英语专业毕业论文定稿.doc

英语专业毕业论文定稿.doc

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TheSymbolicMeaningof“A”inTheScarletLetter

AThesis

Submittedto

XingtanCollege

QufuNormalUniversity

InPartialFulfillmentoftheRequirements

FortheDegreeofBachelorofArts

ByHanJiao

UnderthesupervisionofFangPing

May2010

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

IamdeeplyindebtedtoFangPing,mysupervisor,whohasgivenmeconstantandvaluableadvice,readmydraftsthroughmeticulouslyandofferedincisivecommentsonthem.Iamgratefultoherfortheusefulmaterialsshehadprovidedtome.Shegavemevaluableadviceandpolishedthethesisaswell.Withoutherhelp,thethesiscouldneverhavereacheditspresentform.

Ialsoowemyparticulargratitudetoallmyteacherswhohavegivenmeexcellentlecturesandgreathelp,whichareindispensabletothecompletionofthisthesis,andmyheartythankstoallmyclassmateswhohaveofferedgeneroushelpandusefulsuggestionsintheprocessofwritingthisthesis.

Finally,Iwouldliketoexpressmyappreciationtoallthewriterswhoseworkshavebeenreferredtointhisthesis.

摘要

纳撒尼尔．霍桑是美国非常著名的小说家。

他不仅创造了若干部经典的长篇小说,而且还书写了数量可观且耐人寻味的短篇小说.至今为止，霍桑和他的作品一直是中外学者讨论的对象。

《红字》是十九世纪美国作家霍桑的成名作.自从本世纪五十年代被译介到我国以来,一直倍受读者的喜爱。

其不朽的魅力在于它不仅无情的鞭挞了清教法规对人性的践踏,更重要的是作者对人性的善的肯定。

作者在作品中采用的象征手法贯穿始终的、无处不在，加强了作品的艺术效果。

尤其是红字“A”这一贯穿全文的意象，有着多重的、缥缈的，乃至互相抵触的象征意义。

本文从红字的多种象征意义入手，研究《红字》中的象征手法。

关键词：

纳撒尼尔．霍桑；红字；象征主义

ABSTRACT

NathanialHawthorneisanextremelyrenownedAmericanwriteroffiction.Henotonlyhascreatedquietafewclassicnovels,butalsohaswrittenquantitiesofthought-provokingshortstories.Untilnow,HawthorneandhisworkshavebeenthefocusofdiscussionfromtheChineseandforeignscholars.TheScarletLetterbyNathanielHawthorneisaclassicalnovelinAmericanliteratureinthe19thcentury.SincethefirstChinesetranslationofTheScarletLetterappearedinthe1950’sscholarsandreadersinthiscountryhaveshownanever-increasinginterestinhisworks.ItsimmortalenchantmentliesinnotonlyitscondemnationofthenegativeimpactofPuritansocietyonpeople’sspirit,butalsoitsaffirmationofgoodness，Hawthorneusesthesymbolismsoskillfulthatitenhancestheartisticeffectsofhisworkgreatly.Aboveall,thescarletletter"A"displaysitsdynamic,multimodalandevencontradictivecharacteristic.Thispaperresearchesthesymbolisminthisnovelfromthefollowingaspects:

thechangingsymbolicmeaningofthescarletlettertomakethesymbolismcleartothereaders.

Keywords:

NathanialHawthorne,TheScarletLetter,Symbolism

CONTENTS

0.Introduction……………………………………………………............................1

1.NathanielHawthorneandTheScarletLetter……………....................................1

1.1AbriefintroductionofNathanielHawthorne…………………………………….2

1.2TheplotsummaryofTheScarletLetter……………………………………………….2

1.3ThethemeofTheScarletLetter..............................................................................3

2.Symbolismandthemeaningof“A”inTheScarletLetter………………………4

2.1Symbolisim………..................................................................................................4

2.1.1Theprison.......................................................................................................4

2.1.2TheScaffold……......………………………………………………………5

2.1.3TheMeteor………….....……………………………………………………5

2.1.4Pearl..............................................................................................................6

2.1.5TheRosebushNexttothePrisonDoor……………………………………7

2.2Themeaningof“A”inTheScarletLetter.............................................................8

2.2.1Adultery…………………………………………………………………….8

2.2.2AloneandAlienation……………………………………………………….9

2.2.3 Able,AdmirableandAngel……………………………………………..10

3.ThethoughtsofHawthornereflectedinTheScarletLetter..............................11

3.1Puritanismconsciousness………………………………………………………11

3.2Transcendentalism……………………………………………………………...12

4.Conclusion..............................................................................................................14WorksCited.............................................................................................................15

