Puritanism in The Scarlet LetterWord格式.docx

Puritanism in The Scarlet LetterWord格式.docx

《Puritanism in The Scarlet LetterWord格式.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《Puritanism in The Scarlet LetterWord格式.docx（11页珍藏版）》请在冰点文库上搜索。

ontheotherhand,hecondemnsthenegativeimpactofPuritansocietyonpeople’sspirit.

KeyWords:

Puritanism,NathanielHawthorne,TheScarletLetter,Boston，Hester

论《红字》的清教观

内容提要

霍桑的代表作〈〈红字〉〉是19世纪美国文学史上的一本古典小说。

〈〈红字〉〉表现了清教主义传统在人们思想上和生活上的烙印，使人们对18世纪的美国社会有了一定的了解。

在当时，一切都受到宗教的束缚，宗教有着神圣不可侵犯的权威。

本论文通过对一些主要人物和波士顿小镇的分析向人们展示了清教徒的思想和他们的生活方式。

交代了小镇上人们深受清教主义的影响。

通过对主人公海丝特等人的分析揭示了清教社会的严酷以及严厉的刑罚制度。

任何人无论谁犯了错都要受到惩罚。

霍桑在一定程度上也受到清教主义的影响。

一方面他肯定了宗教思想与价值，另一方面批判了清教社会对人的精神的负面影响。

关键词：

清教主义；

纳撒尼尔·

霍桑；

〈〈红字〉〉；

波士顿；

海斯特

Chapter1

Ⅰ.Introduction

A.Puritans

NathanielHawthorne’sTheScarletLetterwaswrittenin18thcentury.ThesettingofTheScarletLetterisinthe17thcenturyinBoston,America.BeforeproceedingtotheanalysisofthePuritanisminthenovel,somefundamentaldefinitionsneedtobeestablished.WhowerethePuritans?

WhendidtheyarriveintheNewWorld—America?

Howabouttheirideologyandlifestyle?

Howabouttheauthor?

Puritanisthenamegiveninthe16thcenturytothemoreextremeProtestantswithintheChurchofEngland.TheseProtestantsthoughttheEnglishReformationhadnotgonefarenoughinreformingthedoctrinesandstructureofthechurch.Theywantedtopurifytheirchurch.Inthe17thcenturymanyPuritansimmigratedtotheNewWorld,wheretheysoughttofoundaholyCommonwealthinNewEngland.“ThePuritansdidnotallowreligiousdissent（holdingdifferentreligiousbelief）.Theyinsistedthathighposition,andachievementsweresignsof‘eternalgrace’,thatis,favourofGod,andtheywantedtoforceGod’swillontherestofmankind.Puritantraditionalsoinvolvedarespectforlearningwhichledtotheestalishmentofschoolsandthespreadofliteracy.”[1]（P238）Puritanismremainesthedominantculturalforceinthatareaintothe19thcentury.

B.NewEngland

Accordingtohistoricaldata,in1620,theEnglishMonarchy,aseagertoberidofthePuritansasthePuritansweretoberidoftheKing,grantedagroupofPuritansachartertomakeasettlementintheEnglishcoloniesthatisnowtheNewEnglandofAmerica.TherewereeconomicincentivesforthePuritantomovetotheNewWorld,includingeconomicupheavalinEuropeandtheprospectofmakingaprofitinAmerica,buttheirchiefincentivewasreligious:

theywouldbeabletopracticetheirreligionfreely.Soinlatefallsome103settlerssailedontheMayflowerandarrivedinNewEngland.Thenin1628,provokedbyKingCharlesI’sincreasingintolerance,anothergroupofPuritansformedabusinesscorporation,theMassachusettsBayCompany,forsettlementoftheNewWorld.TheyarrivedonCapeAnn,justnorthandeastofwhatisnowcalledBoston.Thirteenyearslater,about1,000Englishsettlers,largelythePuritans,hadimmigratedtotheBostonarea.By1643,thereweresome20,000inthegeneralareaoftheMassachusettsBayColony,makingBostonthelargestandthemostprosperousPuritantowninAmerica.

ConsideringthelargenumberofallthesePuritansettlers,theirwidedistributionandtheirstrongfaith,religiousanddailylifeinthenewAmericancolonies,especiallyinBoston,wasmainlyofPuritancolor.Inaddition,religiousdoctrinebecamecivillaw,andtheruleoftheleaderswasabsolute.WhilethewholeofNewEnglandwaslargelyPuritan,itisthosewhosettledinandaroundBoston,whoinfluencedAmericancultureprofoundlyandofwhomNathanialHawthornewrote.

