浅析《红字》中海斯特的性格.doc

浅析红字中海斯特的性格 摘 要 作为世界著名作家之一和“美国的莎士比亚”，霍桑将浪漫主义推向了高峰。他的红字是美国19世纪文学史上的经典作品，也是女性追求真爱，挑战清教社会中神权父权的代表作。红字更是吸引了无数学者研究海斯特的性格，对她的各种分析也屡见不鲜。本篇著作的背景是在波士顿的一个小镇上，介绍了这个地区的居民是如何被清教主义深刻影响的。其中女主人公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，她被带上红字A-”Adultery”的象征。 同时，论文分析女主人公海斯特的性格。例如勇敢坚强，叛逆，还有红字A的转变对她性格的影响。论文的主要目的是展现了清教法规的苛刻无情地刑法，在清教社会中，不管是谁犯罪都要接受惩罚。本文还涉及了霍桑的清教价值观，他对清教值价值观和思想的肯定以及对其消极方面对人民思想控制的批判，这也是决定海斯特最后的命运是在通过自身的努力实现了对真爱的追寻并且自身也得到救赎，也改变了人们对红字的看法。霍桑描写的海斯特的性格向人们展示了他的清教观，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救赎得到了社会的认可。通过红字A的象征意义的变化也体现了海斯特的性格变化。关键字；清教主义，海斯特，性格，通奸IAbstractAN ANALYSIS OF HESTERS PRESONALITY IN SCARLET LETTERAbstract As one of the worlds most famous writers and “the Shakespeare of American” Nathaniel Hawthorne played a critical role in the highlight of romantic novel. The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthornes representative work, is a classical novel in American literature in the 19th century. The novel is concerning how feminine pursue true love, challenge theocracy, patriarchy and political power in Puritan society. This thesis 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 adultery baby girl named Pearl. As punishment Hester forced to wear “Adultery”. And Scarlet Letter has wined the world-wide attention. Especially the female Hester Prynne has attracted large numbers of scholars to analysis her personality. Meanwhile, The novel describes the heroine Hester Prynne who shows us some personality such as strong , brave, rebellion, compromise and hypocrisy in the transformation of her. The thesis aims at presenting the harshness and the strict punishment in Puritan society. In puritan communities, no matter who commits a sin will be punished. 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 fate-to get salvation through self-improvement and hardworking. Hester is brave and strong but with the force of puritanism she admitted her sin. And with analysis the transformation of As meaning reflect Hesters personality.Key words：Puritanism; Hester ; Personality; AdulteryII CONTENTSCHAPTER I INTRODUCTION.1CHAPTER II INTRODUCTION OF THE AUTHOR AND HIS WORKS.22.1 Author .2 2.1.1 Puritan Influence On Hawthorne.,.2 2.1.2.Hawthornes Own Thought on Puritanism.32.2 Works .5 2.2.1 His Main Works.5 2.2.2 Introduction of The Scarlet Letter .6CHAPTER III ANALYSIS HESTERS PERSONALITY .93.1 Hesters Personality at the Beginning of the Novel .9 3.1.1 Personality of Graceful and Beautiful .9 3.1.2 Personality of Rebellious .93.2 Hesters Personality after wearing “Adultery”.10 3.2.1 Personality of Fearless.10 3.2.2 Personality of Compromising being a Mother .11 3.2.3 Personality of Brave and Strong.13CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS OF THE LETTER “A” -ADULTERY.144.1 Being Shamed for “Adultery”.144.2Transformation of As Meaning; Alone, Alienate, Able, Angel, Admirable.16CHAPTER V CONCLUSION .185.1 The Summary of the Research.185.2 The Significance of the Research.185.3 The Limitations of the Research.18REFERENCE.1918CHAPTER INTRODUCTION The Scarlet Letter represents Nathaniel Hawthornes most successful and popular novel, which was published in 1850. It is an outstanding work, which is full of profound intention, complicated plots and sincere emotion. It also shows its unique artistic charm and literary values. Hester Prynne is a famous figure in American literature. Hester Prynne is the main character of Nathaniel Hawthornes 1850 novel The Scarlet Letter. This 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 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. Hester Prynne is a woman, who has great courage to pure the 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. Because of adultery, 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 and get salvation through hard working.CHAPTER II INTRODUCTION OF THE AUTHOR AND MAIN WORKS2.1 Introduction of the Author Hawthorne was born on the fourth of July, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. Some of his ancestors were men of prominence in the Puritan theocracy of seventeenth century New England. One of them was a colonial magistrate, notorious for his part in the persecution of the Quakers, and another was a judge at the Salem Witchcraft Trial in 1692. Gradually the family fortune declined . His father, a sea captain, died in Dutch Guiana, leaving the widow and the child behind to shift for themselves. Young Hawthorne was intensely aware of the misdeeds of his Puritan ancestors, this awareness led to his understanding of evil being at the core of human life , to “that blackness in Hawthorne ”. In 1821 Hawthorne went to Bowdoin College, where he had Henry Wadsworth Longfellow as a classmate. He also developed a friendship with Franklin Pierce who was to become the fourteenth President of the United States. In 1825 to 1837 Hawthorne lived in solitude and seclusion. He was, during the four years (1853-1857) when President Pierce was in office, the United States consul in Liverpool, England and later traveled in Italy. He died in 1864.2.1.1 Puritan Influence On Hawthorne The story tells about the life of the resident under the surrounding of persecution derived from the ineradicable religion in 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 differences 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 laws 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 works 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 huAman heartremains intact. Everyone seems 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，2000,3）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 are too harsh. Thus why he made Hester sinned, but didnt admit her sin. 2.1.2 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 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. 