《红字》中的象征主义

《红字》中的象征主义

作者：

导师：

摘要

《红字》是十九世纪美国著名的浪漫主义小说家霍桑的代表作，他常把自己的著作看作浪漫作品而不是小说。《红字》突出的艺术特色是其丰富的象征手法，因此被称为美国历史上第一部象征主义小说。作者以红字“A”为线索，通过女主人公海丝特的悲惨遭遇，深刻揭露了新英格兰时期清教殖民统治的社会现状。本文拟通过对刑台、一系列黑色意象、人物和红字“A”这几个具有象征意义的意象的分析，揭示出象征主义这一艺术特色在全书中的作用和蕴涵的深意，从而能更好地理解全书的主旨。

关键词：象征主义，清教徒，意象，通奸罪

Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter

Author:

Supervisor:

ABSTRACT

The Scarlet Letter is the masterpiece of the well known romantic novelist, Nathaniel Hawthorne, in America in the 19th century. He often calls his works as a romance rather than a novel. Symbolism is the conspicuous artistic characteristic of The Scarlet Letter; therefore, it is also regarded as the first symbolic novel in the history of American fiction. Hawthorne uses the letter A as a clue to represent the society in New England, which is under the control of Puritans. In this article, several symbolic images, such as the scaffold, a series of ―Black‖ images, characters and the scarlet letter ―A‖, are analyzed, and the function and the hinted meaning of symbolism are made clear, so it leads to a better understanding of the theme of the book.

Key words: symbolism, Puritan, image, adultery

Acknowledgements

CONTENTS

摘要 (Ⅰ)

Abstract (Ⅱ)

1 In t rod u c ti on (1)

2 Different Meanings of the Scarlet Letter “A” (3)

2.1 Adultery (3)

2.2 Alone and Alienation (3)

2.3 Able, Admirable and Angel (4)

2.4 Biblical Archetype (4)

3 Symbolic Meanings of the Four Major Characters' Names (7)

3.1 Hester Prynne (7)

3.2Arthur Dimmesdale (8)

3.3 Roger Chillingworth (9)

3.4 Pearl (10)

4 Symbolic Meanings of the Objects Described in the Novel (13)

4.1 Light and Darkness (13)

4.2 Prison (14)

4.3 Rose Bush (14)

4.4 Forest (15)

5 Conclusion (16)

References (17)

1 Introduction

Nathaniel Hawthorne is considered to be one of the greatest of American fiction writers. Hawthorne‘s lifelong fascination with New England social and religious history derived in part from his own family background. He was forced by poor finances to accept a post as surveyor in the Salem Custom House, a position he lost in 1849. Troubled about money and saddened by the recent death of his mother, Hawthorne began a novel that he had brooded over for years. As a result, Hawthorne is frequently credited with portraying Puritanism in The Scarlet Letter in a remarkably authentic and convincing manner.

The intention of this study is to know what is symbol, and what is symbolism, and we are going to know the m from Hawthorne‘s use of symbols in The Scarlet Letter. Generally speaking, a symbol is anything which is used to represent something other than itself. In literature it is most often a concrete object which is used to represent something broader and more abstract-often a moral, religious, or philosophical concept or value. Symbols range from the most obvious and mechanical substitution of one thing for another, to creations as massive, complex, and perplexing as Melville‘s white whale in Moby Dick.

As we know i t is in Hawthorne‘s use of symbols in The Scarlet Letter that he has made one of his most distinctive and significant contributions to the growth of American fiction. Indeed, this book is usually regarded as the first symbolic novel to be written in the United States.

We are going to make a study in the different meanings of the scarlet ―A‖, the symbolic meaning of the four major character s‘name and the symbolic meanings of the objects described in the novel.

Also, we would know from the study that Hawthorne was not a realist, but a symbolic novelist. Or, to put it in his own terms, he was writing not a ―novel‖ but a ―romance‖.He feels free to select both from the village and from the countryside which surrounds it, those details which will best help him to set the mood and convey the ideas of his ―romance‖. It is because they are helpful to him that he has used the scaffold, the forest, the rosebush, Mistress Hibbins, Governor Bellingham, the Election Sermon, the drab and solemn townspeople, and even the period itself. By allowing himself this latitude in his choice of details, he has