《红字》中女主人公个性分析参考word

1、湖南第一师范学院 毕业论文(设计) 题目 (中文)红字中女主人公个性分析（英文）An Analysis of the Personality of the Heroine in The Scarlet Letter学生姓名刘文叶学号09404040421指导教师姚芬芳系（部）外语系专业班级09英语4班完成时间2013年5月 An Analysis of the Personality of the Heroine in The Scarlet LetterByLIU WenyeA Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requiremen

2、tsfor the Degree of BACHELOR OF ARTSDepartment of Foreign Language, HUNAN FIRST NORMAL UNIVERSITYMay, 2013毕业论文(设计)作者声明1本人提交的毕业论文(设计)是本人在指导教师指导下独立进行研究取得的成果。除文中特别加以标注的地方外，本文不包含其他人或其它机构已经发表或撰写过的成果。对本文研究做出重要贡献的个人与集体均已在文中明确标明。2本人完全了解湖南第一师范学院有关保留、使用学位论文的规定，同意学院保留并向国家有关部门或机构送交本文的复印件和电子版，允许本文被查阅、借阅或编入有关数据库进

3、行检索。同意湖南第一师范学院可以采用影印、打印或扫描等复制手段保存和汇编本文，可以用不同方式在不同媒体上发表、传播本文的全部或部分内容。3湖南第一师范学院在组织专家对毕业论文(设计)进行复审时，如发现本文抄袭，一切后果均由本人承担，与学院和毕业论文指导教师无关。作者签名： 日期: 年 月 日推荐精选摘 要纳撒尼尔霍桑是 19 世纪美国著名的小说家，其作品对美国短篇小说的发展起着重要的作用。红字是霍桑著名的代表作之一，也是众多学者研究的对象。本文试图以红字为文本，结合当时的时代背景与女主人公海斯特白兰的生活环境及个人经历，探索海斯特在不同时期的个性特点。本文通过对海斯特的个性分析，揭露19世纪资

4、本主义发展时代社会典法的残酷、宗教的欺骗和道德的虚伪。因为霍桑的小说反映出当时深厚的社会、宗教和哲学背景，所以，即使在新的世纪里其作品仍然值得我们研究和分析。关键词：霍桑；海斯特；个性；红字 AbstractNathaniel Hawthorne was one of the famous American novelists in the 19th century, whose works plays an important role in the development of the US short stories. The Scarlet Letter is one of his f

5、amous novels and it is studied by many scholars. This article attempts to take it as the text, and unify the historical background of the US in the 19th century and Hesters life surroundings and personal experience to explore the characteristics of Hester in different times. The article mainly analy

6、zes Hesters three characteristics and her performance, revealing the cruelty of social rules, deception of religion and hypocrisy of morality in 19th century. Hawthornes novels reflect their profound social, religious and philosophical background. Even in the new century, they are still worth of stu

7、dying and analyzing.Key words: Hawthorne; Hester; characters; The Scarlet Letter CONTENTS中文摘要I AbstractIIChapter 1 Introduction1Chapter 2 The Analysis on Hawthorne and The Scarlet Letter32.1 Hawthorne32.2 The Scarlet Letter4Chapter 3 The Analysis on the Background63.1 The Historical Background63.1.1

8、 America in the Romantic Period.63.1.2 Puritanism Influence on America.83.2 The Life Background103.2.1 The Surroundings.103.2.2 The Individual Experience.11Chapter 4 The Analysis on Hesters Character.144.1 Her Bravery.144.1.1 The Pursuit of Love.144.1.2 The Assumer of Her Guilt.154.2 Her Rebellion15

9、4.2.1 Her Attitude to Church.164.2.2 Her Escape from Reality.174.3 Her Compromise184.3.1 Her Struggle in Thought.184.3.2 Her Return to Boston.20Chapter 5 Conclusion22Bibliography23Acknowledgements24 Chapter1IntroductionThe novel The Scarlet Letter is a famous masterpiece of Nathaniel Hawthorne, the

