The Scarlet letter红字

具体分析作品的语言风格、主题展现、所属文学流派、作者的创造风格等；（35%）Scarlet letter Nathaniel HawthorneLiterary Genre: 19th C American Romanticism –Dark Romanticismstyle –typical romantic writera man of literary craftsmanship，extraordinary in1 the use of symbol: The symbol serves as a weapon to attack reality. It can be found everywhere in his writing2 the use of ambiguity: to keep the reader in the world of uncertainty – multiple point of view3revelation of characters’ psychology4 the use of supernaturalWriting SkillsAllegory Ambiguity supernaturalism symbolismSymbolism:Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent things such as ideas and emotions.Hawthorne’s Style•an anatomist of the heart•using symbols and setting to reveal the psychology of the characters•soft and flowing style•ambiguityMajor Themes•Public Guilt vs. Private Guilt•Punishment vs. Forgiveness•Sin and Judgment•Civilization vs. Wilderness•The Town vs. the WoodsSin &knowledgeThe story of Hester and Dimmesdale is similar to that of Adam and Eve. In both cases, sin results in expulsion and suffering. But it also results in knowledge—specifically, in knowledge of what it means to be human. For Hester, the scarlet letter functions as “her passport into regions where other women dared not trea d,” leading her to “speculate” about her society and herself more “boldly” than anyone else in New England. As for Dimmesdale, the “burden” of his sin gives him “sympathies so intimate with the sinful brotherhood of mankind, so that his heart vibrate[s] in unison with theirs.” His eloquent and powerful sermons derive from this sense of empathy.The Nature of EvilThe characters in the novel frequently debate the identity of the “Black Man,” the embodiment of evil. Over the course of the novel, the “Black Man” is associated with Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, and Mistress Hibbins, and little Pearl is thought by some to be the Devil’s child. It may implies that evil is an inseparable part of human being. The characters also try to root out the causes of evil. First, it is the true love between Hester and Dimmesdale that seduces them into evil. Second, the adultery between Hester and the minister arouses Chillingworth’s hate which accounts for his carefully plotted and precisely aimed revenge on Dimmesdale. Thus, the book argues that true evil arises from the close relationship between hate and love.•Identity and SocietyThough Hester is publicly shamed and forced by the people of Boston to wear a badge of humiliation, she is reluctant to leave the town. Not being physically imprisoned, she can go somewhere else to resume a normal life. Surprisingly, Hester reacts with dismay when Chillingworth tells her that the town fathers are considering letting her remove the letter. To Hester, running away or removing the letter would be an acknowledgment of society’s power over her: she would be admitting that the letter is a mark of shame and something from which she desires to escape. Instead, Hester stays, refiguring the scarlet letter as a symbol of her own experiences and character. Her past sin is a part of who she is; to pretend that it never happened would mean denying a part of herself. Thus, Hester very determinedly integrates her sin into her life.Summary—Chapter 5: Hester at Her NeedleThe narrator covers the events of several years. After a few months, Hester is released from prison. Although she is free to leave Boston, she chooses not to do so. She settles in an abandoned cabin on a patch of infertile land at the edge of town. Hester remains alienated from everyone, including the town fathers, respected women, beggars, children, and even strangers. She serves as a walking example of a fallen woman, a cautionary tale for everyone to see. Although she is an outcast, Hester remains able to support herself due to her uncommon talent in needlework. Her taste for the beautiful infuses her embroidery, rendering her work fit to be worn by the governor despite its shameful source. Although the ornate detail of her artistry defies Puritan codes of fashion, it is in demand fo r burial shrouds, christening gowns, and officials’ robes. In fact, through her work, Hester touches all the major events of life except for marriage—it is deemed inappropriate for chaste brides to wear the product of Hester Prynne’s hands. Despite her suc cess, Hester feels lonely and is constantly aware of her alienation. As shame burns inside of her, she searches for companionship or sympathy, but to no avail. She devotes part of her time to charity work, but even this is more punishment than solace: those she helps frequently insult her, and making garments for the poor out of rough cloth insults her aesthetic sense. Symbolism•Nathaniel Hawthorne is a master of symbolism•The Scarlet Letter : the first symbolic novel to be written in the United States.The letter “A”“A” stands for the crime adultery.•To the puritans it is a symbol of just punishment•to Hester, a device of unjust humiliation•to Dimmesdale, a piercing reminder of his guilt•to Chillingworth, a spur to the quest of revenge•to Pearl, a bright and mysterious curiosity“A” varies its meaning as the development of the storyAdulteryAlone and AlienationAffection, AgonyAble and AngelAdmirable（Prynne's iron and her behaviorAdulteryIt is originally meant to be a symbol of shame and infamy.“Man had marked this woman’s sin by a scarlet letter, which had such potent and disastrous efficacy that no human sympathy could reach her, save it were sinful like herself.”—chapter 6“From first to last, in short, Hester Prynne had always this dreadful agony in feeling a human eye upon the token; the spot never grew callous; it seemed, on the contrary, to grow more sensitive with daily torture.”—chapter 5AbleAs time goes by, Hester has added to the letter another meaning through her own efforts.“None so self-devoted as Hester, when pestilence stalked through the town. In all seasons of calamity, indeed, whether general or of individuals, the outcast of society at once found her place...There glimmered the embroidered letter, with comfort in its unearthly ray. Elsewhere the token of sin, it was the taper of sick-chamber.”—chapter 13“such helpfulness was found in her, so much power to do, and power to sympathize, that many peoplerefused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with woman’s strength.”-chapter 13Angel“But did your reverence hear of the letter in the sky, the letter A, which we interpret to stand for Angel.”