol to deter others from sin. Hester is a Fallen Woman with a symbol of her guilt. Later, when she becomes a frequent visitor in homes of pain and sorrow, the A is seen to represent "Able" or "Angel." It has rejuvenated Hester and changed her meaning in the eyes of the community.四、References 【参考文献】[1] 赵欢浅析《红字》中“A”的象征意义[ J ].语文学刊，2010（09）[2] Nathaniel Hawthorne, the Scarlet Letter, II.THE MARKETPLACE, 1850.[3]卢翎婧.解析红字A 在《红字》中的内涵意义[ J ].青年文学，2011（06）[4 ] 亓志梅《红字》中的多重空间研究[D];山东师范大学;2011年[5 ] 于洋;霍桑的科技观及其短篇小说的悲剧性[D];黑龙江大学;2010年[6 ] 王桂菊象征主义完美大师[D] ;北京交通大学;2010年[7]丁珏;穿越黑暗——霍桑笔下的恶人形象研究[D];湖南大学;2010年[8] 兰红梅;美国文化中的清教因素[D];成都理工大学;2010年[9]郭蕾;《红字》中丁梅斯代尔的文体学分析[D];中国石油大学;2010年[10] 吴雪萍;从语境视角看《红字》的两个中译本[D];内蒙古大学;2010年[11]菁菁;对《红字》主人公海斯特·普林和亚瑟·丁梅斯戴尔的历史原型分析[D];内蒙古大学;2010年[12] 武洁《炼狱》与《红字》相似性比较研究[D];内蒙古大学;2010年[13] 贾鹤鸣戏仿视角下的厄普代克“《红字》三部曲”[D];兰州大学;2010年。

《红字》的象征手法探析

《红字》的象征手法探析冯荣刚（宝鸡市陈仓区坪头镇初级中学，陕西宝鸡，721301）摘要：纳撒尼尔·霍桑（1804-1864）是美国19世纪伟大的浪漫主义小说家，长篇小说《红字》是霍桑最杰出的代表作，也使霍桑誉满全球。

