On the Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter 论《红字》中的象征主义

本科生毕业论文OntheSymbolisminTheScarletLetter论《红字》中的象征主义 姓　　名 梨花 学　　号 MACROBUTTONAcceptAllChangesShown[在此处键入学号] 专　　业 MACROBUTTONAcceptAllChangesShown[在此处键入专业名称] 指导教师 MACROBUTTONAcceptAllChangesShown[在此处键入指导教师姓名和职称]2016年5月20日OntheSymbolisminTheScarletLetterAThesisSubmittedtoSchoolofForeignLanguagesofHenanUniversityofEconomicsandLawinPartialFulfillmentoftheRequirementsfortheDegreeofBachelorofArtsByXXXSupervisor:XXXMay20,2016AbstractTheScarletLetterisHawthorne’smostimportantsymbolicnovel,whichisthebestworkofHawthorneandoneoftheindubitablemasterpiecesofAmericanLiterature.AnditisthisnovelthatmakesNathanielHawthorneknownallaroundtheworld.Thisthesisstudiesthesymbolismthatissoskillfullyintheusageofthisnovel.Itenhancestheartisticeffectsofhisworkgreatly.InTheScarletLetter,symbolismrunsthroughthewholenovel.Themostimportantsymbolisthescarletletteritself.Notonlydoes“A”manifestinvariousforms,butalsoithaschangingmeaningsfrom“adultery”to“able”,even“angelic”inthenovel.Besides,thenameofthefourmajorcharactersinthenovel:HesterPrynne,ArthurDimmesdale,RogerChillingworthandPearlalsohavetheirownsymbolicmeanings.Someotherobjectsandnaturalsurroundingsthataredescribedinthenovelsuchasthejail,theforest,therosebushandsoonareallendowedwithadeepsymbolicsignificance.TheauthorofthethesiswillexploretheusageofsymbolisminTheScarletLetterfromthethreeaspectsmentionedaboveandanalyzeHawthorne’sskillfuluseofsymbolisminTheScarletLetter.KeyWords:thescarletletter；symbolism；HesterPrynne；Pearl（在正文之前使用小写罗马数字页码）摘要长篇小说《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。本文主要研究在这部作品中的象征主义手法，及通过象征主义如何加强作品的艺术效果。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，本文还研究了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AcknowledgementsThisthesisistheproductoftheauthorandthesupervisor’sthreemonthsofefforts.IthasbeenrepeatedlyrevisedundertheguidanceofProfessorXXX.ItwasthejointeffortsofboththeauthorandtheteachersinForeignLanguagesDepartment.Theauthorwouldliketoexpresshis/herheartfeltthankstoProfessorXXXandtheteacherswhohavehelpedhim/herintheprocessofthethesiswriting.Theauthorwillalsogivehis/herthankstohis/herclassmatesandfriendswhohavehelpedhim/herrevisethethesis.Lastbutnotleast,theauthorwillgivehis/herheartfeltthankstohis/herparentswhohavealwaysbeensupportingandencouraginghim/her.ContentsIntroduct1iHYPERLINK\l"_Toc169508978"on31VariousSymbolicMeaningsoftheScarletLetter“A”31.1TheChangeoftheSymbolicMeaningsoftheScarletLetter“A”31.1.1Adultery41.1.2AlonenessandAlienation41.1.3TheAble,AdmirableandAngel51.2TheScarletLetterandtheStrictnessofPuritanSociety52TheSymbolicMeaningoftheFourMainCharacters52.1HesterPrynne62.2ArthurDimmesdale72.3RogerChillingworth92.4Pearl113TheSymbolicMeaningsoftheObjectsintheNovel3.1TheLightandtheDarkness………………..………………………………….123.2ThePrisonandtheRoseBush………………...……………………………….133.3TheForestandtheArmor…………………...