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 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 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 actions. 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 the 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 people 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 different 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 his 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 the 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 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 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. 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 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. Hester 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. 2.2 Works2.2.1 His Main Works The House of the Seven Gables is an appalling fictional version Hawthornes belief that “the wrong-doing of one generation lives into the successive”, and that evil will come out of evil though it may take many generation to happen.Colonel Pyncheon takes by force the land of Matthew Maule, and condemns him as a wizard. He builds a house on the land while Matthew Maule is sent to the scaffold. Before he dies, the “wizard” curses the colonel, saying “God will give him blood to drink”. Retribution does come. The house seems to be haunted. The scion of the colonel wither and die out, and eventually it is the descendant of the persecuted wizard who gets the upper hand. The curse does, in time, materialize. It is true that the book concludes on a happy note, and that good triumphs over evil. The Marble Faun is a good illustration. A young Italian nobleman, Donatello by name, falls in love with a beautiful Miriam whose happiness is, however, threatened by a monk and eventually gives himself up to a life-imprisonment while Miriam is resolved to lead a life of penance. Donatello lives through the tragic experience and attains maturity as a man. 2.2.2 Introduction of the Scarlet Letter The story begins in seventeenth-century Boston, then a Puritan settlement. A young woman, Hester Prynne, is led from the town prison with her infant daughter, Pearl, in her arms and the scarlet letter “A” on her breast. A man in the crowd tells an elderly onlooker that Hester is being punished for adultery. Hesters husband, a scholar much older than she is, sent her ahead to America, but he never arrived in Boston. The consensus is that he has been lost at sea. While waiting for her husband, Hester has apparently had an affair, as she has given birth to a child. She will not reveal her lovers identity, however, and the scarlet letter, along with her public shaming, is her punishment for her sin and her secrecy. On this day Hester is led to the town scaffold and harangued by the town fathers, but she again refuses to identify her childs father. The elderly onlooker is Hesters missing husband, who is now practicing medicine and calling himself Roger Chillingworth. He settles in Boston, intent on revenge. He reveals his true identity to no one but Hester, whom he has sworn to secrecy. Several years pass. Hester supports herself by working as a seamstress, and Pearl grows into a willful, impish child. Shunned by the community, they live in a small cottage on the outskirts of Boston. Community officials attempt to take Pearl away from Hester, but, with the help of Arthur Dimmesdale, a young and eloquent minister, the mother and daughter manage to stay together. Dimmesdale, however, appears to be wasting away and suffers from mysterious heart trouble, seemingly caused by psychological distress. Chillingworth attaches himself to the ailing minister and eventually moves in with him so that he can provide his patient with round-the-clock care. Chillingworth also suspects that there may be a connection between the ministers torments and Hesters secret, and he begins to test Dimmesdale to see what he can learn. One afternoon, while the minister sleeps, Chillingworth discovers a mark on the mans breast, which convinces him that his suspicions are correct. Dimmesdales psychological anguish deepens, and he invents new tortures for himself. In the meantime, Hesters charitable deeds and quiet humility have earned her a reprieve from the scorn of the community. One night, when Pearl is about seven years old, s