10、famous American romantic novelist in the 19th century. The novel is a tragic love story that took place in New England of the 17th century. The heroine Hester Prynne is a kind beautiful English girl and unfortunately marries Roger Chillingworth, a malformed hypocritical old scholar. Later on the way

11、 to Boston, Massachusetts, New England, North America, Hesters husband is captured and never arrives at his destination. In the nearly two years of widowed life, Hester falls in love with Dimmesdale, the local parish priest and gives birth to Pearl, her daughter who is beautiful and full of intellig

12、ence. After that, the Puritan regime of the state and the church take her as a specimen of sin, and punish her by taking a red letter “A” in English (ie the first letter of adultery) in her chest and living the whole life humbly. Dimmesdale is not exposed publicly, however, dies of the psychological

13、 torture and the persecution of Chillingworth.The Scarlet Letter is a unique, thoughtful and imaginative work, attracting the attention and comments more than a century, which is recognized as the most outstanding representative work of Hawthorne. Hester Prynne, the heroine of The Scarlet Letter, is

14、 a quite real and complex female image. Hester has her sins and shortcomings, but she has more admirable strength and virtue. She lives in an isolated and helpless environment, spending a long and painful process of self-transformation. On the one hand, she learns to obey and do good things; on the

15、other hand, she keeps independent and revolted, not to yield to the Puritan regime which oppresses her severely.There are so many scholars starting to study The Scarlet Letter of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Some of them study the environment and skills reflected in the novel, some of them study Puritanism

16、and Feminism, others study the characters in the novel and so on. However, this article attempts to take The Scarlet Letter as the text, and unify the historical background of the US in the 19th century and Hesters life surroundings and personal experience to explore the characteristics of Hester in

17、 different times. The article mainly analyzes Hesters three characteristics and her performance, revealing the cruelty of social rules, deception of religion and hypocrisy of morality in 19th century. Hawthornes novel has its profound social, religious and philosophical background. Even in the new c

18、entury, it is still worth of learning and thinking by us. Chapter2The Analysis on Hawthorne and The Scarlet Letter2.1 HawthorneNathaniel Hawthorne was a famous American novelist and short story writer, who was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. His ancestors included John Hathorne, the on

19、ly judge involved in the Salem witch trials who never repented of his actions. Nathaniel later added a w to make his name Hawthorne in order to hide this relation. He entered Bowdoin College in 1821, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in 1824, and graduated in 1825. Hawthorne published his first work, a

20、novel titled Fanshawe, in 1828; he later tried to suppress it, feeling it not equal to the standard of his later work. He published several short stories in various periodicals which he collected in 1837 as Twice-Told Tales. The next year, he became engaged to Sophia Peabody. He worked at a Custom H

21、ouse and joined Brook Farm, a transcendentalist community, before marrying Peabody in 1842. The couple moved to The Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts, later moved to Salem, the Berkshires, then to The Wayside in Concord. The Scarlet Letter was published in 1850, followed by a succession of other n

22、ovels. A political appointment took Hawthorne and family to Europe before their return to The Wayside in 1860. Hawthorne died on May 19, 1864, and his wife and their three children survived.Much of Hawthornes writing centers on New England, many works featuring moral allegories with a Puritan inspir

23、ation. His fiction works are considered part of the Romantic Movement, more specifically, Dark romanticism. His themes often center on the inherent evil and sin of humanity, and his works often have moral messages and deep psychological complexity. His works include novels, short stories, and a biog

24、raphy of his friend Franklin Pierce.2.2 The Scarlet LetterThe Scarlet Letter is an 1850 romantic work of fiction in a historical setting, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. It is considered to be his magnum opus. Set in 17th-century Puritan Boston, Massachusetts during the years 1642 to 1649, it tells