《红字》被誉为美国第一部象征主义小说，究其原因是丰富的象征手法在这部小说中的运用，这一艺术手法对美国小说的发展起了巨大的影响作用。

本文从红字的多种象征意义,主要人物的人名寓意以及景物寓意等方面入手，研究《红字》中的象征手法。

首先，象征的多义性在小说中通过红字象征意义变化完美的展现出来，它分别象征了爱与生命、罪恶、羞耻和惩罚。

其次，随着小说的发展,字母“A”的意义也在不断的变化，赋予小说其发展性，其分别象征了通奸、孤独、疏远、能干、受人尊敬、天使等特征。

此外，小说从情节、细节、人物到背景，甚至动作，都无一例外地把丰富的象征内涵演绎到极致，这正是象征手法在小说中表现的另外一个特点，即系统性。

总之，作品中的象征手法贯穿始终、无处不在，加强了作品的艺术效果，也使《红字》在世界文学经典中赢得广泛声誉。

关键词：《红字》; 象征; 多重涵义性; 发展性; 系统性Analysis of the Symbolism in The Scarlet LetterAbstract: Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) is one of the greatest romantic novelists in the 19th century of America. The novel The Scarlet Letter is his best repetitive work, which made him known all over the world. The Scarlet Letter is regarded as the first symbolism novel in the American literature because of the colorful symbols used in it, and this writing technique greatly influenced the development of the American literature.This paper analyzes the symbolism of The Scarlet Letter on the multi-conotational feature, the symbolic meaning of the four major characters‟ names and the symbolic meanings of the objects that are described in the novel. Firstly, the multi-conotational feature is perfectly shown by the scarlet letter “A”, which symbolizes love and life, crime, shame and punishment. Secondly, with the development of the novel, the symbolic meanings of the letter “A”also change constantly, which symbolizes adultery, alone and alienation, able, admirable, and angle, and some other special characteristics. In addition, from matters, details, characters to backgrounds or even actions, they are all, without any exception, possessed of symbolic meanings, which is the other feature of the symbolism used in this novel, i.e. the systematic feature.In conclusion，the symbolic writing techniques in this novel is everywhere and run through the whole novel, which strength it‟s art istic effect, and makes The Scarlet Letter win the reputation of world classic.Key Words: The Scarlet Letter; Symbolism; Multi-connotation; Development;SystematizationTable of Contents1. Introduction (1)2. The symbolic meanings of the Scarlet Letter “A” (1)2.1 Multi-connotation of symbolism (1)2.1.1 Love and l ife (1)2.1.2 Crime, shame and p unishment (1)2.2 Development of the the symbolic meanings of l etter “A” (2)2.2.1 Adultery (2)2.2.2 Alone and alienatio n (3)2.2.3 Able, admirable and a ngel (3)3. The Systematization of the Symbolism (4)3.1 The symbolic meanings of the four major c haracters‟n ames (4)3.1.1 Hester Prynne (4)3.1.2 Arthur Dimmes dale (5)3.1.3 Roger Chillingworth (6)3.1.4 Pearl (7)3.2 The symbolic meanings of the o bjects (9)3.2.1 Prison (9)3.2.2 Rosebush (10)3.2.3 Forest (11)3.2.4 S caffold (11)3.2.5 Light and darkness (12)4. Conclusion (13)Works Cited (14)1. IntroductionThe Scarlet Letter is recognized as Hawthorne‟s masterpiece and the most prestigious romantic novel of the in American literature. (Mao 162) In The Scarlet Letter, there are many artistic features which not only describe the fantastic romantic atmosphere, but also depict the delicate psychological activity. However, the most distinctive feature of the novel is the widely and extensively used symbolism and that is why The Scarlet Letter is regarded as the first novel of symbolism in American literature.In World Book Dictionary, a symbol is defined as something that stands for or represents something else, especially an idea, quality, or condition. Symbols can be objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent ideas or concepts (532). As for symbolism, different critics and poets have different definition on it. French poet Mallarme said: “Symbolism is to imply the object little by little, for the performance of a state of mind” (Gong 56). Famous critic Nan Fan said: “Symbolism is to perform the specific image particularly or imply some sort of concept, philosophy or emotion” (Wu 1).Symbolism does not describe objects directly and simply, so it arouses reader‟s emotion by metaphors, and it is often with ambiguity and uncertainty, which gives ordinary things great artistic power. In The Scarlet Letter，Hawthorne express this kind of power successfully. This paper analyzes its artistic power of symbolism in its multi-connotation, development and systematization.2.The Symbolic Meanings of the Scarlet Letter “A”2.1 Multi-connotation of symbolism2.1.1 Love and lifeRed is the symbol of life and love, in the novel, red symbolizes purity, beauty, warm love between Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale, normal family and social life are based on them. In any healthy society, it is celebrated. However, inthe grim Puritanism society, the truth is often treated as a fallacy, human nature has been distorted, and a symbol of love's fire, the source of life, and the color, red is treated as a symbol of shame in the society.2.1.2 Crime, shame and punishment“In accordance with strict Puritan moral laws, the woman Hester Prynne is sentenced to an unusual punishment for her sin of adultery. She is hence forth to wear the letter “A”embroidered on her dress over her bosom as a permanent badge of shame. (Fred 88) This is the puritan way of treating her as a criminal, for the crime of adultery. The puritan treatment continues, because as Hester walks through 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 the scene of her guilt, and here should be the scene of her earthly punishment…”(Hawthorne 74)2.2 Development of the l etter “A”In this novel, the scarlet letter “A”changes its meaning at many different times. As the development of the plots, the letter “A” is continuously endowed with new meanings, showing a dynamic “A”.Hawthorne did not clearly and directly tells the readers what the letter means, because it alters with the plots, settings and characters (Zhu 89). This change is significant. It shows growth in the characters, and the community in which they live. The letter “A” begins as adultery, a symbol of sin. It then becomes a symbol of alone and alienation, and finally it becomes a symbol of able, angel and admirable.2.2.1 AdulteryThe letter “A”, worn on Hester's bosom, is a symbol of her adultery against Roger Chillingworth. Hester is ashamed of her sin, but she chooses not to show it. She commits this sin in the heart of passion, and fully admits it, though she isashamed. She is a very strong woman to be able to hold up so well against what she must face. Many will have fled Boston, and seek a place where no one knows of her great sin. Hester chooses to stay though, which shows a lot of strength and integrity. Any woman with enough nerve to hold up against a town, which despises her very existence, and to stay in a place where her daughter is referred to as a devil child, either has some sort of psychological problem, or is a very tough woman.2.2.2 Alone and alienationThe scarlet letter “A” also stands for Hester‟s lonely life in New England. After she is released, Hester lives in a cottage ne ar the outskirts of the city. “It 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” (Hawthorne 75). Hester‟s social life is virtually eliminated as a result of her shameful history. Hester comes to have a part to perform in the world with her native energy of character and rare capacity. 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 was 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 r etained in the universal heart.”(Hawthorne 78) Hester has no friends 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”.2.2.3 Able, admirable and angelLater, the scarlet letter “A” changes its mea ning into being able, angel and admirable. The townspeople who condemned her now believe the scarlet letter to stand for her ability to her beautiful needlework and for her unselfish assistanceto the poor and sick. “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 original signification.” (Hawthorne 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 town‟s own Hester—who is so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick, so comforting to the afflicted!”(Hawthorne 149) The townspeople soon begin to believe that the badge served to ward off evil, and Hester grows to be quite admirable amongst the people of the town. Hester overcomes the shame of her sin through the purity and goodness of her soul. Unselfishly offering her time and love to those who need her most proves that she is not worthy of the fate which has been dealt to her.The three changes in the scarlet letter are significant; they show the progressive possession of her sin, her lonely life, and her ability. Hester is a strong admirable woman who goes through more emotional torture that most people go through in their lifetime.3. The Systematization of the Symbolism3.1 The symbolic meaning of the four major c haracters’ names3.1.1 Hester PrynneHester Prynne is one of the major characters in The Scarlet Letter.The writer gives her much symbolic meaning by giving her this name. Hester sounds this gives us like Hes ter, Zeus‟ sister in Greek mythology, who is a very beautiful goddess. 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 Chap ter Two like this: “The young woman was tall, 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 impressivenessbelonging to a m arked brow and deep black eyes…” (Hawthorne 50) Also, Hester is the homophone of the word haste. At first, she gets married to Roger Chillingworth, 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 love with Arthur hastily and gives birth to Pearl, for which she is condemned to wear on the breast of her gown the scarlet letter “A”, which stands for adultery. But Hester‟s adultery haste is nothing but a very natural thing to do.Also, Hawthorne uses the homophone of prurient, as her family name, which indicates the root of her sins. Hester Prynne is the symbol of love, and her desire stands for the evil aspects in human nature.3.1.2 Arthur DimmesdaleArthur Dimmesdale is a well-regarded young minister, whose initials are AD, which also stands for adultery. The author 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 deeply, and he is the father of Pearl, but he can only show his passion for her in the forest or in darkness. His response to the sin is to lie. He stands before Hester and the rest of the town and proceeds to give a moving speech about how it would be in he r and the father‟s best interest for her to reveal the father's name. Though he never actually says that he is not the other partner, he implies it by talking of the father in third person. Such as, “If tho u feelest it to be for thy soul‟s peace, and that thy earthly punishment will thereby be made more effectual to salvation, I charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer” (Hawthorne 63). He concedes his guilt for seven years, at the same time; he is tortured by his sin for so many years. He punishes himself by believing that he can never be redeemed. He feels that he will never been seen the same in the eyes of God, and that noamount of penit ence can ever return him to God‟s good graces. He hates his hypocrisy to sin, but dares not tell the truth that he is the fellow-sinner of Hester. When he finally decides to expose the truth and tell his followers of how he deceives them, his fixation on his sin has utterly corroded him to the point of death. The only good that comes out of conceding his guilt is that he passes away without any secrets, for he is already too far gone to be able to be saved. At the end of the story, the writer put the morals which press upon the readers from the poor minister‟s miserable experience into one sentence, “Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred!” (Hawthorne 236)3.1.3 Roger ChillingworthRoger Chilling worth, like all of Hawthorne‟s main characters, is complex and d ifficult to see through. The words “chilling” and “worth” compose the surname Chillingworth. Chilling comes from the word “chilly”, which means this man is a merciless avenger. He is calm in temperament, kindly, but keeps evil intentions. It is he that has destroyed Hester's flower like youth, and indirectly leads to Hester‟s tragedy. After he discovers that his wife bore another man‟s child, Roger gives up his independence. He used to be a scholar, who dedicates his best years to feed the hungry dream of knowledge, “but his new allegiance becomes finding and slowly punishing the man who seduces his wife. For seven y ears, he digs into the minister‟s heart with keen pleasure. He searches the minister‟s thoughts; he causes the poor minister to die daily a livi ng death. He searches into the minister‟s dim interior for a long time, and turns over many precious a tread, and as wary an outlook, as a thief entering a chamber where a man lies only half asleep, or if it may be, broad awake, with purpose to steal the very treasure which this man g uards as the apple of his eyes” (Hawthorne 119) When he fi nally found the scarlet letter “A”on the bosom of the minister, he busted out a ghastly rapture. When he does these, he is turning from a victim to a sinner. Chillingworth is also means t hat the avenger‟s life is worthless. When hefinds his wife betrays him, he dedicates all his time to seeking revenge. He gives up his identity, living with the minister and being by his side all day, every day. His largest sacrifice is by far, his own life. After spending so much time dwelling on his revenge, Chillingworth forgets that he still has a change to lead a life of his own. So after Dimmesdale reveals his secret to the world. “ All his strength and energy—all his vital and intellectual force—seemed at once to desert him; in so much that he positively withered up, shriveled away, and almost varied from mortal sight, like an uprooted wee d that lies wilting in the sun.”