A Brief Analysis of the Image of Hester in the Scarlet Letter 红字中海斯特的形象分析1.doc

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1、A Brief Analysis of the Image of Hester in the Scarlet Letter论 文 摘 要霍桑的红字，是美国19世纪文学史上的经典作品，这篇著作反映了清教思想对人生活思想的影响。本篇著作的背景发生在波士顿一个小镇上，介绍了这个地区的人是如何被清教所影响的，其中女主角海斯特白兰和镇上受人尊敬的牧师丁梅斯代尔通奸并生下女儿珠儿，作为惩罚，她被戴上红字“A”“Adultery”的象征。本文通过分析海斯特的性格，也展现了清教法规苛刻无情的刑罚，在清教社会，不管谁犯罪都要接受惩罚。本文还涉及到霍桑的清教观，他对清教价值观和思想的肯定以及对其消极方面对人民思想

2、控制的批评，这也决定海斯特最后的命运是在经过艰苦工作、自我提升后得到救赎。霍桑通过塑造海斯特这个形象向读者展示了他的清教观，以及清教思想对他的影响。海斯特最初是勇敢坚强的，最终却在清教社会的压迫下，承认了自己的罪过并通过赎罪得到了社会的认可。通过红字“A”象征意义的变化反映了海斯特的形象变化。关键字：清教影响; 海斯特性格;原罪；救赎AbstractThe Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthornes representative work, is a classical novel in American literature in the 19th centur

3、y. The novel displays Puritanisms great impact on peoples life and thought. This thesis of the Puritan town Boston, and introduce how the communities in the town are deeply influenced by Puritanism. The heroine Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale, the towns reverend priest, engages in the act of adu

4、ltery and produce a baby girl named Pearl. Meanwhile, by analyzing the main character Hester, the thesis aims at presenting the harshness and the strict punishment in Puritan society. In puritan communities, whoever commits a sin will be punished. The thesis also presents Hawthornes attitude towards

5、 Puritanism. On one hand, he appreciates the puritan thought and value; on the other hand, he condemns the negative impact of puritan society on peoples spirit. And this thought influences Hesters final fateto get salvation through selfimprovement and hard working. Hawthorne explains his puritan tho

6、ughts through creating Hester. Hester is brave and strong, as a sinner, Hester finally get salvation by working hard.key words：Puritanism; Hesters characteristic; sin; salvationTable of ContentsAbstract(Chinese).Abstract(English).1.Introduction12. Hawthornes Intention of Creating Hester.12.1 Puritan

7、 Infulence on Hawthorne12.2 Hawthornes Own Thought on Puritanism23. Original Image of Hester: Strong and Brave43.1 A Graceful and Beautiful Lady43.2 Eager for True Love53.3 Protecting Dimmesdale54.As a Sinner, Working Hard to Get Salvation54.1 Being Shamed for “Adultery”.54.2 Working Hard As a Mothe

8、r and Sinner.74.3 Final Image of Hester: Angle, Bearing the Pain of Losing Lover.8Conclusion.10Bibliography12Acknowledgements131. IntroductionThis novel happened in Boston, which was a colony of England in 17th century. At that time and at that place, the doctrine of Puritans was looked as the rule

9、of peoples daily life. Hawthorne was born in a puritan family, whose grandfather was an authority. That made him was deep influenced by Puritanism. On one hand, he received the doctrine of hard working and thrifty, on the other hand, He thought that the Puritan religion was too strict and harsh. We

10、can see how he disliked them by the way people act, talk, and live. Hester Prynne is a woman, who has great courage to devote to real love and a woman who experiences hard life and longs for freedom. She loves her life no matter how difficult it is. She tries her best to struggle against the adversi

11、ty. She is a beautiful, virtuous, brave and tough woman. Because of being as a sinner, she is forced to wear an “A” on her breast to shame her. She showed extreme strength and courage to resist the bias of the Puritanism by her good deeds and finally is received and being respected by the society an

12、d get salvation through hard working.2. Hawthornes Intention of Creating Hester Hawthorne was born in a puritan family so that he was deep influenced by Puritanism, but the strict punishment and the control of peoples spirit also made him antipathy. Thus he created Hester, who was sinned and punishe

13、d by puritan authority, but finally got salvation by hard working. Hawthorne created her sinned but also praised her braveness and strength.2.1 Puritan Influence on HawthorneThe story tells about the life of the resident under the surrounding of persecution derived from the ineradicable religion in