25、the story of Hester Prynne, who conceives a daughter through an adulterous affair and struggles to create a new life of regret and dignity. Throughout the book, Hawthorne explores themes of legalism, sin, and guilt.The experience of Hester and Dimmesdale recalls the story of Adam and Eve, because, i

26、n both cases, sin results in expulsion and suffering. But it also results in knowledgespecifically, in knowledge of what it means to be immoral. For Hester, the red letter “A” functions as her passport into regions where other women dare not tread”, leading her to speculate about her society and her

27、self more boldly than anyone else in New England.Another theme is the extreme legalism of the Puritans and how Hester chooses not to conform to their rules and beliefs. Hester is rejected by the villagers even though she spends her life doing what she can to help the sick and the poor. Because they

28、rejected her, she spends her life mostly in solitude, and will not go to church. As a result, she retreats into her own mind and her own thinking. Her thoughts begin to stretch and go beyond what will be considered by the Puritans as safe or even Christian. She still sees her sin, but begins to look

29、 on it differently than the villagers ever have. She begins to believe that a persons earthly sins do not necessarily condemn them. She even goes so far as to tell Dimmesdale that their sin has been paid for by their daily penance and that their sin will not keep them from getting to heaven, however

30、, the Puritans believe that such a sin surely condemns. But Hester has been alienated from the Puritan society, both in her physical life and spiritual life. When Dimmesdale dies, she knows she has to move on because she can no longer conform to the Puritans strictness. Her thinking is free from rel

31、igious bounds and she has established her own different moral standards and beliefs.Chapter3The Analysis on the Background 3.1 The Historical BackgroundAmerica stepped into the romantic period from about 1830 and ended about in 1870, when The Scarlet Letter was completed and published. Although Nath

32、aniel Hawthorne lived in the 19th century, however, the novel described a story in the 17th century, when Puritan played an important role in America history.3.1.1 America in the Romantic PeriodThe American Romantic period, which lasted from 1830 to 1870, was a time of rapid expansion and growth in

33、the United States that fueled intuition, imagination, and individualism in literature. When you think about stories that are labeled “romantic”, you probably think of a romance novel, where some half-dressed woman has some Fabio-esque guy hanging all over her. That is not what were talking about in

34、the American Romantic period. Like those stories, Romantic literature is both adventuresome and improbable, but it is a lot more than just a randy love story.In 1830, just fifty years after the Revolutionary War, America was still really young, but its citizens were anxious to create their own ident

35、ity that was uniquely American and not so reliant on European values. Therefore, the American Romantic movement challenged the very rational thinking in the Age of Reason during the Revolutionary War. This period produced fewer instructional texts and more stories, novels, and poetry.Within these st

36、ories, novels, and poems, there are five characteristics that we used to identify American Romantic literature. These are imagination, individuality, nature as a source of spirituality, looking to the past for wisdom, and seeing the common man as a hero.The development of the American society nurtur

37、ed “the literature of a great nation.” As the nation grew in size and ambition, people began to long for owning their own literature. Many writers made efforts to attract notice abroad, and their books drew attention and praise from important foreign figures. Although English literature models were

38、still admired, the American writers soon turned to the American scene and civilization, and found their materials in the culture and history, the lore and landscape of their native land. Irving, Cooper, Bryant, and Pe all found audiences in foreign lands. Much of the interest was in reading about li

39、fe in a new, experimental country which appeared remote and exotic to most Europeans. But the American writers were praised by critics as well as by plain readers, and observers saw this recognition as a sign of the maturing of American culture.New England Transcendentalism was a main literacy strea

40、m in romantic period and also the summit of American Romanticism. The major features of New England Transcendentalism can be summarized as follows: first, the Transcendentalists placed emphasis on spirit, or the Oversoul, as the most important thing in the universe. Second, the Transcendentalists of