(Hawthorne 236) Chillingworth dies less that a year later because he has nothing left to live for. The poor forlorn creature is more wretched than his victim is.3.1.4 PearlPearl is one of the most complex and misunderstood symbols in the book, the daughter of Hester Prynne. Pearl, throughout the story, develops into a dynamic symbol—one that is always changing. Pearl was a source of many different kinds of symbolism. From a living scarlet letter to a valuable thing with high price, then to be the moral in this novel, she was a kind of burden, yet love for Hester.The most significant symbolic meaning of Pearl in the novel is her association with the scarlet letter “A”. When Hester stood fully revealed before the crowd, it is her first impulse to clasp Pearl closely to her bosom; “not so much by an impulse of motherly affection, as that she might thereby conceal a certain token, which was wrou ght or fastened into her dress.”(Hawthorne 50) “In a moment, however, wisely judging that one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another, she took the baby on her a rm…”(Hawthorne50) Hester embroidered the scarlet letter with gold thread fantastically, and she had allowed the gorgeous tendencies of her imagination their full playing contriving Pearl's g arb. “And, indeed, of the child‟s whole appearance, that it irresistibly reminded the beholder of the token which Hester Prynne was doomed to wear upon her bosom.”(Hawthorne 93) Pearl really was the scarlet letter, the scarlet letter inanother form; the scarlet letter endowed with life.Pearl is a girl of rich and luxu riant beauty. “There was fire in her and throughout her; she seemed the unpremeditated offshoot of a passionate moment.”(Hawthorne 93) The Bible says, “the kingdom of heaven is like merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it”(Matthew 13-14). Hester named the infant “pear l”, as being of great price—purchased with all she had, her only treasure!Pearl also serves as moral in this novel, the moral she is meant to teach is that Hester and Dimmesdale should fully commits their sin and then take responsibility for their sin. The first thing Pearl see in her infancy is the scarlet letter on her mother‟s bosom. As a baby, she even reaches up and touches the letter, causing her mother intense agony at the shame it generated in her. Later, she plays a game when she throws flowers at her mother and jumps around in glee every time, she hits the scarlet letter. She also makes her own letter “A” to wear. When she finds Hester removes the scarlet letter from her chest in the forest, Pearl starts screaming and convulsing and refuses to cross the stream until Hester reattaches the letter. She is really a constant mental and physical reminder to Hester of what she has done wrong. With Pearl at her side, Hester will never escape the punishment of her wrong deed.Moreover, Pearl is the person who eventually makes Dimmesdale admits his crime. She constantly asks why the minister keeps putting his hand over his heart, and figures out that it is for the same reason that her mother wears the scarlet letter. Meanwhile, Pearl‟s stand of urging the minister to commit his sin is firm. When Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold where Hester suffered her public humiliation several years before, he meets Hester and Pearl, who have been at Governor Winthrop‟s deathbed, taking measurements for a robe. He invites them to join him on the stand. When all three hold hands, Pearl asks Dimmesdale, “Wilt thou stand here with mother and me, tomorrow noontide?”(Hawthorne 140) Dimmesdale answers, “Not so, my child, I shall, indeed, stand with thy mother and thee, one other day, but not tomorrow.”(Hawthorne 141) Pearl laughs andattempts to pull away her hand until the minister promises to take her hand and her mother‟s hand at “the great judgment day”. When they later meet in the forest, Hester says to Pearl, “He loves thee, my little Pearl, and loves thy mother too. Wilt thou love him?” Pearl says, “Doth he love us?” then asks, “Wilt he go back with us, and hand in hand, we three tog ether, into the town?” The answer is “not now”. So when Dimmesdale impresses a kiss on her brow before they leave the forest, “Pearl broke away from her mother, and, running to the brook, stooped over it, and bathed her forehead, until the unwelcome kiss was quite washed off …” (Hawthrone 194) At the end of the novel, when the minister climbs up the scaffold with the help of Hester and Pearl, confessing his sin to his followers, Pearl kisses his lips. She accepts her father finally. Pearl‟s role as the livi ng scarlet letter is over, and Dimmesdale, who finally takes responsibility for his sin, has learned the moral, which she is meant to teach.3.2 The symbolic meanings of the objects3.2.1 PrisonThe description of the prison indicates that it is old, rusted, yet strong with an iron-clamped oaken door. This represents the rigorous enforcement of laws and the inability to break free of them. The prison also serves as the symbol of the authority of the regime, which will not tolerate deviance.The opening chapter introduces several of the images and the themes within the story to follow. “ The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest practical necessities to allot a portion of the virgin soil as a cemetery, and another portion as the site of a prison.”(Hawthorne 45) The prison represents several different symbols. Foremost it is a symbol for the Puritanical severity of law. Hawthorne directly challenges this notion by throwing the name Ann Hutchinson into the opening pages. Hutchinson was a religious woman who disagreed with the Puritanical teachings, and as a result was imprisoned in Boston. Hawthorne claims that it is possible the beautiful rosebushgrowing directly at the prison door sprang from her footsteps. “But, on one side of the portal, and rooted almost at the threshold, was a wild rose-bush, covered, in this month of June, with its delicate gems, which might be imagined to offer their fragrance and fragile beauty to the prisoner as he went in, and to the condemned criminal as the came forth to his doom, in token that the deep heart if Nature could pity and be kind to him.”(Hawthorne 46) This implies that the Puritanical authoritarianism may be too rigid, to the point of obliterating things of beauty. In the deep, dark portions of the forest, many of the pivotal characters bring forth hidden thoughts and emotions. The forest track leads away from the settlement out into the wilderness where all sign mandates of law and religion, to a refuge where men, as well as women, can open up and be themselves. It is here that Dimmesdale openly acknowledges Hester and his undying love for her. It is also here that the two of them can openly engage in conversation without being preoccupied with the constraints that Puritan society place3.2.2 RosebushThe narrator of The Scarlet Letter chooses to begin his story with the image of rosebushes next to the prison door. The rosebush symbolizes the ability of nature to endure and outlast man's activities. “This rosebush, by a strange chance, has been kept alive in history; but whether it had merely survived out of stern old wilderness, so long after the fall of the gigantic pines and oaks that originally overshadowed it—or whether, as there is fair authority for believing, it had sprung up under the footsteps of the sainted Ann Hutchinson, as she entered the prison doo r—we shoul d not take upon us to determine”(Hawthorne 42). The narrator mentions vary significance to the rosebush, never admitting or denying them.The rose bush is a symbol of passion. As will later become obvious, Hester Prynne‟s sin is one of passion, thus linking her crime to the image of the rosebush. Hawthorne also indirectly compares Hester with Ann Hutchinson via the rosebush, and again makes the same parallel in Chapter 13, another view ofHester. Hawthorne cleverly links the rosebush to the wilderness surrounding Boston, commenting that the bush may be a remnant of the former forest, which covered the area. This is important, because it is only in the forest wilderness where the Puritans‟ laws fail to have any force. Thus the image of the rosebush serves to foreshadow that some of the passionate wilderness, in the form of Hester Prynne, may have accidentally made its way into Boston. The rosebush in full bloom indicates that Hester is at the peak of her passion. This parallels the fact that Hester has just born a child as a result of her passion. The child is thus comparable to the blossoms o n the rosebush. Hawthorn‟s comment that the rose may serve as a “moral blossom” in the story is therefore actually saying that Hester‟s child will serve to provide the moral of the story.3.2.3 ForestAfter Hester is released from prison, she finds a cottage in the woods, near the outskirts of the city. Her choice of habitation is crucial to the symbolism within the novel. The forest represents love, or the wilderness where the strict morals of the Puritan community cannot apply. Thus, when Hester makes her home on the outskirts of the city, directly on the edge of the woods, she is putting herself in a place of limbo between the moral and the immoral universes. This is important because it shows that Hester does not live under the strict Puritanical moral code, but rather tries to live in both worlds simultaneously. Hawthorne uses the forest to provide a kind of shelter for members of society in need of a refuge from daily Puritan life.3.2.4 ScaffoldThe scaffold is a place of public condemnation for Hester Prynne. Whenever the scaffold is mentioned, it signifies ignominy and alludes back to the sin of adultery. Walking in the shadow of a dream, as it were, and perhaps actually under the influence of a species of somnambulism, Mr. Dimmesdale reached the spot where, now so long since, Hester Prynne had lived through her first hours ofpublic ignominy. The same platform or scaffold, black and weather-stained with the storm or sunshine of seven long years, and foot-worn, too, with the tread of many culprits who had since ascended it, remained standing beneath the balcony of the meeting house.3.2.5 Light and darknessPuritan severity toward sex and matrimony and its tendency is to suppress bright color and true felling. (Chang 75) The novel is filled with light and darkness symbols because it represents the most common battle of all time, good versus evil. When Hester and her daughter are walking in the forest, Pearl exclaims: “Mother, the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on you bosom. Now see! There it is, playing a good way off. Stand you here, and let me run and catch it. I am but a child. It will not flee from me, for I wear nothing on my bosom yet.” (Hawthorne 168) Hester tries to stretch her hand into the circle of light, but the sunshine vanishes. She then suggests that they go into the forest and have rest. This short scene actually represents Hester's daily struggle in life. The light represents what Hester wants to be, which is pure. The movement of the light represents Hester's constant denial of acceptance. Hester's lack of surprise and quick suggestion to go into the forest, where is dark, shows that she never expected to be admitted and is resigned to her station in life. Another way light and darkness is used in symbolism is in the way Hester and Dimmes dale‟s plan to escape is doomed. Hester and Dimmesdale meet in the shadows of the forest with a gloomy sky and a threatening storm overhead when they discuss their plans for the future. The gloomy weather and shadows exemplify the fact that they can't get away from the repressive force of their sins. It is later proven when Dimmesdale dies on the scaffold! Instead of leaving with Hester and going to England. A final example occurs in the way Hester and Dimmesdale can not acknowledge their love in front of others. When they meet in the woods, they feel that, “No golden light had ever been as precious as the gloom of this dark forest.”(Hawthorne 199) This emotion foretells that they will never last together openly because their sin has separated them too much from normal life.。