0.Introduction

 TheScarletLetterisregardedasthemasterpieceofNathanielHawthorne,whoisafamouswriterinAmericanRenaissance.Heshowedagreatinterestintheproblemofguiltandconcernedwithmoralorethicalproblems.Heisawriterwithparadoxicalthought—hecriticizesthereligiouscrazeandtheecclesiasticfalsewhilehetakestheviewsofCalvinismasthestandard,andhedepictsthebattleofthecolonialsagainstEnglandwhilehedoubtthesocialreformandtechnologicaladvancement.Thenovelwaspublishedin1850andishailedbyHenryJamesas"thefinestpieceofimaginativewritingyetputforthinthecountry."Thenovelthoroughlyresponsetopeople'sspiritwreckofPuritanismandunbridledpursuitforhappylife.Thethemeofthenovel isdepictingsinandconsequencesaroundwhichthemoodscreatedarewovensocompletelyandharmoniouslyintothestorythatitscharacters,actionandsettingblendintodelicatebutenduringworkofart.SymbolismistheconspicuousartisticcharacteristicofTheScarletLetter,therefore,itisalsoregardedasthefirstsymbolicnovelinthehistoryofAmericanfictionandithasbeeninfluencingAmericanliteraturedeeplyandsignificantly.Hawthorneusesthesymbolismsoskillfulthatitenhancestheartisticeffectsofhisworkgreatly.Thescarletletterisnotonlythetitleofthenovelbutalsothemajorsymbolinthenovel.Thechangesofthemeaningof“A”arehighlyoriginal,allegoricalandclassicanddeserveafurtheranalysis.

Thisthesisiscomposedoffourparts.Inthefirstpart,thepresentauthorwillgiveabriefintroductiontoNathanielHawthorneandhisnovelTheScarletLetter.Inthesecondpartthetechnique“symbolism”andespeciallythemeaningof“A”usedbyHawthorneinwritinghisnovelwillbeanalyzed.InthethirdpartthedeepthoughtsofHawthornewhichisreflectedinTheScarletLetterwillbeanalyzed.Thelastpartistheconclusionofthewholethesis.

1.NathanielHawthorneandTheScarletLetter

1.1AbriefintroductionofNathanielHawthorne

NathanielHawthorneisconsideredtobethefirstgreatestAmericanfictionwriterinthemoralistictradition.HewasbornonJuly4,1804inSalem,Massachusetts.Someofhisancestorswerebigshotsinseventeenth-centuryNewEngland,whichwasunderthecontrolofPuritanismGradually,thefamilyfortunedeclined.Hawthorne’sfatherwasaseacaptain,whodiedinanaccidentandlefthismotherandhimbehindtostruggletoliveforthemselves.In1812,hewenttoBowdoinCollegewherehemadefriendswithLongfellowandFranklinPierce.Aftergraduation,hereturnedtohishometownandlivedinseclusionfor12years,readingwidelyandpreparingforhisliterarycareer.Heisproductivenovelistwithaninquiringimagination,anintenselymeditativemind.Someofhisgreatworksarefamiliartous,suchasTheHouseoftheSevenGables,YoungGoodmanBrown,andTheScarletLetteretc.Inmostofhisnovels,theyarefullofthedescriptionofsinandevil.Mostofhisstoriesareallegorical.Heprobedintothehumanmind.Hischaracterstendtohavecomplexpsychologiesandthereisasemblanceofinteriormonologuestorevealtheirstatesofmind.

NathanielHawthorneisanextremelyrenownedAmericanwriteroffiction.HermanMelvilleevenhailshimasthe“AmericanShakespeare”.HeisthefirstAmericanwritertodefinehisworksasromance;hisromanticwritingisalandmarkoftheromanticperiodinAmericanliterature.Asagreatliteraryartist,hehasprofoundinfluenceonwriterslikeHenryJames,WilliamFaulknerandBernardMalamud.Withthescarletletter,HawthornebecamethefirstAmericannovelisttoforgefromthePuritanheritageauniversalclassic,amasterfulexplorationofhumanity’sunendingstrugglewithsin,guilt,andpride.Besides,Hawthorneisoneoftheforefathersofsymbols.

1.2TheplotsummaryofTheScarletLetter

ThestorytookplaceinNewEnglandin17thcentury.AnageingEnglishscholarRogerChillingworthsendshisbeautifulwifeHesterPrynne,theheroine,tomaketheirnewhomeinNewEngland.Whenhecomesovertwoyearslater,hefoundoutthathiswifehavecommitted adultery.Shewaspunishedbeforethepublicandcondemnedtowearthescarletletter“A”infrontofherbosomthroughoutherlifetimeasasymbolofadultery.Butwhenaskedthenameofthemanwithwhomshecommittedadultery,sherefusedsimplybecauseshelovedthemanandcherishedhislifemorethanherown.Thebaby,Pearl,towhomshegavebirth,wasbaptizedbyArthurDimmensdale,theparishionerwhowasactuallythebaby’sfather.DifferentfromHester,Dimmensdaledarednotadmitopenlythesinbutwasconstantlytorturedbyasenseofguilt.DoctorChillingworth,discoveredwhowastheadultererandmadeupacruelplanofrevengetotorturetheministermentallytillhisdeath.Intheend,DimmensdalewasmentallytorturedtodeathbyhisownsenseofguiltplusChillingworth’sviciousplanandonlyinthelastminuteofhislifeherevealedhissin.Thoughlivingonthefringeofthecommunityandsufferingsocialostracism,HesterPrynnebearsherpunishmentcourageously,expiateshersinbyperforminggooddeedssothatthecommunitygraduallychangesitsattitudeandsomeofherpeersevenshowtheirtrustandadmirationforherhonestyandskillfulness.Yearsla