…………………………………1415Conclusion17Bibliography（一级标加粗，二级标题不加粗）IntroductionNathanielHawthorneisagreatromanticnovelistinAmericainthe19thcenturyandisconsideredtobethefirstgreatestAmericanfictionwriterinthemoralistictradition.Hawthorneisoutstandinginliteratureskill,especiallyinhandlingsymbolism.Hiswork—TheScarletLetterisnotableforitssymbolismandisregardedasthefirstsymbolicnovelinAmericanliterature.NathanielHawthornewasborninSalemin1804.HewasborninaprestigiousNewEnglandfamilycloselyrelatedwithPuritanchurch;hisancestorsattendedthepersecutionofpeoplebelongingtodifferentchurches,suchasQuakers.Whenhewasborn,hisfamilydeclined.Hewasawareofhisancestors’misdeedsandthus“blacknessofHawthorne”formed.Hethoughtthatthereasonofhisfamily’sdeclineishisancestors’misdeeds.Andhedidn’tagreewiththeoptimismheldbyTranscendentaliststowardshumannature.Hewrotelotsofworksoneverlastingevilsideinhumannature.Hawthorne’smasterpieceincludeshisshortstorycollections:Twice-ToldTales;MosesfromanOldManseandnovels:TheScarletLetter;TheHouseofSevenGables;TheBlithedaleRomance;TheMarbleFaun.Hawthorne’swritingskillscanbesummarizedasfollows:Hawthorneseemstobeinfluencedalotbythesinandevilinhissense.Hebelievesevilexistsinhumanheartallthetime.Forexample,inthenovelTheScarletLetter,theministerDimmesdaletriestopretendhowpureandpiousheis.Hewantstocoveruptheevilinhismind.NotonlyDimmesdalewantstodolikethis,butalsoallthepeopleintheworld,becauseweareonlyhumanbeings.Andtheeviljustlikesamarkthatexistsinourmindwhenweareborn.AndinHawthorne’smind,peoplewhocommitacrimemustbepunished,becausepeoplecangetexperiencefromthisway.Andalsohesupportspeopletotellthetruthandnottooffend.Thestorybeginsinseventeenth-centuryBoston,whichisunderPuritancommand.Thehusband—anoldanduglyscholar,sendsayoungwoman,namedHesterPrynne,aheadtoAmerica.However,formanyyears,hehimselfdoesn’tarrive.Obviously,itispossiblethathehasbeenlostinthesea.Whilewaitingforherhusband,HesterandayounglocalministercalledArthurDimmesdalefallinlovewitheachother.Theycommitadulterysecretly.BecauseofHester’sPregnancy,thesecretisfinallydiscovered.HesterandDimmesdaleloveeachother.Buttheirloveisforbiddeninthatstrictsociety.Itissinful.Duetothisfact,Hesterispunishedbysocietywithaletter“A”onherchest,whichisconsideredtobeanevil,ashame.Hesterisbraveenoughtofacethecruelsociety.Sheisalwayswithamindofcourage.Shehasbeenalonewithherchildforsolongatime,withlittlecommunication.Hesterhastoweartheletter“A”daybyday,sevenyearsasforpunishmentandillfame.However,Hesterisakind-heartedwomanandisalwaysreadytohelpotherpeopleinthecommunitywithoutexpectinganythanks.Later,peopleinthetownnolongerviewthescarletletterAasapunishment,butratherasrepresentinghergreatstrengthandbraveryandtheysayitmeans“Able”.ButArthurDimmesdale,hissinagainstHesterandPearlisthathewillnotacknowledgethemashiswifeanddaughterinthedaylight.Heistooweaktoadmithissins.Hesuffersfrommysterioushearttrouble,seeminglycausedbypsychologicaldistress.What’sworse,heisanadvisortothetownspeopleabouttheirsins.AfterMr.Dimmesdale’sdeath,noonechangesmoreinappearancethanRogerChillingworth.Allhisstrengthandenergyhasbeenusedtoharmhispatient.Thisunhappymanhasmadehisaiminlifetoaddtothesufferingoftheyoungminister.Whentheeviloldmannolongerhassuchapurpose,thedeviltakeshimbacktothehell.TheScarletLetterisaculturalallegory,inwhichtheauthorindirectlytellsthefutureofPuritanism.TheScarletLetterisasampleinwhichAmericanRomanticismadapteditselftoAmericanPuritanism.TheresearchesonTheScarletLetter,bothathomeandoverseasarequiteflourishing:fromitscontents,writingskillstorhetoricaldevices,fromitssinandsorrowtothedestiniesoftheprotagonists;interpretedbymanyaliterarytheory,ithasbeenexploredfromtheperspectivesofpolyphony,psychoanalysis,mythicalprototypesandsoon.Inoverseaacademia,especiallytheAmericanacademia,since1932therehasbeenstudiesonNathanielHawthorne.Athome,manyscholarshavediscussedthesymbolisminTheScarletLetter.TherearemanystudiesabouttheScarletLetter“A”,suchasYangYin’sTheDifferentSymbolizingMeaningofAinTheScarletLetter,whichpointsouttheletterA’simpliedmeaningchangesasthethemedevelops.JiaYanandWangLijuanmakeastudyaboutthesymbolismofthefourmajorcharacters’namesintheirpaper,OntheSymbolizingMeaningsofTheMainCharactersinTheScarletLetter.Theythinktheheroine’snameHesterPrynnecontainsthemeaningofbeauty,passion,rash,hasty,desire,purifyingthesoul,andsoon.Whilethehero,ArthurDimmesdale,whoseinitialsAD,whichalsostandsforadultery.AndtheresearchonthesymbolismoftheobjectsinthesettingshasbeenstudiedbyZengYanbo,inhisessayOnSymbolisminTheScarletLetter,settingsbecomeoneofmajorelementsofsymbolism,suchasthescaffold,whichisthedominatingpointatthebeginning,inthemiddle,andattheendofthestory.ZhangJulanmakesaprofounddiscussionaboutthesymbolisminTheScarletLetter,andrevealsthesignificanceofsymbolisminthenovel.Besides,shealsodiscussesthecrimeofthenatureandtheredemptionoftheGodinthenovel.Inthesearticles,criticsresearchthesymbolisminTheScarletLetterandthegreatsignificanceofsymbolismonlyfromtheirspecialperspective.Therefore,acomprehensiveandsystematicstudyofthesymbolisminTheScarletLetterisverynecessary.Thisthesiswillfocusonthesymbolismindetailbasedonaboveresearchresults.Thisthesisconsistsofthreeparts.ThefirstpartmainlydiscussesthesymbolicmeaningsofthescarletletterA.ThescarletletterAisthemostimportantsymbolinthebookwhichchangesitsmeaninggraduallyfrombeginningtotheend.Thesecondpartillustratesthesymbolicmeaningofthefourcharacters.Eachcharacterrepresentsdifferentmoralaspectswhichalsoreflectedthroughtheirnames.Thethirdpartfocusesontheothersymbolsandimagesusedinthebook,suchastheprisonandtherosebushwhichisalsoveryhelptobuildupthesymbolicworldofHawthorne.1VariousSymbolicMeaningsoftheScarletLetter“A”1.1TheChangeoftheSymbolicMeaningsoftheScarletLetter“A”Inthisnovel,thescarletletter“A”changesitsmeaningsformanytimes.Thischangeisverysignificant.Itshowsgrowthinthecharacters,andthecommunityinwhichtheylive.Attheverybeginning,theletter“A”isregardedasakindofsinorevil.Thenwiththedevelopmentofthestory,itbecomesasymbolofaloneandalienationofthefemalecharacterHester.Finally,itbecomesasymbolofable,admirableandangel.1.1.1AdulteryInthenovel,theletter“A”,wornonHester’sbosom,isasymbolofheradulteryagainstRogerChillingworth.Puttingtheletter“A”onherbosomandlettinghershowtothepublicisthepuritanwayoftreatingherasacriminal,forthecrimeofadultery.Hesterislookeddownuponasifsheissomesortofdemonfromhellthatcommitsaterriblecrime.Thisletterismeanttobeworninshame,andtomakeHesterfeelunwanted.Thisisthecommonwaytoexplainthesymbolicmeaningoftheletter.Thecolorofscarletisthesymbolofbloodanddesire.HesterandDimmesdalecannotcontroltheirloveforeachotherandbecomethecriminalsofGod.Awomanlosesherpurityandaholyministerispunishedforbringingshametohisholyoccupation.Redshouldberegardedasthesymbolofloveandlife,butunderthecontrolofthePuritanstrictness,Hesterhastowearthescarletletter“A”inordertoberegardedasasymbolofshameandpunishment.