英语论文题目

Red and White-----the Dual Symbolic Colors of Tess白色和红色-----苔丝的双重象征色Fang Hongjian-the Tragic Figure Struggling in “Fortress Besieged”挣扎于“围城”中的悲剧人物-方鸿渐Hester and Dimmesdale’s Attitudes towards Love and life in The Scarlet Letter论《红字》中海斯特和丁梅斯代尔对爱情、罪恶、生活的态度On Sister Carrie’s Criticism upon American Society论<<嘉莉妹妹>>对美国社会的批判意义On Scarlett’s Attitude towards Life关于斯佳丽的生活观On the Characterization of Picaresque Huck论哈克的流浪汉形象On the Moral Spirit in the Great Gatsby. 论《了不起的盖茨比》中的道德观Thomas Hardy’s Pessimism in Tess of the D’urbervelles托马斯.哈代在《德伯家的苔丝》中的悲观主义A Study of Tom Joad in the Grapes of Wrath《愤怒的葡萄》的中汤姆约德研究Mark Twain’s Linguistic Style in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer浅析《汤姆索娅历险记》中马克吐温的语言风格On the Characteristics of Uncle Tom汤姆叔叔的性格分析A Study of the Themes in a Farewell to Arms《永别了，武器》的主题思想研究The Tragic Fate of “a Pure Woman” in the Conflict of the Individual and the Society“一个纯洁女人”在人与社会发展冲突中的悲剧命运On the Language Style of a Midsummer-Night's Dream论《仲夏夜之梦》的语言风格The Social Significance of Swift's Gulliver's Travels《格列佛游记》的社会意义The Psychological Analysis in Macbeth论莎士比亚《麦克白》的心理刻画Inflexible Ada in Cold Mountain《冷山》中执著的艾达On the Romanticism and Realism of Alice in Wonderland论爱丽丝梦游仙境的童话性与现实性On the Tragicomedy of Rebecca in Vanity Fair论《名利场》中利蓓加的悲喜一生On the Humour of Oliver Twist论《雾都孤儿》的幽默艺术Tom Jones, a Dissipated but Kindhearted Man放荡而又善良的汤姆琼斯The Free Will and Rebellious Spirit in Paradise Lost失乐园》中的自由意志和反叛精神《On the Development of Shylock’s Character论夏洛克的性格发展Morality and Criticism in Tom Jones评《汤姆琼斯》中的道德观与批评观On Imogen，the New Feminine Image in Cymbeline论《辛白林》中伊慕琴的新女性形象Burns’ View on Love and Friendship论彭斯的爱情友谊观The Reflection of Art and Life in Ode on a Grecian Urn and Ode on a Nightingale希腊古瓮颂》《夜莺颂》中艺术与生活的对照The Womanism in "The Color Purple"紫色》中的《妇女主义On the Differences between Chinese and Westerners in Non-language Communication谈中国人和英美人非语言交际的差异On the Contribution of the American Blacks during American Civil War美国黑人在美国历史上的贡献On American Black English浅谈美国黑人英语On the Differences of the Marriage Concept between Chinese and American浅谈中美婚姻观念的差异A Contrastive Analysis of Table Manners and Culture between China and Western Countries中西方国家的餐桌礼仪与文化的对比分析On the Ideological Content in Bacon’s Essays论培根散文的思想性Women's Movement in 1960s in American美国六十年代的妇女运动Analysis the negative effects of violent television and movie on children浅析影视暴力对青少年儿童的负面影响The Influence of Chinese Cultural Circumstances on English Learning汉语环境对英语学习的影响A Comprehension of Male Centrad Literature through A Doll’s House从《玩偶之家》解读男性中心的文学A Sad Melody Mocking the Love of God ------Anlaysis of the Figures in “Mccullough”一曲嘲弄上帝爱情的悲歌--论《荆棘鸟》中人物分析Love Reflected by Individual Character-view of marriage in Pride and Prejudice由个性反映出爱--《傲慢与偏见》中的婚姻观On the Initiative of English Learners论英语学习者的主动性On Techniques in Mark Twain’s Satiric Works论马克吐温讽刺小说中的技巧Analysis of the Character of Nancy in Oliver Twist论狄更斯《雾都孤儿》中南希的人物性格Strategies for Promoting Interactive English Teaching论英语教学如何走进交际互动课堂The Puritanism in New England of the 17th Century Reflected by Scarlet Letter从《红字》看十七世纪新英格兰清教主义风尚Translation of the Guide Words in Tourism English论导游词在旅游英语中的翻译Skills and the Translation of Puns in English Advertisement英语广告中双关语的运用技巧及翻译On the Fairy-tale Language Characteristics and Religion in Journey to the West论《西游记》中的童话语言特色及其宗教色彩Campus Catch-words and the Difference of Thinking Modes between Chinese and Foreign Students 从校园流行语看中外学生思维方式的差异Body Language in English Teaching体态语在英语教学中的运用Forest Gump’s Language Characteristics in Forest Gump《阿甘正传》中阿甘的语言特色The Symbolic Meanings in Scarlet Letter《红字》中的若干象征意义On English Retelling浅谈英语复述On interesting English teaching浅谈英语兴趣教学Look through Hawthorne's people in the Scarlet Letter看透《红字》中霍桑所写人物Translation Technique on the Complete Sherlock novels谈《福尔摩斯探案集》的翻译技巧Comments on the words used in teaching 浅谈教学用语On the Excessive Transition in the English Learning of Chinese Students论中国学生英语学习中的过度迁移On the difference in the Cultural fondness of Sino-America浅析中美文化的喜好差异On Ambitiousness in Communication in English论英语交际中的语用歧义A Comparison on the Cultural differences in appellation between Chinese and English 汉英称谓系统的文化对比A comparative study of word order in English and Chinese coordinate constructions and their translations英汉并列结构的语序对比与翻译On application of Activities-based approach in English teaching浅谈活动教学法在英语教学中的应用On Children's Education between China and America对中美孩童教育的思考On the Relationship between English Study and Gender Differences浅谈英语学习与性别差异On the Phenomena of Negative Transference in Translation翻译中的负迁移现象浅析On the design of multiple-choice lutes in reading comprehension论阅读理解中多项选择题的设计On the Culture Penetration in English Teaching in Senior Middle School谈高中英语教学中的文化渗透Briefly on the Culture Penetration in the Net Game浅谈网络游戏中的文化渗透Relationship between Teaching and Learning during the English Enlighten Education启蒙英语教育中的教与学English Teaching Orientation in the Background of the New Curriculum新课程背景下英语教学的转向On the Rationality of Selecting English Textbooks英语教材选用的合理性研究The Advantage and Disadvantage of Bilingual Teaching双语教学的利与弊The Goal of English Teaching in Senior Middle School高中英语教学目标初探New Trends of Writing Teaching in English写作教学的新趋势How to Define and Translate the Meaning of Polysemant in English-Chinese translation英汉互译中多义词的确定及翻译On How to construct Interpersonal Environment in Class论课堂人际环境的构建On TPR in the Primary English Classroom小学英语课堂反应法探索The Impact of Social Background on Scar let’s Marriage社会背景对斯佳丽婚姻的影响The Sun Also Rises and Its Social Context太阳照样升起和其社会背景Pause Phenomenon in EFL Learners英语初学习者的停顿现象Meaning and Paraphrase: A Strategic Model含义和释义：一种战略模式The Prominence of Discourse话语的突显On Man’s Tragic End--Viewed from The Old Man and the Sea从老人与海看人的悲剧Some Fresh Thoughts on English Teaching in Classroom英语课堂教学的新思考On Conrad’s Narrative Technique--From “Nostromo”从“Nostromo”看康拉德的叙事技巧A contrastive study of Directional verbs in Chinese and English中英趋向动词的比较研究Semantics’ Influence on Structure语义对结构的影响The Impact on Structures Change by Cognition认知对结构变化的影响Social Psychological Factors and Their Influence on Ell社会心理因素和他们对语言学习的影响Learner-Centered College English Teaching“以学习者为中心”的大学英语教学Contextual Restriction in Translation语境对翻译的限制Contrastive Analysis of English-Chinese Tourism Texts英汉旅游篇章对比分析Amplification and Omission in Translation翻译中的信息增减Three Techniques in English-Chinese Alternating Translation中英互译中的三个技巧Analysis of Tess’ Tragedy苔丝悲剧的分析Translation and Business-oriented Terms经贸术语及其翻译Application of Games in Middle School English Teaching游戏在中学英语教学中的运用Transformational Technique of Parts of Speech in Translation翻译中词性转换的技巧Non-verbal Behaviors for Activating Students in English Classes英语课堂中激活学生的非语言行为Application of Absolute Construction in Interpretation独立主格在口译中的运用Effect on Translation from Different English-Chinese Modes of Thinking中英思维方式的差异对翻译的影响On Ways of Breaking Cultural Barriers in Translation of Human Names如何克服人名翻译中的文化障碍On Translation of Chinese Dishes论中国菜名的英译On Translation Skills of Traditional Chinese Medical Terms论中医用语的翻译技巧On Influence of Cultural Differences on Understanding English and Chinese Advertisements论文化差异对解读英汉广告的影响On Aesthetic Association and Translation of Names of Commodities论审美联想与商品名的翻译On Changes of Business Etiquettes in Cross-Cultural Communication论跨文化交际中商务礼仪的变迁On Tragic Fate of the Heroin in Life论<一生>中女主人公的悲剧命运On Language Communication Skills in Business Negotiation论商务谈判中语言沟通技巧On Comprehending and Usage of Euphemism in Business Negotiation论商务谈判中委婉语的理解和运用On Influence of American Culture on Import and Export Commodities论美国文化对进出口商品翻译的影响On Application of Nonverbal Means in Communication论非语言形式在交际中的运用Cultural Gap and Mistranslation英汉文化差异与误译On The Nature and functions of Metaphor论隐喻的本质与功能On the Status and Role of the Translator in Literary Translation论文学翻译中译者的地位与作用On the Origin, Word-Formation and Translation of English Neologisms浅谈英语新词的产生、构成及翻译On Discourse as the Unit of Translation浅谈以语篇为翻译单位A Study on Punctuation and Omission in Simultaneous Interpretation论同声传译中的断句与省略The Comparison and Translation of “Nine” in Chinese and Western Culture英汉数字“九”的文化对比与翻译The length and width of the English study in the translation part of the TEM8从英语专业八级卷翻译部分看英语学习的广度和深度A Brief Study on the Translation of English News Titles英语新闻标题翻译初探Knowledge Base in Professional Interpreting论专业口译的基础知识On Translation Techniques of Loanwords浅谈外来语的翻译A Study of Application and Translation of Idiomatic Usages of English Preposition浅谈英语介词惯用法的运用与翻译Strategies and Impact on Education from China’s Entry into WTO WTO 对中国教育的影响及对策The Cultural Influence on English Expressions and Word Choices文化对英语表达和词汇的影响Application of Inverted Sentences in English浅谈英语中的倒装Decomposition and Translation of Ambiguous Structures歧义结构的化解与翻译The Orientation of Nonfiction in Contemporary English Literature英语记实文学在当代文学中的定位On Presenting New Teaching Materials of Junior English论中学英语教学材料的呈现Function of Discourse in Translation语篇功能在翻译中的表现Function of Translation in English Teaching翻译在英语教学中的地位The Regional Differences between Chinese and Western Culture中西文化差异之地域文化差异Non-equivalence between Chinese and English Idioms and Intercultural differences英汉习语的不等值现象于跨文化差异Usage and Translation of Numerals in English Expressions英语中数量词组中的用法和翻译技巧A Contrastive Study of the Formation of English and Chinese Antonyms论英汉反义词的形成Various Factors Reducing the Efficiency of English Learning论影响英语学习成效的各种因素Chicago as a Mirror of American Social Problems电影《芝加哥》所透析出的美国社会问题A Contrastive Study of Animal Cultural Implication between Chinese and English英汉语动物文化含义比较On the Development of English New Words英语新词的发展On the Usage of English Abbreviations on the Internet谈网络英语中的缩略语My View on Rhett in Gone with Wind白瑞德――理想化的男人，斯嘉丽真正的灵魂-----我读《飘》中的白瑞德The Cultural Difference between Chinese and Western Food试论中西餐饮文化差异On American Dream ------Viewed from 《Sister Carrie》从《嘉莉妹妹》看美国梦My view on the Classic Standpoint of love of Jane Austin从《爱玛》看简。

