A Brief Analysis of the Usage of Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter浅析《红字》中象征主义手法的运用.doc

An Analysis of the Usage of Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter浅析红字中象征主义手法的运用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 “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 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。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 supervisor's 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 me.Contents Introduction11 Various Symbolic Meanings of the Scarlet Letter “A”31.1 The Change of the Symbolic Meanings of the Scarlet Letter “A”31.1.1 Adultery31.1.2 Alone and Alienation41.1.3 Able, Admirable and Angel51.2 The Scarlet Letter and the Strictness of Puritan Society52 The Symbolic Meaning of the Four Main Characters62.1 Hester Prynne62.2 Arthur Dimmesdale72.3 Roger Chillingworth82.4 Pearl93 The Symbolic Meanings of the Objects in the Novel12Conclusion15Bibliography16IntroductionNathaniel 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 family's decline is his ancestors' misdeeds. And he didn't agree with the optimism held by Transcendentalists towards human nature. He wrote lots of works on everlasting evil side in human natureHawthorne 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.Hawthorne's 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 Faun.Hawthorne's 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 punished, because 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 literature.The 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 shame.Hester 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 “Able”.But 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 hell.The 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 should 1 Various Symbolic Meanings of the Scarlet Letter “A”1.1 The Change of the Symbolic Meanings of the Scarlet Letter “A” In 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 angel.1.1.1 AdulteryIn the novel, the letter "A", worn on Hester's bosom, is a symbol of her adultery against 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 punishment. “Here, she said to herself, had been the scene of her guilt, and here should be the scene of her earthly punishment” （Brown，2002：123） 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 her.1.1.2 Alone and AlienationThe scarlet letter “A” also symbolizes Hester's lonely life in New England. Hester's 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 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 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 people's 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 alienation.1.1.3 Able, Admirable and Angel“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.” (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 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, 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 ability.The 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 lifetime.1.2 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 their dramatic 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 artistic.2 The Symbolic Meaning of the Four Main Characters2.1 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, 1990：104) 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 people's insolence and pursues a normal life. She proves her worth with her uncommon sewing skills and provides community service. Hester's 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 succo