“Here,shesaidtoherself,hadbeenthesceneofherguilt,andhereshouldbethesceneofherearthlypunishment…”(Brown23).Hesterisashamedofhersin,butshechoosestofacetherealityratherthanescapefromit.Manypeoplemaychoosethewayofleavingforsomeotherplaceswherenobodyknowsofhersin.However,Hesterisbraveenoughtocontinuetoliveherlife,whichshowsgreatstrengthandintegrityofher.1.1.2AlonenessandAlienationThescarletletter“A”alsosymbolizesHester’slonelylifeinNewEngland.Hester’ssociallifeisvirtuallyeliminatedasaresultofhershamefulpast.Shehastoliveinsuchacommunityregardlessofothers’ironicalwordsandwithgreatcourageandability.“Ithadbeenbuiltbyanearliersettler,andabandoned,becausethesoilaboutitwastoosterileforcultivation,whileitscomparativeremotenessputitoutofthesphereofthatsocialactivitywhichalreadymarkedthehabitsoftheemigrants.”Hestercomestohaveaparttoperformintheworldwithhernativeenergyofcharacterandrarecapacity”(Chase45).However,therewasnothingthatmadeherfeelasifshebelongedtoit.Everygesture,everyword,andeventhesilenceofthosewithwhomshecametocontact,implied,andoftenexpressed,thatshewasbanished,andasmuchaloneasifsheinhabitedanothersphere,orcommunicatedwiththecommonnaturebyotherorgansandsensesthantherestofhumankind.Shestoodapartfrommoralinterests…seemedtobethesoleportionthatsheretainedintheuniversalheart.”Hesterhasnofriendsintheworld,andlittlePearlistheonlycompanionofherlonelylife.Inotherpeople’seyes,Hesterisacriminalandmostofthemregardcommunicatingwithherasashamefulthing.Therefore,thescarletletter“A”isalsoasymbolofaloneandalienation.1.1.3TheAble,AdmirableandAngel“Theletterwasthesymbolofhercalling.Suchhelpfulnessisfoundinhersomuchpowertodoandpowertosympathize—thatmanypeoplerefusestointerpretthescarletletter“A”byitsoriginalsignification”(Rubinstein68).Wecanseethatthemeaningofthescarletletter“A”changesfromadulterytobeingable,angelandadmirable.Atthebeginning,peoplelivinginthetownlookeddownuponthewomanbecauseofhercrime.Butlater,theyfindthatHesterissoskillfullyinneedleworkandshealwayshelpthepoorandsickwithoutexpectinganyreturnorthanks.Sheisunselfishandalwaysreadytohelpothersconsideratelyandpatiently.Peopleinthetownthenrealizehernoblenatureandchangetheviewonher.“Doyouseethatwomanwiththeembroideredbadge?ItisourHester—thetown’sownHester—whoissokindtothepoor,sohelpfultothesick,socomfortingtotheafflicted”(Hawthorne&Smith89).Thepeopleinthetownsoonbegintoregardtheletter“A”asabadgeservedtowardofftheevil.Thisisakindwomanwhoshouldnotshouldertheshameandbelookeddownuponbyothers.HesterisanangelsentbyGodtothepeopleinthetown.Andsheshouldwintherespectandsympathyofothersinsteadofbeingpunishedbyhavingtoshowhercrimetothepublicbywearingthescarletletter.Peopleandtheauthorofthenovelreallyadmireherpurenatureandability.Thethreechangesinthescarletletteraresignificant;theyshowtheprogressivepresentationofhersin,herlonelylife,andherability.Hesterisanadmirablewomanwhoexperiencesmoreemotionaltorturethanmostpeoplegothroughinalifetime.1.2TheScarletLetterandtheStrictnessofPuritanSocietyTheScarletLetterbyNathanielHawthorneusesthescarletletterstosymbolizeheharshnessofPuritansociety,showinghowtheybrandedsinnersforlife.AlthoughPuritansocietyisunforgivingtowardsthesinfulscarletletter,theirstrictnessimprovedthebearersofthesin.ThescarletletterwasalsoanexampleofhowPuritansocietywillalwaysrememberthesin.“Whenstrangerslookedcuriouslyatthescarletletter-andnonefailedtodoso,theybrandeditafreshintoHester’ssoul”(Hawthorne254).Aletter“A”butfreshlygreen,insteadofscarletwascreatedbyher,showinghowHawthornemadeajestatthepunishmentPuritansputuponHester.AndthescarletletterwasalsoatoytoPearl,somethingthatsheenjoyed.Hawthorneusesthescarletlettertodepicthisfeelingsoftheexaggeratedemotionsofthepuritansandtheirdramaticpunishments.Theauthorofthepaperthinksthatthesymbolisminthisnovelisusedquiteskillfully.ThetechniqueHawthorneusesmakeshisnovelmoreartistic.2TheSymbolicMeaningoftheFourMainCharacters2.1HesterPrynneHesterPrynneisoneofthemostimportantcharactersinTheScarletLetter.Hesteristhesymboloflove,beauty,kindnessandtruth.ShewasdescribedbyHawthornelikethis:Theyoungwomanwastall,afigureofperfecteleganceonalargescale,shehaddarkandabundanthair,soglossythatitthrewoffthesunshinewithagleam,andafacewhich,besidesbeingbeautifulfromregularityoffeatureandrichnessofcomplexion,hadtheimpressivenessbelongingtoamarkedbrowanddeepblackeyes…(Hawthorne206)ItistruethatHesterisbeautifulandattractiveinappearance.Butthemostpreciouspartofthecharacterliesnotonlyinherkindnesstowardotherpeople,butalsoinhergreatcourageoffacingherlove.HerlovefortheministerDimmesdaleispureandtrue.Thisisthereasonthatsherefusestospeakoutthenameofherpartnerinsin,buttakesoverallthepunishmentbyherself.Insteadofrunningfromthehostilecolonists,Hesterwithstandspeople’sinsolenceandpursuesanormallife.Sheprovesherworthwithheruncommonsewingskillsandprovidescommunityservice.Hester’ssingivesher“sympatheticknowledgeofthesininotherhearts.”Eventhoughthepeopleshetriestohelp“oftenreviledthehandthatwasstretchedforthtosuccorthem”(Xia34).Shecontinuesherservicesbecausesheactuallycares.Atlast,thecolonistscometothinkofthescarletletteras“thecrossonanun’sbosom”,whichisnotsmallaccomplishment.Hesteristhehomophoneofthewordhaste.Atfirst,shegetsmarriedtoRogerPrynne,anuglymanwhogiveshisbestyearstofeedthehungrydreamofknowledge.NothavinggotthenewsaboutherhusbandwhoshouldhavearrivedbyshipfromEngland,shefallslovewithArthurhastilyandgivesbirthtoPearl,forwhichsheiscondemnedtowearonthebreastofhergownthescarletletter“A”,whichstandsforadultery.However,theauthorofthepaperthinksthatitisnaturalandunderstandable.Hesterhasthefreedomtopursuethetrueloveofherdeepheartandthehappinessofthelife.Thepunishmentofpuritansocietyissomehowtooharshonawomanwhoisledbyhumaninstinct.Shedoesn’tloveherhusbandandwhenshefallsinlovewithDimmesdale,sheistorturedphysicallyandmentallyforhersin.ThestrictnessofPuritansocietyaccountsforHester’ssympatheticfateandDimmesdale’stragedy.2.2ArthurDimmesdaleArthurDimmesdaleisayoungminister,whoseinitialsareAD,whichalsostandsforadultery.Obviously,heshouldtakepartinthepunishmentforHester.HelovesHesterdeeplyandisthefatherofPearl,butheisnotbraveenoughtoadmittheirrelationship.Onlyintheforestorindarkness,hecanshowhispassionandloveforHester.SothewordDimmesdalealsohassymbolicmeanings.Dimmeansdarkandweakanddalemeansvalley,sothenamehereisactuallyasymbolofthe“dim-interior”oftheclergyman.Thescarletletter“A”inhisheartsymbolizeshiscondemntohimselfinhisdeepheart.Meanwhile,itisalsothesymbolofthementalcontrolofthePuritanism.“Ifthoufeelittobeforthysoul’speace,andthatthyearthlypunishmentwilltherebybemademoreeffectualtosalvation,Ichargetheetospeakoutthenameofthyfellow-sinnerandfellow-sufferer”(Fan56).HefeelsthathewillneverbeenseenthesameasbeforeinfrontofGod,andthatnoamountofpenitencecaneverreturnhimtoGod’sgoodgraces.Hehateshishypocrisytosin,butdaresnottellthetruththatheisthefellow-sinnerofHester.Whenhefinallydecidestoexposethetruthandtellhisfollowersofhowhedeceivesthem,hisfixationonhissinhasutterlycorrodedhimtothepointofdeath.Theonlygoodthatcomesoutofconcedinghisguiltisthathepassesawaywithoutanysecrets.Attheendofthestory,thewriterputthemoralsthatpressuponthereadersfromthepoorminister’smiserableexperienceintoonesentence,“Betrue!Betrue!Betrue!Showfreelytotheworld,ifnotyourworst,yetsometraitwherebytheworstmaybeinferred”(Hu89).Asaman,Dimmesdalecouldn’tevenrelateto,andshoulderedtheobligation.Heisnotbraveenoughtoadmitthetruth.However,histragedyisalsotheresultofthestrictpuritansocietyandthepsychologicaltieofthelocalreligion.2.3RogerChillingworthAnothermaincharacterRogerChillingworthisamanofcomplicatednatureandabnormalpsychology.Thewords“chilling”and“worth”composethesurnameChillingworth.Chillingcomesfromtheword“chilling”whichmeansthismanisamercilessavenger.Heiscalmandkindinappearance,butkeepsevilintentions.Allhisstrengthandenergyhasbeenusedtoavenge.Thisunhappymanhasmadehisaiminlifetoaddtothesufferingoftheyoungminister.Whentheeviloldmannolongerhassuchapurpose,thedeviltakeshimbacktothehell.Heisreallyanunforgivablecriminal.AccordingtotheexplanationoftheChristianandtheRomanticperiod,theunforgivablecrimemeanstoinfringeonothers’soulandfeelingsinordertoknowabouttheirreactiontowardsomething.Chillingworthintendstolookintotheyoungminister’sheartdependingonsomeknowledgeofmedicalscienceandmiraclewaysinreligion.Hepretendstobetheyoungminister’truefriend,movesclosetohiminordertotortureanddevastateDimmesdale’sheart.Hiscuriosityandintentionofavengemakehimbecomethesymbolofmonsterandevil.Duetohisabnormalpsychology,healsobecomesavictiminthestory.Thischaractersymbolizesthegreatinfluenceofthesinonpeople.ChillingworthmarriedHester,awomanwithyouthandbeauty,deludinghimwiththeideathatintellectualgiftsmightveilphysicaldeformityinayounggirl’sfantasy.HemarriedHesternotbecausehelovedherbutbecausehewantedtolightahouseholdfireinhislonelyandchillyheart.Heisabookwormwhospendshisbesttimeinlibraries,andshowsnolovetohisyoungwife.ItishethathasdestroyedHester’sflowerlikeyouth,andindirectlyleadstoHester’stragedy.Afterhediscoversth