红字的象征意义TheSymbolicMeaningoftheScarletLetter

红字的象征意义TheSymbolicMeaningoftheScarletLetterThe Symbolic Meaning of the Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne always wears on her chest a scarlet letter “A”, which is the central symbol of the novel. It shows different identities of Hester. And the symbolic meaning changes from “Adultery” to “Angel”. I will analyze it from the following three aspects.1. AdulteryDuring that time, the strict Puritans rule Boston and they punish the people who break their rules. Hester really commits a crime of adultery. When she stands on the platform, the letter “A”is the si gn of punishment of her adultery, and the color scarlet is a symbol of sin. The scarlet looks like blood and fire, which can be regarded as desire. There is passionate love between Hester and the priest, but it brings them misfortune. Hester has to wear th e scarlet “A” as a punishment and she will never forget her crime. With the shame, she is regarded as a naughty woman. Red should be regarded as the symbol of love and life, but under the control of Puritan strictness, it’s a symbol of shame and punishment. When Hester first appears, she doesn’t look like a criminal but a loving mother. She is grace and elegant, holding her baby to the chest. She stands proudly to bear her punishment. That is impressive to me. Her spirit is full of disobedience and strength. In addition, from the words I can see the elegantly sewn letter “A” is an art.2. Alone and AlienationHester lives a lonely life without friend. Only her daughter Pearl accompanies her. What’s worse, because her crime is still within town, people insult her and treat her badly. Even children are afraid to get close to her. She suffers great from the mentaltorment. If I were she, I couldn’t stand such kind of pressure. I would leave for a new place where no one knows me and begin a new life. However, she chooses to face the reality rather than escape from it. She is patient to those insulting words and even tries to forgive those people.3. Able, Admirable and AngleHester is good at sewing and she makes a living by making clothes. She makes clothes for the poor and sometimes she delivers food to a family without supper. She always helps others without expecting any thanks. Then many people refuse to see the scarlet letter “A” by its first meaning and say that means “Able”. Although Hester suffers from sha me, hopelessness and loneliness, she still has a loving and kind heart. The town’s people gradually realize her nature and change their attitude towards her. They no longer view the letter as a punishment; instead, they view the letter as a symbol of Heste r’s great strength and bravery. Town’s rulers don’t force her to continue with her public punishment. She is an angel to the town and people admire her ability.The three changes in the scarlet letter are significant; they show the progressive presentation of her sin, her lonely life and her ability. She makes a mistake and suffers a lot. In the end, with her great efforts she becomes an admirable woman. I really appreciate Hester’s strong heart. Only with a strong heart can she survive. I think we should have a heart full of love so that we can have strength from it.。

The Symbolic Meaning of the letter A in

caprice, wildness
the object of love the emblem of guilt and torture
Байду номын сангаас
Contrast
• An old physician, being welllearned, degenerated into the pollutant of civilization.
The symbolic meaning of the main characters
• Hester Prynne——the visible scarlet letter
• a loyal protector for her love • a wise mother for Pearl • a fighter against the ignorant traditions
The letter was the symbol of her calling. Such helpfulness was found in her,-so much power to do, and power to sympathize,-that many people refused to interpret the scarlet letter A by its original signification. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength.
• Satan
romanticism views
• A little girl, being capricious and wild, still remained the purity of nature.

On symbolism in Scarlet Letter

On Symbolism in Scarlet LetterAbstractNathaniel Hawthorne’s unique gift is for the creation of strongly symbolic stories which touch the deepest roots of man’s moral nature. The finest example is the recreation of The Scarlet Letter. It is a representative of his ideal and artistic style and is regarded as the first American symbolic fiction and is one of the few books that is remarkable, because it deals with alienation, sin, punishment, and guilt, or the emotions that will continue to be felt by every generation. The scarlet letter ―A‖, which covers through the whole novel, is given a variety of symbolic meanings. He expresses his feelings, emotions, will and concept through the scarlet letter‖ A‖, some natural scenery, and some of the major characters.The use of symbolism gives romantic thoughts and great subjective ideals to readers.This paper researches the symbolism in the novel from the following aspects: the changing symbolic meaning of the scarlet letter ―A‖, the names of the major characters described in the novel to make the symbolism clear to the reader.Key words: The Scarlet letter, symbolism, sin红字中的象征主义摘要霍桑创作象征主义小说的独特天赋触及人类的道德的最深根源，其代表作是《红字》。

Analysis of Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter(3)

Analysis of Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter字数：2883 来源：ICSREI杂志2012年11期字体：大中小打印当页正文Abstract. The Scarlet Letter is the American novel of the nineteenth century. In The Scarlet Letter, symbolism runs through the novel. This paper researches the symbolism from the aspect of the symbolic meaning of the scarlet letter.Key words: The Scarlet Letter; symbolism; romanceI.IntroductionThe Scarlet Letter is the American novel of the nineteenth century. It was published in 1850. The period from 1840s to 1870s was the central part of the so-called Victorian history. Petter J.Parish discussed this in his essay Confidence and Anxiety in Victorian American. In this essay Parish argues that a "peculiar combination of confidence and anxiety seems to have been a distinctive feature of Victorian American". That means, on one hand, the rapid social change, the industrialization and urbanization, the expansion of the religious intolerance, all these form the serious social conflicts at that time, and the most important of which is that the humanity is realized and accepted by people wider, and the conflicts between divinity and humanity becomes hotter. The Scarlet Letter is the most famous works that reflects this situation. This remarkable novels mirrors the strong humanity and the criticism of the society.Some of Hawthorne’s contemporary writers such as Henry James, Edgar Allen Poe and Herman Melville were his first critics. HenryJames(1843-1916), US-British famous novelist, regards it as the most excellent classic novel. He claims that “The book was the first piece of imaginative writing yet put forth in the country-something might at last be sent to Europe as exquisite in quality as the thing that had been received, and the best of it was that rhe thing was absolutely American; it belonged to the soil, to the air…Edgar ALLEN Poe(1809-1849), U.S poet, eritic and short story writer, hailed him as the finest practitioner ofart, prised him as “extraordinary genius, having no rival erther in America and elsewhere”. Herman Melcille(1819-1891), Hawthorne’s best friend, one of the greatest U.S writers, called him “the largest brain with the largest heart.” in America literature. He compared him to Shakespeare, he wrote in 1850, the year when The Scarlet Letter was published, “Now I do not say that Nathaniel of Salem (Hawthorne) is a greater man than William of Avon (Shakespeare), but the difference between the two men is by no means immeasurable”. D.H. Lawrence acclaimed, “It is a marvelous allegory. It is to me one if the greast allegories in all literature, The Scarlet Letter. Its marvelous under-meaning! And its perfect duplicity.” For many critics, this novle is not only Hawthoren’s personal success but also the first native American novel that rceveives a worldwide reputation. It is the declaration of cultural independence of U.S., the proof of an emerging distinctive American literary tradition.Based on a theme that appears in Endicott and the Red Gross. This somber romance of conscience and consequences of concealed guilt is set in puritan Boston in the mid-17th century. The story is simple but very moving. An aged English scholar sent his young wife Hester Prynne to establish their home in Boston. When he came over two yeas later,he found Hester in the pillory with her illegitimate child in her arms, She refused to name her lover and was sentenced to wear a scarlet letter “A”as a token of her sin throughout her lifetime. Minister Dimmesdale, the adulterer dare not admit openly the sin he committed but was constantly tortured by a sense of guilt. Doctor Chillingworth, Hester’s Husband, discovered who was the adulterer and made up a cruel plan of revenge to torture the Mininster mentally till his death. However, theauthor does not describe the novel just as a love tragedy, on the contrary, he puts the characters into a peculiar surrounding and entrusts them with a special symbolic significance.In The Scarlet Letter, symbolism runs through the novel, it revolves around one major symbol: the scarlet letter “A”. At the beginning it symbolizes the sin of Hestrer-‘adultery’, and then gradually when Hester is accepted by the community, it stands for Hester’s intelligence and hard working-‘able’. At the end of the novel the symbol has evolved to repersent the high virtues of Hester Prynne-‘angelic’.Moreover, the name of the little Pearl also has certain symbolic meanings. The natural environments described in the novel are all endowed with a deep symbolic significance. In view of these, the paper is divided into three parts to discuss the symbolic of the novel. The first part mainly talks about the symbolic significance of the scarlet letter “A”; the second part discusses the symbolic significance of little Pearl in which she is identified as the living scarlet letter in the whole story. In the third part, several typical natural enviromments, such as the light and darkness, the forest, the jail, the rosebush, are examined to reveal their deeply symbolic significance.II.SymbolismIn the Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne describes Hester very carefully an attentively. In his description, we can see a vigorous and sexual womanimage, which strongly reflects the humanity. Her hair is dark and abundant, and it is so glossy that it throws off the sunshine with a gleam. She also has beautiful feature and richness of complexion, marked brow and deep black eyes. What Hawthorne exposes to us are her feminalities. And this is the character of humanity. This vigorous and sexual woman image sharply contracts with dull and strict Puritanism doctrine. When we see Hester, we have the confidence that the vitality of humanity will win in the war between the divinity. Then the description of Hester's life also reveals the humanity. Hester breaks the rule of that society and is published and deserted by others. But she is calm and still insists her quality as a human. For example, she still longs for and pursues beauty. The letter "A" on her breast is a symbol of adultery. But it is artistically done, and with so much fertility and gorgeous luxuriance of fancy, that is has all the effect of a last and fitting decoration to the apparel which she wears. Besides, she also tries her best to make up her daughter; she buys the most expensive and beautiful cloth for her. Pearl becomes the light of the town .The Scarlet Letter is regarded as the first symbilic novel in American literature because he use symbolism intelligently in this novel. D.H. Laurence said, “That blue-eyed darling Nathaniel kenw disagreeable things in his inner soul.He was careful to send them out in disguise. Many critics make attemptt to interpreter the symbolic meaning of thenovel. Many os them focus on the letter “A”, which is the first letter of the word “Adultery”at the beginning of the story and a symbol of shame. But with the developing of the story, it was imbued with new meaning. People interpret it as “Able”and “Angel”. However some critics interpret it as ”Arthur”, ”Artist”, ”Aggression”, etc. Besides, critics slso pay much attention to the sumbolic meanings of the characters and scenes mentioned in the story. Chillingworth, Hester’s husband, is interpreter as the image of a real sinner. The scaffold, symbolizes a warning and penalty to the worldly evils. The prison is linked to the “evil”concealer in everybody’s heart. The rosebush symbolizes the firbidden passion ro beilefs. Yet forest stands for the nature of man, etc. Through these symbolic imges, the auther expresses his ambivalent feelings towards his characters. Symbolic meaning can ba found thought the whole story. James Henry says, “In The Scarlet Letter there is great deal of symbolism. These is, I think, too much. It is overdone at times.”Because of the complexities if its symbolic images, critics interpret them from carious diimensions and perspectives. But no ceitics formulate more than what he has been able to perceive, so symbolism in the novle remains a recurring topic of the criticism.Just as the novel The Red Chamber Dream,“red”is a bed omen, thus in this novel, the“scarlet”embodies many bed omens. Hester’s fateis closly tied to the scarlet letter “A”which is something like the God’smeasure standard, which has profound influence on her. In the beginning, the letter is symbol of disgrace and a kind of cruel punishment for her both physically and spiritually. She always regarded as an immoral and a degenerated woman by the authority and the people in the society. They insisted that she should be responsible for her misbehavior . However, as time went by people begin to endow the letter “A”with new meanings. They treated it as a symbol of ability when they saw Hester endure the bad treatment of the society. She engrossed herself in the embroidery and spared no effects to help the others even when they still had some kind of hostility and prejudice to her and thus the letter also become the epitome of “art”.The letter “A”like the crucifix before the apostles. They could become the angle who can take the direction of our humen beings. However, Hester always struggled continuously with the Puritanism. When she was for forced to tell the name of the man who lured her into committing adultery, she insisted that she would never tell the secret and indeed she didn’t compromise at last. It is her first victory overt the Puritanism authority. The letter“A”on her breast was a disgrace for the authority but she embroidered it delicately and mad it becomes a specimen of her delicate and imaginative skill. Meanwhile she allowed her imaginative faulty full play in the argument and decoration of the dress which pearl more before the public. Those things made thegovernor judge that such a child’s mother must be a scarlet woman and a worthy type of her Babylon. As long as she has the chance, she would fight against the Society. when the governor and the possessed every right to fight against the world and she was ready to defend for them to death. She thought that she still had the right to pursule for hapiness althugh she violated the creed. She had the courage to struggle against the authority and this is her second victory.The letter“A”in her breast is a spell that presses humankind and deprives orther’s happiness. Only by going far away from the rigid puritanism society, can she retrieve her youth and her beauty. It’s no doubt that Hawthorne had sympathy with Hester and condemned the notorious puritan system.The scared letter“A”is the symbol of love as well as sin. On the other hand, it arouses people’s agnoy and sympathy. It not only incates the tragedy of American. We have seen the “nature”and the true love lost in this puritanism world. In the novel, the special meaning were fully displayed in one character-Pearl. The welfare of Hester’s spirits, at the time, was perpetated in pearl, she could recognise her wild, desperate, defiant mood, the flightiness of her temper, and even some of the very cloud shapes of gloom and despondency that had brooded in her heart. They were illuminated by the morning just as she said that pearl is her happiness as well as her agony. It’s who make her live in the world andmakes her being punished. Pearl is her another scarlet letter . As a matter of fact, the scarlet letter“A”is the epitome of the novel as well as the most typical symbol.“Scarlet”is the color that combining the blood and fire. It is the symbol of life, strength, and enthusiasm. In this novel, ”scarlet”is the symbol of Hester and Dimmesdale’s love that means the basis of an ordinary family and a society life. It is necessary for human beings to continues to live and it should be accepted in any ordinary society. However, under the cruel control of the Puritanism, the truth and humane were always distorted. What is the worst: the common proper things of love and the origin of live were regarded as ridiculous by the foolish society. On the other hand, as we know, fire is vital to humankind’s life, the swinging scarlet in her breast also like a bundle of burning fire which can give her warmth, courage, and hope in the lonely despair winter. Other’s hospitality couldn’t make her surrender but make her get over what she had to suffer and thus she got a deeper understanding of that ugly society. She almost got over the obstacles she faced. She always believed that a brighter world would come soon where people could gain love and happiness.III.ConclusionSymbolism is a traditional artistic form; it is also a major feature of romanticism. Through the symbolism used when dealing with the scarlet letter, the author paves the way for our deeper understanding ofthis novel, especially his inner world and that blackness in Hawthorne. In a world, the various usage of symbolism and other artistic skills make The Scarlet Letter one of the classics of the world.References[1] Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Beijing: People’s Literature Press, 1991.[2] Wang Lili, Wang Xinghui. “Discussion about Pearl’s Role in The Scarlet Letter”. Shandong University Newspaper, 1995.[3] Bible, Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 1997[4] An outline of American Literature [M]. Huadong Normal University Press, 1992[5] Annette T.Rubinstein, American Literature Root and Floor [M]。

