《红字》中的精灵珀尔.docx

《红字》中的精灵珀尔.docx

《《红字》中的精灵珀尔.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《《红字》中的精灵珀尔.docx（14页珍藏版）》请在冰点文库上搜索。

《红字》中的精灵珀尔

TheElf-ChildinTheScarletLetter—Pear

ⅠHawthorne,theAuthorofTheScarletLetter

NathanielHawthorneisarenownedAmericanromanticwriteroffictionin19thcentury,andmanyofhisworktakeNewEnglandasthebackground,reflectingthesocialreality.Heisgoodatutilizingimaginationoftheromanticism,thesymbolismandheartanalysisinordertodescribethesubjects,contrastingcharacter'sinnermostfeelingsanddisplayingthemysticismobscurely.

HawthornewasbornontheFourthofJuly,1804,inSalem,Massachusetts.SomeofhisancestorsweremenofprominenceinthePuritantheocracyofseventeenth-centuryNewEngland.Oneofthemewasacolonialmagistrate,notoriousforhispartinthepersecutionoftheQuaker,andanotherwasajudgeattheSalemWitchcraftTrialin1692.Graduallythefamilyfortunedeclined.Hisfather,aseacaption,diedinDutchGuiana,leavingthewidowandthechildbehind.YoungHawthornewasintenselyawareofthemisdeedsofhisPuritanancestors,andhisawarenessledtohisunderstandingofevilbeingatthecoreofhumanlife.

In1821,HawthornewenttoBowdoinCollege,wherehehadHenryWadsworthLongfellowasaclassmate.HealsodevelopedafriendshipwithFranklin.PiercewhowastobecomethefourteenthPresidentoftheUnitedStates.Fromthe1852to1837Hawthornelivedinsolitudeandseclusion.Hereadwidelyandbecamefurtheracquaintedwithlocalhistory,andbegantopracticewriting.

Allhisworks,however,broughthimneithergreatfamenoranyfortunelargeenoughtorelievehimoftheharassmentofthepoverty.Inhislife,Hawthorneseemstobehauntedbyhissenseofsinandevilinlife.Readinghistalesandromances,onecannotbutbeoverwhelmedbythe“black”visionwhichtheseworksreveal.

Hawthorne’suniquegiftwasforthecreationofstronglysymbolicstorieswhichtouchthedeepestrootsofman’smoralnature.ThefinestexampleistherecreationofPuritanBoston,TheScarletletter.Inthisnovel,eachword,image,andeventworkstowardasingleeffect.Itisacomplexstoryofguilt,itseffectsuponvariousperson,andhowdeliveranceisobtainedforsomeofthem.

HawthornewasconvincedthatromancewasthepredestinedformofAmericannarrative.ItisnotonlythepovertyofmaterialsinAmericathatledhimtotreatthephysicalpassionsobliquelyandtoavoidviolatingthehumanheart.OutofhispuritanscruplescamehisanxiousdesirenottooffendthePuritantaste,hisearnestwish“topresentundercircumstances……ofthewriter’sownchoosingorcreation,”toavoidcommittingaliterarycrimeofanysort.Inshort,totellthetruthandsatirizeandyetnottooffend:

thatwaswhatHawthornehadinmindtoachieve.HereliesHawthorne’sawareness,asLeslieFiedlerobserves,themodernwriter’sawarenessthat,iftruetohimself,hecannotproduceabookwhichhisfathersandhisneighborswouldapprove.Theanguishofthissituation,Fiedlergoesontotellus,Hawthorneseeswithgreatclarity,knowingthatinbecomingawriterofthefirstrankhehasalsobecome“acitizenofsomewhereelse.”ThisisindeedaninsightfulremarkonHawthorne.

Hawthorne’sinfluencehasbeengreat.HewasaccordedduerecognitionbyhiscontemporaryJamesRussellLowellinthelatter’sAFableforCritics.HechangedHermanMelville’soriginalschemeofhisMobyDick.TheJamesianPsychologicalrealismnayhavetakeitscuefromHawthorne’ssoul-searchingworks.OtherrealistslikeWilliamDeanHowellslearnedtouseHawthorne’sfictionasthebenchmarkfortheirnovel-writingpractice.InthiscenturyWilliamFaulknerandsomeGothicnovelistsclearlyshowtheirindebtednesstohim.IfHawthorne’sreputationisstillrising,itisindeedasitshouldbe.

WiththepublicationofTheScarletletterin1850,NathanielHawthornebecamefamousasthegreatestwriterlivingthenintheUnitedStates,（asindeedsomecriticsputit）andhisreputationasamajorAmericanauthorhasbeenontheincreaseeversince.TheScarletLetterwasNathanielHawthorne’smasterpiece.Amongallofcharacters,Pearlwasthemostmysteriousandhadsomeoriginalfeaturesinhercharacter.

ⅡPearl’sCharacter

Asanindependentindividual,Pearlwasaqueerchildwithstrongbeauty.Sometimesshecouldbepurelikealittlepeasantgirl,butsometimesshealsocouldbegorgeouslikeaprincess.Hesterdressesherdaughterinacrimsonvelvettunicofapeculiarcut,whichisbeautifulinarich,sensuouswaythatstandsincontrasttothestiffnessofPuritansociety.Indeed,thenarratorexplicitlytellsthereaderthatPearlis“thescarletletterendowedwithlife.”ThenarratortellsusthatHesterhascreatedan“analogybetweentheobjectofHester’saffectionandtheemblemofherguiltandtorture.”ThisreinforcesthecontradictorynatureofboththeletterandPearl,forjustasHesterbothlovesandfeelsburdenedbyPearl,herthoughtsregardingthescarletletterseemalsotocontainatouchoffondness.Certainlyherattitudetowarditisnotoneofuniformregret,andshemayevenharborpleasantassociationswiththedeedsthatthelettersymbolizes.Thesinitselfisbothaguiltyactandanactofaffection,aproblematiccombinationofloveand“evil.”ButPearlalsoistheproblematiccombination.