—chapter 12“the scarlet letter ceased to be a stigma which attracted the world’s scorn and bitterness, and became a type of something to be sorrowed over, and looked upon with awe, yet with reverence too…people brought all their sorrows and perplexities, and besought her counsel, as one who had herself gone through a mighty trouble…“The angel and apostle of the coming revelation must be a woman indeed, but lofty, pure, and beautiful…showing how sacred love should make us happy, by the truest test of a life successful to such an end!”—chapter 24Symbol of NamesHester Prynne•Hestia➢the Virgin Goddess of the hearth, of the right ordering of domesticity and the family in Greek mythology➢symbol of chastity and virtue➢showing the author’s praise to Hester’s beauty and saint, Goddess-like beauty.•Hastier➢her marriage is haste➢her love with Dimmesdale is haste➢her joy with the priest is haste(1)Hester Prynne•Prurient (desire for physical love), which is considered as the root of sin and crime.•Prune (purify or get rid of), which foreshadows Hester’s self-save from the sin or crime.•Pry (probe into), probe into the human nature (sin)(2) Arthur Dimmesdale•The initials AD are the beginning of “Adultery”;•“Dim” means lack of light; “dale” means valley➢He commits adultery but dares cowardly to confess his sin or crime, and has to conceal it in the shadow and suffer it interiorly.➢It symbolizes the minister’s dim-interior world of his love and the shadow of sin and guilty of his mind.(3) Roger Chillingworth•Rogue (hoodlum, scoundrel, bully)•Jolly Roger➢Pirates’ nature is to explore treasures and revenge➢Chillingworth’s act to his wife and to Dimmesdale•“Chilling” means chilly. He is a man deficient in human warmth. He is a cruel and cold-blooded man.•“Worth”tells us Roger’s act is, to some extend, worth/valuable----the author’s contradictory psychology to Puritanism.(4) Pearl•Treasure--- the treasure to her mother•Comes out of an ugly shell but is beautiful•Comes out of an torturing processSymbol of CharactersHester Prynne—exposed sin•Hester’s sin is revealed.Arthur Dimmesdale—concealed sin•His humanity is been constrained by the Puritan society.•His sin is not adultery but not having the courage to admit that he had adulterated.Arthur Dimmesdale also symbolizes the Puritan society.•He is chosen to give a moving speech to Hester in the public of scaffold because the people think he is perfect and nearest person to God. But ironically he is the other sinner and sufferer.•Puritan views themselves as “chosen people”, and persecutes “Pagans” who are considered sinners in the Puritan society.•Hawthorne views that people are all sinners, the Puritan are no exception. The deeper Puritans conceal their sin, the further they are from God. Only do they admit and atone for their sin, they could be forgiven and been redeemed by God.Roger Chillingworth—true sin/evil•He is a merciless avenger. He lives in the side of Dimmesdale every day and scarifies his own life to punish the young minister.•The real sinner of morality in this novel. But he is judged no blemish according to Puritan’s creed. Pearl——the human symbol of the sin•The human symbol of the sin of adultery in the fact that she leads Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale to accept and admit to their sin.•She is also the living symbol of the scarlet letter. Hawthorne: “the scarlet letter in another form; the scarlet letter endowed with life.”•The cloth shows the sin so does Pearl. She is a far stronger device for punishing Hester than the piece of cloth o n Hester’s chest.The contrast of the main charactersHester and PearlHester•Beautifull, strong-minded•Married a much older man and be sent to Boston•Fell in love with a minister for the loneliness•Be setenced and forced to wear the letter “A”•When she was released, she did not escape and lived there with Pearl.•Working on the needles•Devote all her youth on penance.Pearl•Much more impetunous and wild•Do what she pleases•Imagine the forest as her play thing•Be upset about her banishment and resented the people who she viewed as enemies.The depiction of the decorations of the mother and the daughter“her own dress was of the coarsest material and the most somber hug”“the child’s attire, on the other hand, was distinguished by a fanciful”----chapter5 “Hester at her needle”Pearl: perversenness, wildness, lovelinessHester:self-restraint, silence, toleranceContrast ending between mother and daughterHester:•Had spend more on her “purified love”•tolerating all the punishment of her fate•Lived silently until deathPearl:•Married and lived overseas in europe•Happy endingHester and DimmesdaleCourageousness Cowardice & weaknessDiscuss the relationship between the scarlet letter and Hester's identity.Why does she repeatedly refuse to stop wearing the letter? What is the difference between the identity she creates for herself and the identity society assigns to her?For Hester, to remove the scarlet letter would be to acknowledge the power it has in determining who she is. The letter would prove to have successfully restricted her if she were to become a different person in its absence. Hester chooses to continue to wear the letter because she is determined to transform its meaning through her actions and her own self-perception—she wants to be the one who controls its meaning. Society tries to reclaim the letter's symbolism by deciding that the “A” stands for “Able,” but Hester resists this interpretation. The letter symbolizes her own past deed and her own past decisions, and she is the one who will determine the meaning of those events. Upon her return from Europe at the novel's end, Hester has gained control over both her personal and her public identities. She has made herself into a symbol of feminine repression and charitable ideals, and she stands as a self-appointed reminder of the evils society can commit.Literary styleHawthorne's works belong to romanticism or, more specifically, dark romanticism,[87] cautionary tales that suggest that guilt, sin, and evil are the most inherent natural qualities of humanity.[88] Many of his works are inspired by Puritan New England,[89] combining historical romance loaded with symbolism and deep psychological themes, bordering on surrealism.[90] His depictions of the past are a version of historical fiction used only as a vehicle to express common themes of ancestral sin, guilt and retribution.[91] His later writings also reflect his negative view of the Transcendentalism movement.。