On Symbolism in the Scarlet Letter “A”-论《红字》中的象征主义

On Symbolism in the Scarlet Letter “A”论《红字》中的象征主义Abstract: THE SCARLET LETTER is regarded as the first American symbolic novel for the vivid using of symbolism in this novel. Hawthorne's use of symbolism in this novel is one of the most significant contributions to the rise of American Literature. This paper attempts to expound the features of symbolism use in this novel through the analysis of three aspects: the multi-connotational feature, the systematic feature and the metaphorical feature.Firstly, the multi-connotational feature is perfectly shown by the scarlet letter “A”, which symbolizes “adultery”, “alone”, “angle” and some other special characteristics. Meanwhile, Pearl and Dimmesdale are the other symbol of multi-connotations. Secondly, from matters, details, characters to backgrounds or even actions, they are all, without any exception, possessed of symbolic meanings, which is the other feature of the symbolism use in this novel i.e. the systematic feature. In addition, Hawthorne broke the rule of traditional symbolism and directly expressed his own subjective feelings, which made this novel metaphorical.In conclusion, the various features of symbolism using in THE SCARLET LETTER makes the novel a work of the world.Key words: THE SCARLET LETTER, symbolism, multi-connotation,systematization, metaphorization摘要:《红字》被认为美国第一部象征性小说，霍桑在这部作品中运用象征主义手法为美国文学做出了显著的贡献，是一大进步。

美国文学毕业论文选题

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Tragedy15.浅析《野性的呼唤》中的自然主义The Brief Analysis of Naturalism in The Call of the Wild16.从《老人与海》看海明威作品中的硬汉形象—桑提亚哥On the Image of a Tough Guy in The Old Man and the Sea—Santiago17.试析《S.》中厄普代克对女权运动的态度On Updike’s Attitude towards Feminism in S.18.《飘》中女主角斯嘉丽的性格分析An Analysis of the Characters of Scarlett in Gone with the wind19.从变态心理学的视角分析电影《沉默的羔羊》An Analysis of the Silence of the Lambs—From the Perspective of Abnormal Psychology 20.《紫颜色》中艾伯特人物分析An Character Analysis of Albert in The Color Purpl21.浅析弗罗斯特的诗歌特色On the Features of Robert Frost’s Poetry22.论海明威作品《太阳照样升起》中的女性形象On the Images of Women in Hemingway`s The Sun Also Rises23.美国自然文学在斯蒂芬•克莱恩的作品中体现American Naturalism Reflected in Stephen Crane’s Works24.浅谈海明威的作品《太阳照常升起》中“迷惘的一代”‘The Lost Generation’ in Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises25.《小妇人》中四姐妹的人物塑造On the Characterization of the Four Sisters in Little Woman26.美国黑人文化身份的困境：评托妮•莫里森的《柏油娃》The Dilemma of Black American Cultural Identity: on Toni Morrison’s Tar Boy27.《看不见的人》的爵士乐风格Jazz Style in Invisible Man28.论《一个干净明亮的地方》的写作技巧On the Techniques of A Clean,Well-Lighted Place29.托妮•莫里森笔下的微笑意象The Smile Image in Toni Morison’s Writing30.成长的艰辛—《麦田里的守望者》的主题分析Difficulties in Growing Up: A Thematic Analysis of The Catcher in the Rye31.《小镇畸人》中的怪人形象The Image of Grotesques in Winesburg, Ohio32.《赫索格》的艺术表现手法Techniques of Artistic Expression in Herzog33.浅谈纳博科夫的《洛丽塔》中的病态心理On Insanity in Lolita by Nabokov34.《汤姆叔叔的小屋》中女性意识力量The Female Consciousness in Uncle Tom's Cabin35.论《愤怒的葡萄》中体现的《圣经》元素On the Elements of the Bible in the Grapes of Wrath36.书信体叙述模式在《紫色》中的运用The Epistolary Narration in The Color Purple37.托尼莫里森作品中人物名字的意义The Meaning of Names in Toni Morisson's Novels38.论小说《在路上》中垮掉的一代A Survey on the Beat Generation from On the Road39.论《永别了,武器》中的悲剧策略Analysis on the Tragic Strategy of A Farewell to Arms The Tragic Spirit in Death of a Salesman40.孤独与失落的守望—析《麦田里的守望者》Waiting in Perplexity and Degradation ——Analysis of The Catcher in The Rye41.论海明威《一个干净明亮的地方》中的虚无主义The Analysis on Nihilism in Hemingway’s Short Story A Clean, Well-lighted Place42.试析《哈克贝利•费恩历险记》中的人性刻画On the Humanity Reflected in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn43.唐人街文化分析——以水仙花与朱路易作品为例Analysis of Chinatown Culture—Taking the Works of Sui Sin Far and Louis Chu as the Example44.意象派诗歌中东方审美因素的分析On the Analysis of Oriental Aesthetic Elements in the Imagist Poetry45.《这个杀手不太冷》的主人公性格分析Character Analysis of “LEON”46.论马丁•伊登和杰伊•盖茨比的比较研究A Comparative Study between Martin Eden and Jay Gatesby47.浅析《鸡蛋的胜利》中运用象征手法表现美国梦On the American Dream Expressed by Symbolism by The Triumph of the Egg48.从《教父》看两代人不同的家庭观The Discrepancy of Family Values between Two Generations in The Godfather49.《推销员之死》中的矛盾与冲突Conflict and Contradiction— On Death of a Salesman50.论霍桑作品中的象征手法----以《年轻人古德曼•布朗》为例On the Symbolism in Hawthorne's Works---taking Young Goodman Brown as a example 51.浅谈《厄舍古屋的倒塌》的叙事视角On the Narrative Point of View in The Fall of the House of Usher52.论《厄舍古屋倒塌》中的哥特元素On Gothic Elements in “The Fall of the House of Usher”53.解析《第二十二条军规》中的黑色幽默On the Black Humor in Catch-2254.论《所罗门之歌》的主题55.论《推销员之死》的悲剧观56.从休斯到莫里森浅析美国黑人文学的嬗变57.浅析爱伦•坡的侦探小说58.浅析《汤姆叔叔的小屋》主人公性格59.《嚎叫》——垮掉的一代的预言60.从愤怒的葡萄中看美国大萧条61.杰克伦敦的自然主义——通过作品《野性的呼唤》和《白牙》分析其自然主义倾向62.《哈克贝利•费恩历险记》的写作特点分析63.《愤怒的葡萄》中《圣经》的象征意义64.海勒斯与卡米拉的爱情对比分析65.浅析王熙凤与斯嘉丽的异同66.从生态女权主义角度来解读托妮•莫里森的《宠儿》67.《最蓝的眼睛》中非裔美国人的自我憎恨68.“心之罪”与“魂之恶”——比较研究《红字》与《厄榭尔府的倒塌》69.杰克•伦敦的《野性的呼唤》中的自然主义元素70.论简爱中的女性意识71.汤姆.索亚，哈克.贝丽芬和马克吐温的时代观72.海明威的女性意识73.论嘉莉妹妹成功的原因74.从《喧哗与骚动》中凯莉的悲剧看女性的社会地位75.透视《宠儿》中美国黑人女性的悲剧与成长76.浅析《心是孤独的猎手》中人物异化的生存状态77.论小男孩在《老人与海》中的作用78.浅析《论自助》中人生自主的源泉79.浅析马克•吐温小说的地方色彩主义特点On the Characteristics of Dickinson’s Poems80.哈克贝利•费恩的性格分析An Analysis of the Characteristics of Huckleberry Finn81.浅析《欲望号街车》的主题An Analysis of the Theme of A Streetcar Named Desire82.狄金森诗歌的特点之浅析On the Characteristics of Dickinson’s Poems83.浅析狄金森诗歌中的死亡主题On the Death Theme of Dickinson’s Poems84.从凯蒂的悲剧中看20世纪初女性的社会地位From Caddy’s Tragedy to View Women’s Social Status in the Early 20th Century 85.《乱世佳人》对21世纪女性的启示An Analysis of the Inspiration of Gone with the Wind to the 21st Century Women 86.解读《献给艾米丽的一朵玫瑰》中的悲剧元素On Tragic Elements in A Rose for Emily87.浅析《麦田里的守望者》中霍顿的性格特点An Analysis of Holden’s Characteristics in The Catcher in the Rye88.斯嘉丽：“旧”时代的“新”女性Scarlett O’Hara, A “New” Woman In “Old” Period89.“无形”困境——对《看不见的人》的主题分析“Invisible Plight” ---- An Analysis of the theme of Invisible Man90.情感与理智——浅析《飘》中的婚姻观Emotion and Intellect---- An Analysis of View of Marriage in Gone with the Wind 91.浅析《欲望号街车》中布兰奇的悲剧根源On the Origin of Blanche’s Tragedy in A Streetcar Named Desire92.论对《哈克贝利•费恩历险记》的种族主义误读On Racist Misperception of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn93.从《喜福会》透视中美文化冲突与融合On the Cultural Conflicts and Blending Embodied in The Joy Luck Club94.浅析惠特曼的写作技巧A Brief Analysis of the Writing Techniques of Whitman95.对《宠儿》中叙事方法的分析An Analysis of the Narrative Tactics in Beloved96.浅析《赫索格》中的犹太情结A Brief Analysis of the Jewish Complex in Herzog97.抗争与守望：论《小镇畸人》中的畸形人物Struggle and Watch: A Study of the Grotesques in Winesburg, Ohio98.浅析《嘉莉妹妹》中的自然主义特征A Brief Analysis of Naturalistic Features in Sister Carrie99.浅析《看不见的人》中黑人的被漠视境遇An Analysis of Blacks’ Invisible Situation in Invisible Man100.浅析欧•亨利短篇小说的结尾艺术与人文关怀A Brief Analysis of the Twist Ending and the Humanity Cares in O. Henry’s Short Stories 101.浅析《看不见的人》中的布鲁斯神韵An Analysis on the Spirit of the Blues in Invisible Man102.哈克贝利•费恩的性格分析An Analysis of the Characteristics of Huckleberry Finn103.伊迪斯•华顿《纯真年代》中的女性意识Feminine Consciousness in Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence104.《嘉莉妹妹》中的早期自然主义Dreiser’s Early Naturalism in Sister Carrie105.论《夜色温柔》中美国梦的破灭On the Collapse of American Dream in Tender is the Night106.艾米莉•狄更森诗歌之主题研究On the Themes of Emily Dickinson’s Poems107.对《推销员之死》对话的语用分析A Pragmatic Analysis of the Dialogues in Death of a Salesman108.《红字》中的象征意义The Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter109.浅析《美国悲剧》中罗贝塔的悲剧性On the Tragedy of Roberta in An American Tragedy110.论《洛丽塔》中的彼岸世界On the “Otherworld” of Lolita111.通过《飘》看女人的觉醒Gone with the Wind and the Awakening of Women112.浅析托尼•莫里森《宠儿》中的魔幻现实主义的应用Magic Realism in Tony Morrison’s Beloved113.《看不见的人》中的社会问题分析Analysis of Social Problems in Invisible Man114.论《秀拉》中女性的自我寻找Self-realization of the Females in Sula115.浅析《了不起的盖茨比》比中颜色的象征意义The Symbolic Meaning of Color Words in The Great Gatsby116.从《嘉莉妹妹》看女性价值观变迁Changes of Female’s Values in Sister Carrie117.浅析多斯• 帕索斯在“美国”三部曲中的写作手法Techniques Employed in U.S.A by John Dos Passos118.爱伦•坡小说中的恐怖因素Horror Elements in Edgar Allen Poe’s Fiction119.浅析《我有一个梦想》的修辞手法与主题表现An Analysis of Rhetoric Method and Theme of I Have a Dream120.浅析《芒果街上的小屋》中的女性形象Analysis on the Female Images in The House on Mango Street121.浅析欧•亨利的黑色幽默On O. Henry’s Black Humor122.欧•亨利短篇小说中的反衬艺术The Art of Making Contrasts in O• Henry's Short Stories123.论《了不起的盖茨比》中的美国梦On the American Dream in The Great Gatsby124.圣经对美国小说的影响The Influence of Bible in American Novel125.《白鲸》的生态解读Ecological Analysis of Moby-Dick126.论《汤姆•索亚历险记》的魅力所在The Charms of the Adventures of Tom Sawyer127.《老人与海》的象征主义Symbolism in The Old Man and the Sea128.《汤姆叔叔的小屋》主要人物性格分析Analysis of the Protagonists’ Character in Uncle Tom’s Cabin129.基督教在《汤姆叔叔的小屋》中的体现Christianity in Uncle Tom's Cabin130.论T.S.艾略特《荒原》中的宗教思想A Discussion of the Religious Ideas in The Waste Land of T. S. Eliot131.论《推销员之死》的悲剧精神The Tragic Spirit in Death of a Salesman132.《秘密花园》现代主义主题分析On the Modernist Themes in The Secret Garden133.简析艾伦•金斯堡《嚎叫》中的“垮掉的一代”Brief Analysis of the Beat Generation in Allen Ginsberg’s Howl134.“嘉莉妹妹”—西方女性的缩影Sister Carrie—the Miniature of Western Women135.伊迪丝•华顿的《纯真年代》中的女性意识Feminine Consciousness in Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence136.解析《红字》中A的象征意义On the Symbolic Meaning of A in The Scarlet Letter137.《小妇人》—一曲新女性的赞歌Little Women, a Celebration of New Women138.梭罗的《瓦尔登湖》中蕴含的深层生态学思想Deep Ecological Thoughts Contained in Thoreau’s Walden139.从《喧哗与骚动》中浅析20世纪初女性的社会地位Analysis of Women’s Social Position in Early 20th Century from The Sound and the Fury 140.浅析海明威的《一个干净明亮的地方》A Brief Discussion of Hemingway’s A Clean and Well-lighted Place141.论《美国悲剧》中萝贝塔的悲剧性The Tragedy of Roberta in American Tragedy142.马克•吐温短篇小说的幽默与讽刺Humor and Irony in Mark Twain’s Short Story143.论马克•吐温小说的讽刺144.浅析马克吐温的《败坏了哈得莱堡的人》中的讽刺艺术145.论《觉醒》的主题和特点146.透过《嘉莉妹妹》看世纪之交的美国消费文化147.从女性主义视角解读《紫色》148.论《麦田里的守望者》中读者对艺术真实的认同与重建149.《宠儿》中黑人女性的社会地位150.浅析艾米莉•狄金森的爱情诗151.《白鲸》所反映出的生活态度152.浅析《嘉莉妹妹》中的新女性形象153.论《土生子》中的种族主义154.《喜福会》中母爱主题的阐释155.从庞德的作品品读意象派风格156.从超验主义重新解读《小妇人》157.评莫里森《最蓝的眼睛》的艺术特色158.论《老人与海》的悲剧色彩159.小男孩在《老人与海》中的作用160.浅谈尼采思想对杰克•伦敦及其小说《马丁• 伊登》的影响161.论《白象似的群山》中海明威独特的写作风格162.对海明威短篇小说艺术特色的研究163.从《嘉莉妹妹》看美国梦的幻灭。