1.1IntelligentandSensitive

Pearlisquiteyoungduringmostoftheeventsofthisnovel—whenDimmesdalediessheisonlysevenyearsold—andherrealimportanceliesinherabilitytoprovoketheadultcharactersinthebook.Sheasksthemtopointquestionsanddrawstheirattention,andthereader’s.Ingeneral,childreninTheScarletLetterareportrayedasmoreperceptiveandmorehonestthanadults,andPearlisthemostperceptiveofthemall.

Pearlhassomeveryspecialqualitiesdifferentfromcommonchildren.Sheisveryintelligentandsensitive.

Mother,saidlittlePearl,thesunshinedoesnotloveyou.Itrunsawayandhidesitself,becauseitisafraidofsomethingonyourbosom….Itwillnotfleefromme,forIwearnothingonmybosomyet!

Pearlisfrequentlyawareofthingsthatothersdonotsee,andheresheprescientlyidentifiesthescarletletteronhermother’sbosomwiththemetaphorical（andinthiscasealsoliteral）lackofsunshineinhermother’slife.Becausesheisjustachild,Pearloftendoesnotunderstandtheramificationsofthethingsshesees.Shefrequentlyrevealstruthsonlyindirectlybyaskingpointedquestions.Thesequeriesmakehermotheruncomfortableandcontributetothetext’ssuspense.

Noteverwill,mychild,Ihope,saidHester.Andwhynot,mother?

askedPearl,stoppingshort…Willitnotcomeofitsownaccord,whenIamawomangrown?

Pearllivesplayinginthetidepoolsdownonthebeach.Pretendingtobeamermaid,sheputseelgrassonherchestintheshapeofan“A,”onethatis“freshlygreen,insteadofscarlet.”Pearlhopesthathermotherwillaskherabouttheletter,andHesterdoesinquirewhetherPearlunderstandsthemeaningofthesymbolonhermother’schest.Theyproceedtodiscussthemeaningofthescarletletter.PearlconnectsthelettertoDimmesdale’sfrequenthabitofclutchinghishandoverhisheart,andHesterisunnervedbyherdaughter’sperceptiveness.

HerePearlisassuming,aschildrenoftendo,thathermotherisrepresentativeofalladults.Herquestionsuggeststhatshethinksthatallgrownwomenwearascarletletteroritsequivalent.Surely,Pearlhasnoticedthattheotherwomenintowndon’twearscarletletters.But,onamorefigurativelevel,herquestionsuggeststhatsin,thatwhichthescarletletterisintendedtorepresent,isaninevitablepartofbeingamaturehumanbeing.

ItisPearlwhopointsoutmanyofthesedisturbingandsignificantimages.Accuratelysensingthesinisterauraoftheplace,shetriestoescapeoutofawindow.Mostimportant,sheshunsWilsonandclingstoDimmesdale,exhibitingwhatwewilllaterunderstandasaprofoundsubconsciousinsight:

herinstinctleadsherawayfromtherepresentativeofher“heavenlyfather”andtowardshertrue“earthly”father.Herimpulsealsoreflectsontherelativecharactersofthetwomen.Wilson,asshesenses,isnottobetrusted,whileDimmesdale,althoughherefusestoacknowledgehisguilt,willultimatelyremainloyaltoherandhermother.

2.2DefiantandRebellious

Pearl’sverybeingseemstobeinherentlyatoddswiththestrictrulesofPuritansociety.PearlhasinheritedallofHester’smoodiness,passion,anddefiance,andsheconstantlymakesmischief.Hesterlovesbutworriesaboutherchild.

Pearlhasdefiantandrebelliousmannerisms.Toher,shealwaysrealizesthatsheisfacingahostileworld–Puritanism.Sosheshouldbuildupherownwillpowerandstrengthinordertodefeattheenemyinthefuture.That’swhyPearlalwayscreatedenemiesbutnevercreatedfriendswhenshewasplaying.

WhenPearlisveryyoung,itseemsthatshehasunderstoodthesolitudesituationandrealizesherownspecialpositiondifferentfromotherchildren.Pearlistheelf-childofnaturelivingwithherownrules,couldnotbeastrictbyanyPuritanism.Sheisdefiantandrebellious.

WhenthenarratordescribesPearlasan“outcast,”heunderstatesPearlisan“impofevil,emblemandproductofsin,shehadnorightamongchristenedinfants.”Pearlherselfisawareofherdifferencefromothers,andwhenHestertriestoteachheraboutGod,Pearlsays,“IhavenoheavenlyFather!

”BecausePearlishermother’sconstantcompanion,she,too,issubjecttothecrueltiesofthetownspeople.

ThechildrenofthetownspeopleareascruelastheirparentsintheirtreatmentofHesterandPearl.Intheir“play,”theunderlyingattitudesofthecommunityarerevealed.ThePuritans-in–trainingmakebelievetheyarescalpi