C.Puritansideologyandlifestyle

Ontheotherhand,PuritanideologyisveryimportantforPuritansfortheydesignedtheirlivesafterthat.Thepuritansbelievedinthemajesty,righteousnessandsovereigntyofGod.Theyregardhimasomniscientandomnipotent.Incontrast,allhumanbeingsweredepravedsinners.TheybelievedthatGodhadpredestinedsomeofthesefallencreaturesforthegiftofsalvation.Thisstatusoftheelectedornon-electedsignifiedGod’schoosingofthosetowhomthegraceofsalvationwastobeoffered.ThePuritanstookthescripture,andthesermonsasGod’sownwords,whichtheyinterpreted,followingtheworksoftheFrenchPeterRamus,inthemostaccurateway,andexpectedallPuritanstolivestrictlyfollowingtheseparameters.Itdidnotmeanthatsinnerscouldsavethemselves,buttheelectcouldimprovetheirsouls.TwoofthemainpointsofPuritantheologyarethecovenants（誓约）ofgraceandwork.ThecovenantofgracerequiredafaithinGod,andthatGodhimselfgavetheelecttograsp.Thecovenantofwork,onthecontrary,dependedonlyonhumanaction.thoughthePuritansbelievedinpredeterminationtheydidnotwaittheirGod-givenfate.Theyspenttheirwholelifetryingtofindouttheirdestiny,whetheritmightbeheavenorhell.Work,evenifitdidnotguaranteesalvation,wastheirwaytoexpresstheirfaithandtoshowtheirhopeforheaven.Everyonewhodidnotworkwasdeprived（剥夺）ofthehighmoralityandagoodlife.

However,Puritanspaidmuchattentiontotheireducation.TheythoughtthatonlythosewhowereabletoreadtheBiblewouldfindreligioustruth.TheBiblewasreadandinterpretedveryaccuratelyandstrictly.Andthistruth,thatwastobefoundbyaccurateinterpretation,wassynonymouswithagoodlife.AlthoughthePuritanshavebeenverystrictinreligiousway,ontheotherhandtheycouldbequitetolerant.Thegradeoftolerancewasdependenttotheextentoftheappropriatething.Forexampletheycondemnedthedrunkard,butnottheconsumptionofalcoholitself.Andtheydidnottaboo（列为禁忌）sexuality,aslongasitwassexualitybetweenhusbandandwifeandnotextramaritalsexuality.ButthestrictPuritancodewasfarfromtolerant.RelationshipbetweenmenandwomenwasveryconstrainedandthatarewhatmadeadulterysuchabadsinintheeyesofeveryonewhointhecommunitybelievedthattheirfatewascontrolledbyGod.Publicdisciplineandpunishmentwereusedtodiscourageeveryoneelsefromcommittingthesamecrimeorsinastheoffendingcriminaldid.ThecommunitywastofollowthebeliefofGodandtodotheirdutiesthebesttheycould,yetweretheretocriticizeandpunishallwhodisobeyedthereligionorlaws.

Churchwasthecornerstoneofthe17thcenturylifeinNewEngland.Everythingwasverystrictandeveryonewasexpectedtofollowthelaws.Itwasagainstthelawnottoattendchurch—wheremenandwomensatonoppositesidesthroughlongservices.ThePuritanlifestylewasrestrainedandrigid:

Peoplewereexpectedtoworkhardandrepresstheiremotionsoropinions.Individualdifferenceswerefrownedupon.Eventhedark,somberPuritandresswasdictatedbythechurch.

D.Hawthorn’sfamilybackground

AsoneofthemostinfluentialRomanticnovelistsinAmericainthe19thcentury,“NathanielHawthorne’sworksmostlydescribethepeople’smentalattitude,thoughtcontradictionandlifetragedyunderCalvinisticpressurebythecruelclericalismdominationinthecolonialperiod.HawthornewasbornonJuly4,1804inSalem,Massachusetts.Salem,hishometown,haseverbeentheplacewherePuritanismforcesarerampantandseveralgenerationsofhisancestorsarefanaticPuritans;

therefore,therichPuritanismthoughtfromhisfamilyhasdeep-rootedeffectonHawthorne.BecausePuritanismitselfownsthecomplicatedstatethatpositivismandnegativismarecoexistent,Hawthornehasdoubtf

ulorreligiousattitudetoPuritanism.Hawthorneisinclinedtoconservationinpoliticalthought,andholdspessimismforfuture.Ononehand,heassailsPuritancriminalbehaviorssuchasreligiousfanaticismandimpermissibilitytoheresy;

ontheotherhand,hetakesthereligiousbasiccreedasthecriteriontocognitionandjudgment.”[2]（P65）Thecontradictivementalityistypicallyanddeeplyrepresentedinhismasterpiece“TheScarletLetter”.HisfamilywasofPuritanbeliefforgenerationsandhadbeenprominentintheareasincecolonialtimes.HawthorneknewBibleverywellandwenttochurchfrequently.Whenhewasfour,hisfatherdiedonavoyage,butmaternalrelativesrecognizedhisliterarytalentandfinancedhiseducation.AsaboyhewenttotheEastSalemChurch,whichwasdescribedas“onthevergeofUnitarism”.DuringhisstudyintheBowdinCollege,amonghisclassmatesweremanyoftheimportantliteraryandpoliticalfiguresoftheday:

writerHoratioBridge,futureSenatorJonathanCiley,HenryWadsworthLongfellow,andfuturePresidentFranklinPierce.TheseprominentfriendssuppliedHawthornewithgovernmentemploymentintheleantimes,allowinghimtimetobloomasanauthor.Later,whenheservedasaConsulinEngland,heattendedservicesataUnitarianchurchinLiverpool.But,itcouldnotbemoretypicalforaPuritanthathecouldnotgetalongwiththereligiousritualsandceremonies,like,forexample,funerals.HesimplyhadthesePuritanaversionsthatalreadycausedthePuritanstosplitfromtheAnglicanChurch.Hesimplelywantedtohaveasmallregularincomethatwouldallowhimtoforgeteverything,whichwasnotimportanttohim.

Therichloreoffamilyandloca