The Symbolic Meaning of“A” in scarlet letter

The Symbolic Meaning of“A”in scarlet letterThesis Statement:The scarlet letter“A”as a main symbol, which has different symbolic meanings according to different people’s views and different periods, shows great significance in developing and elaborating the theme of the book, The Scarlet Letter.Ⅰ.A brief introduction to The Scarlet Letter1.Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804--1864), the author, is a great writer in American literary history.2.The main plot of The Scarlet Letter is a tragic live story in the colonial times in Boston.3.The theme of the novel is the conflict of the human heart with itself and how to deal with the sin on one’s act and the sin on one’s soul.Ⅱ.Symbols in The Scarlet letter.1.The scarlet letter“A”,the main symbol in The Scarlet Letter ,was endowed with plentiful meanings.2.In The Scarlet Letter, there are many other symbols.A. The rusty prison-door means the darkness of that times.B. Rose-bush, fragrance and fragile beauty stand for the light of hope in America.C．A deformed man has abnormal soul.Ⅲ.Different interpretation s of the symbol “A”.1.Different periods have different meanings.A. At the beginning, the letter“A”stands for“adultery”or“adulteress”.B. After many years of hard work, the letter“A”means“Angel”.C. For Hester’s kindness and honesty, the letter“A”means“Angel”.2.Different people have their own ideas on the symbol “A”.A. To Hester, it is the moral sin in a public way.B. To Dimmensdale, it tortures his soul and his heart.C. To Chillingworth, it indicates his shame and he can get unlimited power for his revenge.3.Pearl is more of a symbol than a character. To a great extent, she is a living “A”.A. To Hester, she is the fruit of human love and physical passion.B. To Dimmensdale, she is a reminder of his sin.C. To Chilingworth, she is an unforgettable shame and the motivation to take his revenge.Ⅳ. The symbol has its great significance.1. Symbolism is a literary device which is wed frequently to indicate the author’s opinion.2. The use of symbols can make the characters more lively and understandable.3. It can let the readers become imaginative and stimulate their interest.4. It is very helpful to develop the theme and give deep impression on readers’ mind.Ⅴ. Conclusion.Plentiful meanings of the scarlet “A” expresses the intention of writing and gives readers more space to imagine.The Symbolic Meaning of“A”inThe Scarlet Letter and Its FunctionⅠ.IntroductionNathaniel Hawthorne(1804--1864) is one of the most famous, interesting, ambivalent writers in American Literature of Romanticism period. He is also a productive novelist with an inquiring imagination, an intensely meditative mind. Some of his great works are familiar to us, such as The House of the Seven Gables,Young Goodman Brown ,The Scarlet Letter etc. In most of his novels, they are full of the description of sin and evil. A nd in his eyes,“Everyone’s heart has his sin ”1“The sin of heart and soul is more general than that of body”2Therefore,when you read his novels, you can feel his pessimistic life manner and his intention of preaching, especially in The Scarlet Letter.The Scarlet Letter, always regarded as the best of his works, was published in 1850.As the first symbolic novel in American Literary history, it has been influencing American Literature deeply and significantly.The story took place in new England in 17th century. It told us a simple but very moving story in which four people living in a Puritan community were involved in and affected by the sin. Hester Prynne, the heroine, was found out to have committed adultery. She was punished before the public and condemned to wear the scarlet letter“A”in front of her bosom throughout her life time. When the mad throng roared to her to demand the name of the man with whom she committed adultery, she refused simply because she loved the man and cherished his life more than her own. The baby, Pearl, to whom she gave birth, was baptised by Arthur Dimmensdale, the parishioner who was actually the baby’s father. Different from Hester, Dimmensdale dared not admit openly the sin but was constantly tortured by a sense of guilt. Doctor Chillingworth, Hester’s husband, discovered who was the adulterer and made up a cruel plan of revenge to torture the minister mentally till his death.In the end, Hester regained her dignity and even respect from the community. Dimmensdale was mentally tortured to death by his own sense of guilt plus Chillingworth’s vicious plan and only in the last minute of his life he revealed his sin.In this particular novel, Hawthorne explores into“the conflict of the human heart with itself”3 and deals with the theme of sin and guilt. Just through describing Hester’s sorrowful fate, it severely criticizes the injustice and cruelty of the Puritan way of life. In order to get this point, he used many writing skills, especially the rhetoric device, symbolism.Ⅱ.Symbols in The scarlet letterThe scarlet letter“A”as the main symbol, it is endowed with plentiful meanings. According to different people’s views on the letter “A”and different periods, Hawthorne have depicted a vivid picture of the Puritan community. In this novel, however, there are many other symbols except for the scarlet letter“A”.Some examples will be given first in the following two paragraphs.The rusty prison-door was the symbol of that time which was dark and cruel. In this environment, there was no true love but hypocrisy of human beings. Because of this symbol, the whole novel was based on the tone of sadness. For the sake ofgiving readers little hope, the author had to have the aid of rose-bush and its fragance. Just a the author said:“Let us hope, to symbolize some sweet moral blossom, that may be found along the track, or relieve the darkening close of a tale of human frailty and sorrow.”4Another one is Chillingworth, an old slightly deformed man with the left shoulder a trifle higher than the right, who was an unveiled devil in the novel. At the beginning, he was an innocent victim and liable to pity and sympathy. As acold-natured physician, however, he designed an inhumane scheme of cold revenge and finally became the most hardened sinner, an embodiment of merciless revenge, vicious schemes and cold-blooded hatred. At last, his deformed body symbolized his abnormal soul which damaged himself.Ⅲ.The Symbolic Meaning of “A”From beginning to end in the novel, the most typical symbol is the scarlet letter“A”As a key to the whole novel, the letter“A”takes on different layers of symbolic meanings as the plot develops and people come up with different interpretations.1.Different periods have different meaningsAt the begi nning, the scarlet letter“A”is a symbol of sin and guilt. Itmeans“adultery”or“adulteress”. At that time, Hester had no choice but to wear the scarlet letter on her breast, which gradually became her special sign. And for this scarlet letter, she was separ ated from her original community.“It(the scarletletter)had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and enclosing her in a sphere by herself.”5From the day she wore the scarlet letter on, there was nothing to Hester but ridiculous, hopeless and unbearable loneliness. At first, she was so frightened that she could not know how to do. But eventually, she began to realize: it was no use of worrying, evading. As brave and firm she was, she faced the fact and did what she could do to change this situation. In order to ameliorate the relation with community, she changed herself a lot and led a hard, insipid life. As time went on, she won back acceptance and respect from the villagers of various background through hard-workin g.“…such helpfulness was found in her-so much power to do, and power to sympathize-that many people refused to interpret the scarlet‘A’by its original signification .They said that it meant ‘Able’.”6 Therefore, in people’s minds, the scarlet letter had cha nged its original symbol to a newmeaning-Able.With regard to the society which had deserted her and the villagers who had hurt her before, Hester had no hatred feeling but mercy, honesty andgenerosity.“…none so ready as she to give of her little sub stance to every demand of poverty.”7“…none so self-devoted as Hester, when pestilence stalked through thetown.”8 Because of her persistence、endeavor and constancy, many people had been touched and began to accept the New Hester. Till this moment,“The scarlet letter had the effect of the cross on a nun’s bosom”.9 Hester was not a sinner but an angel. The scarlet letter then was given another interpretation-the symbol of an Angel.2.Different people have their own interpretations of the symbol“A”As far as Hester was concerned, the scarlet letter“A”was an external manifestation of sin she had committed. Just for the sign of her shame, Hester had strong willing to overcome all the difficulties and tried to be kind to everyone. And also, it made Hester more bravery and faithful. Hence, we can be sure it creates a New Hester while it tortures her. Meanwhile,“The scarlet letter was her passp ort into regions where other women dare not tread.”10 Hester became a woman with full of the spirit of rebelling the reality which let her as a pioneer of a new era.To Dimmensdale, although he didn’t wear the scarlet letter openly, his heart had been withstanding great pain. He kept his guilt in secret and it made him sad, worried and disappointed. The scarlet letter in his heart like a bloody scourge tortured him until his last confession.“…in order to purify the body and render it the fitter medium of celestial illumination,—but rigorously, and until his knees trembled beneath him, as an act of penance.”11 But no matter how hard he was ,he could not receive a momentary calm of his guilty soul.“…herein is the sinful mother happier than the sinful fathe r.”12So when he met with Hester and told her “…happy are you, Hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly worn your bosom! Mine burns in secret!”13Last but not the least, the scarlet letter like a shame sign warned Chillingworth to take revenge on the Minister. He became more and more cruel and got boundless power from the scarlet letter. The faster he revenged, the deeper he blundered. At last, he did become a real devil. When Dimmeasdale was dying, he swore:“Thou, too, hast deeply sinned!”14In this work, there is another important and striking character, Pearl. It is said more rightly and exactly that she is more of a symbol than a character.On the one hand, Pearl, as the daughter of Hester and Dimmensdale, was a sign of disgrace.“…it(Pear l)was the scarlet letter in another form, the scarlet letter endowed with life!”16She had the same influence as the scarlet letter“A”when Hester stood on the gallow. She wanted to hide the scarlet letter with the baby(Pearl),“…in a moment, wisely hiding that one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another.”17But on the other hand, Pearl was different from the scarlet letter“A”.She was the fruit of love and the only property Hester had.“…see ye not, she is the scarlet letter only capable of being loved”18 Just because of the existence of Pearl, Hester gained plentiful power and courage to live better. Pearl was her only living hope.To Dimmensdale, she was a reminder of his sin. He loved her but much more frightened by her.“I have even been afraid of little pearl”19“That this dear child, tripping about always at thy side, hath caused me many an alarm!”20 Therefore, Pearl like a spirit, gave him happiness but more sadness and unforgiven guilt.To Chillingworth, she was an unforgettable shame. Every time he saw her, he thought of the adultery between Hester and Dimmensdale. And in order to save his face and “dignity”,he took his revenge plan and got more and more power from the living letter“A”—Pearl.Ⅳ.Significance of“A”Maybe som eone will ask“why had The Scarlet Letter been spread so widely and profoundly?”It is because of not only his literary grace but of his style of writing, symbolism. Symbolism is a literary device with which the author deliberately make concrete objects evolved into some abstractions, usually moralistic or philosophical .It can make abstraction concrete, generality specific, ideology material. All of these features do contribute to the readers’ comprehension and can let them accept to the characters easier.As regards using symbolism, there are at least three advantages. Firstly, symbolism can let the readers become imaginative and stimulate their interest.When Hester was forced to wear the scarlet letter“A”,some questions may be raised in readers’ minds.“What does it stand for?”“Why must Hester wear the scarlet letter?”“Who is the other sinner?”ect. In order to find the answer, readers are willing to read further and become more and more carefully. And some of them will express their own ideas on the symbol of “A”. From then on, readers are attracted by this wonderful and moving love story.Secondly, the use of symbol can make the characters more lively and understandable. Let’s take Pearl for example. Pearl was a symbol of theliving“A”.She was in nocent, lovely, vigorous, but sometimes, she also had a few absurd ideas in her little mind ,like a spirit, especially her showing a great interesting in the meaning of“A”.When the minister saw her, he was very glad at first and then frightened. In his eyes, she was a reminder of his sin. He tried to accept her but failed again and again. So we can learn the character of Dimmensdale was timid, indecisive; all of these caused him sorrowful fate.Lastly, it helps to develop the theme and give deep impress ion on readers’ minds.By using Pearl as a thematic symbol, Hawthorne emphasizes the consequence the sin of adultery has brought to the community and people living in the community.We are impressed by her living, wild flow of spirits. It is like a wish not only for Hester but also for New America as a whole. When we finish reading the novel, there are many people like Hester, Dimmensdale etc. still in our minds. We can memorize them clearly all because of the special symbol sign“A”，of their unfortunate destiny.Ⅴ.ConclusionThe paper has discussed the symbolic meaning of“A”in The Scarlet Letter and analysed the significance of symbolism. Regardless of the scarlet letter“A”or other symbols, all these sins are the products of that dark times. Under the foul and gloomy circumstances this tragic love story is inevitable. The novel as the miniature of that era discloses the hypocrisy of humanity and the injustice of that society. Hawthorne, as“an angle of view on the darkness”,used his particular writing skills and special ways to reappear sorrowful reality of that period. Symbolism, as the distinctive writing feature in The Scarlet Letter, makes the novel become part of the American literary heritage and win the name for Hawthorne in American Literature.。