14、Massachusetts of Boston in New England in public. Boston, which was a colony of England at that time, the local Boston people was the representative of puritans. From the political authorities to the kids playing before the church, their characteristics are the same. The thesis aims at any differenc

15、es from others are hereto. At the early cultures of Boston, ages and experience are emphasis; there is no culture of younger. Thats why Hawthorne makes the story happens there. To the puritans, any person or thing which is different from them will be punished or be banished. To the puritans, the law

16、s are sacred; anyone who breaks the law should be punished strictly, thats the special environment which Hester lived in.All his life, Hawthorne seems to be haunted by his sense of sin and evil in life. Reading his tales and romances, one cannot but be overwhelmed by the “black” vision which these w

17、orks reveal. Evil exists in the human heart as is evident, for instance, in the short story, “Earths Holocaust,” which tells us that, though all symbol of tradition and the past have been burned in the bonfire of the life of the New World, the source of evilthe human heartremains intact. Everyone se

18、ems to cover up his black veil (“The Ministers Black Veil”). Evil seems to be mans birthmark (“The Birthmark”). A. H. Quinn perceptively states that Hawthorne is at his best when dealing with sin, the supernatural, and New England past, The Scarlet Letter is set in the seventeenth century. （Barlow，2

19、000,3）It is en elaboration of a fact which Puritanism ruled. Hester was sinned adultery, which cannot be forgiven and must be punished at that time, this reflects Hawthornes thought of sin, everyone has sin and they must use their whole life to expiate themselves. But he also thought the punishments

20、 are too harsh. Thus why he made Hester sinned, but didnt admit her sin. 2.2 Hawthornes Own Thoughts on Puritanism In this novel, Hawthorne uses the repressive, authoritarian Puritan society as an analogue for humankind in general. The Puritan setting also enables him to portray the human soul under

21、 extreme pressure. Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth, while unquestionable part of the Puritan society in which they live, also reflect universal experiences. Hawthorne speaks specially to American issues, but he circumvents the aesthetic and thematic limitations that might accompany such focus.

22、 His university and his dramatic flair have ensured his place in the literary canon, tolerant and cruel. He thinks that the Puritan religion was too strict and harsh. Readers can see how he disliked them by the way people act, talk, and live.Meanwhile, he also shows how he thought the Puritan people

23、 would react to the manner in which Hester stitched the “A”, and he does not make them look very pleasant. By showing them as being ruthless, and evil, Hawthorne is able to reveal his views of the Puritan people, and how he dislikes them through the townsfolk (the woman in particular). He makes them

24、 come across as people you would love to hate. Throughout the entire book, Hester is looked down upon though slightly less as the story progresses, and is treated like a second class citizen. Hawthorne shows his distaste of the Puritan culture by expressing himself through the characters and their a

25、ctions. Not one person in this novel is truly good, and all the characters sins. It is impossible to have a perfect society, and Nathaniel Hawthorne explains to us in The Scarlet Letter, that one is ruled by the Puritan religion, proves this true.(Gao,2000,4)Nevertheless, although he is shocked by t

26、he Puritan injustice, he is convinced that there is both good and evil in Puritanism. He thinks a lot about the conflict of God as omniscient and omnipotent on one hand, and vengeful and cruel on the other. He sees that religion is able to produce evil. Things like the witch trials, where innocent p

27、eople have to die, can happen in his Puritan hometown of Salem, which leads him to the opinion that the fusion of religious dogma and political authority is the worst evil. His ancestors and all the other Puritans maybe think to have found the devil when prosecuting witches, but Hawthorne is of a di

28、fferent opinion. Hawthornes answer is that devil existed in everybody. It makes people blind so they are not able to recognize the evil in themselves. In a whole, Hawthornes attitude towards Puritanism is split. There are things he is absolutely in favor of and things he condemns from the depth of h

29、is heart. And to some extent, Hawthorne is a Puritan because of his Puritan origin. It is Puritanism that has led to todays American achievement oriented society. But Hawthorne describes the Puritan society of the 17th century as narrow and relentless. He does not share the dogmas and delusions of t

30、he people who are condemned, because he has little interest and less belief in doctrines and theological debate. His imagination is repeatedly drawn the subjects of temptation, guilt and shame. He seeks the depth of the human things.Of course Hawthornes point of view is that of the 19th century, not

31、 that of 17th century, where his short stories are settled. He is aware of his roots and history, but he questions these roots and history from his modern point of view. Back to his attitudes towards the Puritanism of ancestors, when Hawthorne read the accounts about his first American ancestors, he

32、 was reported to have read them with fascination and horror. He was different from his ancestors.The way Hawthorne makes Hesters fate goes with the Puritans. She sins, is forced to wear a letter “A” on her breast, is isolated by the townspeople, but finally is respected because of her kind-hearted.