41、fered a fresh perception of nature as symbolic of the Spirit or God. New England Transcendentalism inspired a whole new generation of famous authors such as Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, Whiteman and Dickinson. Without its impetus America might have been deprived of one of its most prolific

42、 literary periods in its history.3.1.2 Puritanism Influence on AmericaEarly in the 17th century some Puritan groups separated from the Church of England. Among these were the Pilgrims, who in 1620 founded Plymouth Colony. Ten years later, under the auspices of the Massachusetts Bay Company, the firs

43、t major Puritan migration to New England took place. The Puritans brought strong religious impulses to bear in all colonies north of Virginia, but New England was their stronghold, and the Congregationalist churches established there were able to perpetuate their viewpoint about a Christian society

44、for more than 200 years. Richard Mather and John Cotton provided clerical leadership in the dominant Puritan colony planted on Massachusetts Bay. Thomas Hooker was an example of those who settled new areas farther west according to traditional Puritan standards. Even though he broke with the authori

45、ties of the Massachusetts colony over problems of religious freedom, Roger Williams was also a true Puritan in his zeal for personal godliness and doctrinal correctness. Most of these men held ideas in the mainstream of Calvinistic thought. In addition to believing in the absolute sovereignty of God

46、, the total depravity of man, and the complete dependence of human beings on divine grace for salvation, they stressed the importance of personal religious experience. These Puritans insisted that they, as Gods elect, had the duty to direct national affairs according to Gods will as revealed in the

47、Bible. This union of church and state to form a holy commonwealth gave Puritanism direct and exclusive control over most colonial activity until commercial and political changes forced them to relinquish it at the end of the 17th century.Because of its diffuse nature, when Puritanism began to declin

48、e in America is difficult to say. Some would hold that it lost its influence in New England by the early 18th century, but Jonathan Edwards and his able disciple Samuel Hopkins revived Puritan thought and kept it alive until 1800. Others would point to the gradual decline in power of Congregationali

49、sm, but Presbyterians under the leadership of Jonathan Dickinson and Baptists led by the example of Isaac Backus (1724 - 1806) revitalized Puritan ideals in several denominational forms through the 18th century.During the whole colonial period Puritanism had direct impact on both religious thought a

50、nd cultural patterns in America. In the 19th century its influence was indirect, but it can still be seen at work stressing the importance of education in religious leadership and demanding that religious motivations be tested by applying them to practical situations.American Puritanism was one of t

51、he most enduring shaping influences in American thought and American literature. It has become, to some extent, so much a state of mind, rather than a set of tenets, so much a part of the national cultural atmosphere that the Americans breathe. Without some understanding of Puritanism, there can be

52、no real understanding of American culture and literature.Puritans was the name given in the 16th century to the more extreme Protestants within the Church of England who thought the English Reformation had not gone far enough in reforming the doctrines and structure of the church. They wanted to pur

53、ify their national church by eliminating every shred of Catholic influence. In the 17th century many Puritans emigrated from the New World, where they sought to found a holy Commonwealth in New England. Puritanism remained the dominant cultural force in that area into the 19th century.Puritans belie

54、ved that human beings were predestined by God before they were born. Some were Gods chosen people while others were predestined to be damned to hell. The success of ones work or the prosperity in his calling given by God was the sign of being Gods elect. Therefore, everyone must work hard, spend lit

55、tle and invest for more business. Working hard and living a moral life were their ethics. They regarded Bible to be the authority of their doctrine. To be able to read the Bible and understand Gods will, education was essential for Puritans.3.2 The Life BackgroundHester lives in New England, a colon

56、y of North America. At that time, Puritans seriously advocate people to believe God. It is an honor to be chosen by God, but others are predestined to be damned to hell. However, Hester is hurt by the Puritanism. The novel reveals the darkness and cruelty of the colonial domination and the hypocrisy and ferocity of the church through reflection of Hesters miserable sufferings.3.2.1 The Surroundings Puritans originates from the first thorough religious reform by English King Henry VIII in the