An Analysis of Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter 浅析《红字》中象征主义手法的运用

本科生毕业论文An Analysis of Symbolism in TheScarlet Letter浅析《红字》中象征主义手法的运用姓名学号专业指导教师An Analysis of Symbolism in The Scarlet LetterA Thesis Submitted toForeign Languages Department ofHenan University of Economics and Law inPartial Fulfillment of the Requirements for theDegree of Bachelor of ArtsByXXXSupervisor: XXXMay 30, 2011毕业论文开题报告AbstractNathaniel Hawthorne is a great romantic novelist in America in the 19th century. As a great romantic novelist, Hawthorne is outstanding in handling application of symbolism.The Scarlet Letter is Hawthorne’s 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 Hawthorne 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 forms, but also it has changing meanings from ―adultery‖ to ―able‖, even ―a nge lic‖ 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 described 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 Hawthorne’s sk illful use of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter.Key Words: the scarlet letter；symbolism；Hester Prynne；Pearl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。

The Symbolism in the Scarlet Letter 英语专业毕业论文

The Symbolism in the Scarlet Letter Abstract: As a great romantic novelist in America in the 19th century, Hawthorne was outstanding in handling the application of symbolism, and a study of his symbols is necessary to understanding his novels. The Scarlet Letter is Hawthorne’s most important symbolic novel, which stands as the best work of Hawthorne and one of the indubitable masterpieces of American literature. This thesis aims at the exploration of the usage of the symbolism in the novel. It mainly discusses the deep symbolic significance of the Scarlet Letter A and the major characters. The Scarlet Letter is the central symbol of the novel. Its symbolic meaning changes from adultery to angel, and it also examines the symbolic meanings of litter Pearl and Hester Prynne.Key words: symbolism; Scarlet Letter.I.IntroductionNathaniel Hawthorne is a great romantic novelist in America in the 19th century, and is a central figure in the American Renaissance. His novels are penetrating exploration of moral and spiritual conflicts. He is outstanding in literary skills, especially in his use of symbolism. In the Scarlet Letter, symbolism runs through the whole novel where the scarlet letter A, the characters of the story and the settings are all endowed with adeep symbolic significance.This essay highlights and interprets the major symbolism of the book represented by the colors, the characters and as well, the scarlet letter. II.Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter1. The symbolism meaning of “the scarlet letter”In The Scarlet Letter, the letter “A”, the spirit of novel, builds up the framework and launches a close link between the human relationships. The novel begins and ends both with the letter “A” with its conspicuous symbolic significance. In the novel, the letter appears on Hester’s gown, on Arthur’s heart, in Pearl’s hands as well as in the evening sky. Its symbolic significance changes with the development of the novel. As time passes the letter’s meaning on Hester’s chest shifts also. This change is significant. It shows growth in the characters, and the community in which they live. In the course of the story, the “A” seems to encompass the entire range of human beings, from the earthly and passionate “adulteress”to the pure and spiritual “angel”. The letter A begins as a symbol of sin. It then becomes a symbol of alone and alienations, and finally it becomes a symbol of able, angel and admirable.1.1 A for AdulteryThe letter A, worn on Hester’s bosom, is a symbol of her adultery against Roger Chillingworth. As a puritan punishment way of the adultery, it is her punishment to wear the letter “A”. The puritan treatment continues,because as Hester walks through 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 the scene of her guilt, and here should be the scene of her earthly punishment…”(标注1) Hester is ashamed of her sin, but she chooses not to shows it. She admits this sin in the heart of passion, and fully recognizes it for the reason that though she is ashamed, she also receives her greatest treasure, Pearl, out of it. She is a very strong and brave woman. Faced with such kind of punishment, many will leave Boston to seek a place where no one knows their great sin or they can emerge into another state where she could aloof from the law that condemns them. However, Hester chooses to stay, which shows that she has a lot of strength and integrity. Without enough perseverance and firm endurance can any person, let alone a woman, go through these difficulties in a situation where he is looked down upon.1.2 A for AlienationThe scarlet letter A also stands for Hester’s lonely life in New England. After she is released, Hester lives in a cottage near the outskirts of the city. “It 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.” Hester’s social life is virtually eliminated as aresult of her shameful history. Hester comes to have a part to perform in the world with her native energy of character and rare capacity. “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 was 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.” Hester has no friends in the world, and little Pearl is the only companion of her lonely life, so the scarlet letter A also is a symbol of “alienation”.1.3 A for Able, Admirable and AngelThe letter “A”manifests in a variety of forms and places. Later, the scarlet letter “A”changes its meaning into being able, angel and admirable. Her excellent needlework for the rich allows her to maintain a fairly stable lifestyle. After years of Hester’s helping, serving, and sympathizing with them, many of the townspeople refuse to interpret the scarlet letter by its original signification, and now they believe that the scarlet letter stands for her ability to her beautiful needlework and for her unselfish assistance to the poor and sick. At this point, a lot of townspeople realize what a noble character Hester possesses. “Do you see that woman with the embroidered badge? It is our Hester—the town’sown Hester—who is so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick, so comforting to the afflicted!” The townspeople soon begin to believe that the badge is served to ward off evil, and Hester grows to be quite admirable amongst the people of the town. Hester overcomes the shame of her sin through the purity and goodness of her soul. Unselfishly offering her time and love to those who need her most proves that she is not worthy of the punishment which has been put on her.These three changes in the scarlet letter are significant; they show the progressive possession of her sin, her lonely life, and her ability. Hester is a strong and admirable woman who goes through more emotional torture than most people may do in a lifetime.2.The expressions of symbolism in major charactersHawthorne uses characters as symbols in The Scarlet Letter. The characters of Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Pearl, and Roger Chillingworth are all associated with sin. However, these four characters symbolize different aspects of sin. Hester Prynne represents how sin can make one stronger and Arthur Dimmesdale symbolizes how hidden sins can cause harm. Pearl serves as a reminder of the scarlet letter to her mother, and Roger Chillingworth is an example to show that how many small transgressions can add up to a major sin. Moreover, the fate of characters can be appreciated much better when one is aware of the implication of their names. Chillingworth is cold and inhuman and thusbrings a “chill”to Hester’s and Dimmesdale’s lives. “Prynne”rhymes with “sin,”while “Dimmesdale”suggests “dimness”—weakness, indeterminacy, lack of insight, and lack of will, all of which characterize the young minister. The name “Pearl”evokes a biblical allegorical device—the “Pearl”of great price”that is salvation. This system of naming lends a profundity to the story, linking it to other allegorical works of literature such as Pilgrim’s Progress and to portions of the Bible. It also aligns the novel with popular forms of narrative such as fairy tales.2.1 Pearl—a living scarlet letterThe scarlet letter “A” worn by Hester Prynne, is a punishment for the sin of adultery she has committed. Following Hester’s act of adultery, she becomes pregnant and gives birth to a baby girl whom she names Pearl. So the baby girl is “a child of sin”. From the first moment that we are introduced to Pearl in the novel, we get the sense that there is some connection between the baby and the scarlet letter “A”. Actually Pearl is the embodiment of the scarlet letter, because if Pearl has never been born, Hester would have never been found guilty of adultery and thus never would have had to wear the burden upon her chest. So Pearl symbolizes the living scarlet letter. She acts very differently than other people in Boston in that she seems to be much more vibrant than the others. We see this displayed in various forms like her dress, her mood swings, her sometimes mischievous behaviors, and her constant liveliness.Throughout the novel, Pearl is used by Hawthorne to symbolize many different things, as we will see in the following discussion.1.1.1As the shame of adulteryWhile the Puritan society punishes Hester by making her wear an embroidered letter, God punishes Hester in his own way. He gives her a beautiful and unique child, which serves as a constant Physical reminder of Hester’s sin. Pearl is born a social outcast and a product of sin. Pearl, Hester’s daughter, is a living version of the scarlet letter. She constantly causes Hester and Arthur torment and anguish throughout the novel. Hester has decorates Pearl in an outrageous “crimson velvet tunic”which is embroidered with gold thread. Hawthorne comments that “the child’s whole appearance…was the scarlet letter in another form: the scarlet letter endowed with life!” Pearl is dressed in a scarlet dress with gold fringe exactly resembling the scarlet A on Hester’s bosom, and she had a natural preference to focus on the scarlet letter, which is shown in Chapter Fifteen:“Pearl took some eel—grass, and imitated, as best as she could, on her own bosom, the decoration with which she was so familiar on her mother’s, the letter A, but freshly green, instead of scarlet!”One of the most symbolic scenes in the novel occurs in the forest as Pearl and Hester are traveling to meet Dimmesdale. Pearl remarks to Hester that”the sun shine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom.” Sunshine, which cansymbolize the approval of God, rejects Hester because of her sin and “the thing of her bosom”. This confirms that Pearl constantly reminds Hester of her sin and her punishment. In one of the most dramatic scenes in the novel, Pearl prevents Hester from escaping her sin and shame. Pearl “bursts into a fit of passion” and will not go to her mother until she puts the scarlet letter A back on her bosom and places her hair back underneath her cap. In one moment that Hester attempts to escape her sin, Pearl refuses to acknowledge her until she returns to the shameful mother that she has always known. So to Hester, Pearl is a persistent remembrance to the scarlet letter A, which she must bear on her bosom. According to the Puritan punishment, Hester has to wear the scarlet letter A which symbolizes the shame of adultery for the rest of life; and Pearl, even more than the letter, embodies the shame of Hester’s adultery. Hawthorne describes Pearl as a symbol of the sin committed between Hester and Dimmesdale. Hester is seen refusing to hold Pearl next to her breast with the scarlet letter A. She comments that one symbol of shame would be inadequate to hide another.1.1.2As love and passionAlthough Hester has so much trouble with Pearl, she still feels that Pearl is her treasure. Pearl literally represents something of great value. A Pearl in the ocean is found and extracted after careful labor. Pearl is brought to the world at a great cost. She is brought to the world at the expense of hermother’s public condemnation. Pearl is innocent and is her mother’s only treasure and compassion. Hester chooses the name of Pearl to show her cherishing of love. Pearl is the only object of affection that Hester has in life and if Pearl were not in Hester’s life, Hester would most surely commit suicide. Thus, Pearl, who represents love, is more than her mother’s only treasure; she is her mother’s only source of survival. That’s why Hester goes to plead Governor Bellingham to let her keep the child, when the Governor thinks it would be better for Pearl to be raised in a more Christian household. Pearl is symbolic of the ardent love, because she is also the product of love between Hester and Arthur. Hester stands for the beauty of true love. What’s more, Pearl is wild and uncontrolled like the passion between Hester and Arthur. “When she is in the forest with her mother, she fits in with the wild things and they seem to accept her…the forest, and these wild things which it nourished, all recognized a kindred wildness in the human child?”(标注) Nature recognizes in Pearl a wildness. Pearl, who symbolizes wild passion, can not be accepted by the Puritans. She is compared to a witch in both the way she interacts with the other children and the way she plays. Thus, we can see that the natural passion in regarded as evil in the Puritan society.1.1.3As a moral pointMuch of Chapter Eight in The Scarlet Letter is decided to drawing stronger parallels between Pearl and the red rose. Thus Pearl is called a “ared rose”by Wilson when he first sees her. Even stronger is Pearl’s response to Wilson’s question concerning who made her where she says that she was plucked off the rose bush outside the prison door. Thus directly tells the reader that Pearl is the person to reveal the moral element of the story, for she embodies the morality. Moreover, younger Pearl, the product of Hester Prynne’s and Reverend Dimmesdale’s shared sin, is a medium for complete self-recognition; she is integral to the novel’s plot for her role in first polarizing her parents and finally uniting them. Hester has—both inwardly and outwardly—fully recognized her guilt, while Dimmesdale has demonstrated weakness, cowardice, and inability to accept blame completely. Pearl, as a constant reminder of her parents’mistake, is a torturous reflection of themselves, gradually reinforcing Hester’s sad acceptance of her past and Dimmesdale’s tormented avoidance of confession. The reflective imagery Hawthorne uses in connection with the peculiar little Pearl is away of illustrating that, like a mirror, she allows one to perceive and confront personal faults. Only Hester, however, is close enough to Pearl to see her true reflection. In this way, the child helps reveal the dichotomy between her mother’s fortitude and her father’s feebleness in the acceptance of guilt. We may argue that Pearl, as a symbol of total self-knowledge, is the figurative boundary Dimmesdale must cross to join Hester physically on the town scaffold and spiritually in penitence. Pearl assures her true role in thestory by being the person who will eventually make Dimmesdale admit his crime. She asks him to stand on the scaffold with her mother at noontide of the next day. Hawthorne is not merely telling us a story; he is also trying to make a moral point. Pearl is in fact the moral of the story. The moral she is meant to teach is that Hester and Arthur can not let their passion overrun them without regard for the consequences. Truly Pearl, as the lively moral, prompts the two lovers to take responsibility for what they have done at any time.1.2H ester Prynne: symbol of strength and independenceHawthorne’s book explores the concept of human sin through the development of complex, layered characters and by using plenty of symbolism. Hester Prynne, the adulteress of The Scarlet Letter, best personifies Hawthorne’ s complex treatment of the falling of the human soul.Hester, the main characters of The Scarlet Letter, is a symbol of the sinner in the Puritan society. In the Puritan’s eyes, she represents guilt. However, as the protagonist of the novel, Hester is described as a youthful, beautiful, spirited, and proud woman, although when she first appears in the story, there is already a scandal attached to her name that is symbolized by the scarlet letter A. When she walks to the scaffold from the prison, she holds her head high and remains in full public view without shedding a tear. Hawthorne describes her as both a sinner and saint. Her spirit is alsoreflected in her decorating the scarlet letter with gold thread and benevolent devotions. Hester’s strength of character in public is in fact her way of steeling herself against her inner wounds inflicted by her infamy and scourged by the scarlet letter.Furthermore, Hester Prynne, like Anne Hutehinson whom Hawthorne mentions in the first chapter, is a woman of strength and independence. Her refusal to reveal the child’s father leads her to suffer the public humiliation. Being uncommon for her time, Hester is depicted by Hawthorne in a number of ways after her ordeal on the scaffold. First is her decision to remain in Boston to suffer whatever humiliations the community has in store for her. Her strength is seen in her rearing of her child alone, without family or friends, and her move to work out her penance by becoming a sister of charity for the very community that scorns her. Though her true charity is weak, she endures silently and with immense fortitude the humiliation visited upon her by the people she serves. She supports herself and her child as a seamstress. Second, she is undaunted in her willingness to stand up to the most powerful men in the colony in her determination to keep the child. And by freezing her world into a small circle containing only Pearl and herself, she shields the two of them from the mockery of a moralistic and cold society. Similarly, when townspeople who have snubbed her and derided her for years remember her kindnesses as a nurse and begin speaking to her in public,her response of silently pointing to the scarlet letter is an act of pride and independence. Her strength is shown in the forest scene when she justifies their sin for Dimmesdale and makes decisions for him because she thinks she seems ready to “die for every weakness,” Dimmesdale, in contrast to her, says,”Think for me, Hester! Thou art strong. Resolve for me!”(标注3) So it is the independence woman who makes plan for the three of them to leave for Europe. Through her life of suffering, she emerges a stronger person, better able to handle life’s agonizing moments. Hester’s selflessness is reflected in the services that she renders to the poor, needy and the sick. Her philanthropic way of living reflects her devotion to those more underprivileged than herself. She accepts her fate without any sign of criticism. It is not a sign of weakness but merely her acceptance of the situation. There is a more important thing need to be pointed out. Although Hester suffers enormously from the shame of her public disgrace and from the isolation of her punishment, in her inmost heart she can never accept the Puritan interpretation of her act. For her, the act is inseparable from love, love for Dimmesdale, love for Pearl. Hester does not believe she did an evil thing, and so she retains her self-respect and survives her punishment with dignity and ever—growing strength of character. The penance imposed by the community has an ironic effect on Hester, giving her freedom of thought and a resulting independence or spirit.Hester is also an independent thinker. This reflects her emergence as a woman of principle. She refuses to reveal the identity of Pearl’s father even though she is questioned by the Governor and Chillingworth. When she pledges not to divulge Chillingworth’s true identity, she obediently keeps the vow and seeks his permission before she breaks it. In fact, in all her actions, Hester is presented as a woman with excellent values and noble qualities—except for her one passionate sin of adultery. Hawthorne develops her as a kind and sympathetic woman who passively suffers her agony, kindly helps those less fortune than she, and patiently waits for her life to improve. The basic goodness of her character helps to sustain her during her time of trial and to help Dimmesdale in his distress. In her public and private suffering, symbolized by the scarlet letter in her life, Hester remains a pillar of strength. Because of her strong character, she is able to get over her sorrow and get on with her life.To a certain degree, the description of a sinner with many noble qualities reflects Hawthorne’s resentment of the Puritan upbringings.III.ConclusionHawthorne’s unique style is what stands out about his novel. He manages to weave an important message into a very well written novel. His many symbols stand for anything from the corruptness and pointlessness of Puritan punishment, to the good and pure that can sprout from dark roots. In the novel the author uses the symbolic technique to illustrate thistheme. The symbolic reading of The Scarlet Letter helps the readers understand more about the characters and the social history they live in. Through the analysis of the symbolic significance of the scarlet letter A, the living embodiment of the scarlet letter—little Pearl, the natural environment that the characters situated, we can have a deep understanding of the symbolism in the novel.The novel The Scarlet Letter breaks literary standards of its time in that it brings about a whole new view of society to a people that needed it. Therefore, Hawthorne fully deserves the title “the prophet of symbolism.”The Scarlet Letter comes to be a work of the world.Notes[1] Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, Wordsworth Editions Ltd, 1992.[2] 霍桑《红字》，外语教学与研究出版社，1994.10.Bibliography[1] Fogle，Richard Hater, Hawthorne’s Fiction; The Light the Dark, Norman, Okla; University of Oklahoma Press, 1952.[2] Feidelson, Charles, Jr. Symbolism and American Literature, Chicago. The university of Chicago Press.[3] Johnson, Claudia D. Understanding The Scarlet Letter, Beijing, World Publishing Corp, 1990.[4] 胡尚田《论〈红字〉中的红字》，载《四川外语学院学报》，1999年，第4期。