33、This can be assigned the origin to .Hawthornes experiences that he has isolated from the outside after he graduates from university. Hawthorne has ever said to Longfellow, the most fearful thing is that you can not share your happiness or sorrow of your daily life to others. One who is deprived the

34、right of join the society, is an audience but not a participant, Max said that one is a social man because man has to live in the society, or he will lose the meaning of exiting. （Chang，2009,76）Hawthorne thinks Hester should resign the punishment of Alienation, which is seen as the cruelest one. Hes

35、ter should turn over a new leaf by expiating herself.Hesters fate is designed; she has no choice because she lives in a puritan society and Hawthornes puritan thoughts also determine her fate. The next chapter aims to describe the original image of Hester and the typeface meaning of her original ima

36、ge. 3. Original Image of Hester: Strong and Brave Hesters entrance is an attractive and graceful lady like a lady of quality, which makes her different from the town people. Although she sins, she acts brave and dare to admit her sin, dare to get salvation through her acts.3.1 A Graceful and beautif

37、ul LadyHester is attractive when she appears. She is a slender lady who herself with a deliberate grace. She has a beautiful face with deep black eyes. To most people, she looks more like a graceful lady from the upper class. But Hawthornes female characters tend to fall into two broad categories, t

38、he blond and effete, and the dark-haired and sensual Oriental type. To the latter belongs Hester Prynne, attractive, appealing, and mildly aggressive, she represents sexual guilt as love with her is fatal, but she is really pure and innocent. Young Hester borders on being licentious. Her drive is se

39、xual. One need take just a casual look at her luxuriant head of black silky hair to understand this of her. But she lives a rigorous life; only once does she let loose her lovely hair. (Barlow, 2000, 21)3.2 Eager for True LoveHester Prynne leaves a deep impression to the readers. Hester is a woman,

40、who has great courage to devote to real love and a woman who experiences hard life and longs for freedom. She loves her life no matter how difficult it is. She tries her best to struggle against the adversity. She is a beautiful, virtuous, brave and tough woman.Hester marries with an unloved ugly ol

41、d man, nothing but having great knowledge admired by all fools. However, when Hester goes to Massachusetts of Boston, She falls in love with Dimmesdale who is her true lover. It should be a good matter, so to speak, if she could divorce from the oldest Chillingworth and then marry Dimmesdale it woul

42、d be a romantic love story. Unfortunately, it is disgraceful of a married woman to love another man even if that is her beloved one in that abnormal time. So, what a disgraced thing it is that she has to be set up to public shame and wore a mark of shame upon her bosom letter A stands for adultery t

43、hat makes her bring sermon against sin, until the ignominious scarlet letter be engraved upon her tombstone .But that does not impact on her life even if all dwells give a wide berth to her and use the most incautious words to aggress her later. Because of her benevolence, the inhabitants accept her

44、 gradually though they insult her sometimes. Hester does not mind it, because what she concerns is Whether Dimmesdales life is good or not.3.3 Protecting Dimmesdale When being put into prison, Hester refuses to confess who the father of the baby is, she protect Dimmesdale though Dimmesdale is too re

45、creant to admit the sin. After Hester commits the sin, the Puritan society immediately enforces its law against her. “Hester betrayed her husband and went against the principle of honesty on Puritan, so she must accept the severe penalty in the Puritan society at that time.” Apart from wearing the r

46、ed letter “A”, she has to suffer public shame on the scaffold.Though the love between Hester and Dimmesdale is true, Hester is a woman who is married. Both of them sin, they have to be punished and get salvation through their acts. 4. As a Sinner, Working Hard to Get Salvation In puritans doctrine,

47、one should get salvation by hard working, Hester must be tortured until she receives forgiveness from God, and all that she can do is to bear until she gets salvation.4.1 Being Shamed for “Adultery”The authorities of puritan put an “A” on her dress to shame her, to let her remember her sin and to alien her from the mental and physical. Originally, “A” stands for adultery, thats the sin Hester violate. Because of this letter, she is looked down upon by the villagers and is isolated.Hester Prynne suffers not only because of mankinds