論象征手法在紅字中的應(yīng)用

1、the use of symbolism in the scarlet letter象征手法在紅字中的應(yīng)用the use of symbolism in the scarlet lettercontentsabstract.1key words.1i. introduction.21.1 the introduction to the story.21.1.1 the content of scarlet letter.21.1.2 the theme and characters .21.1.3 the feature of the novel.21.2 the introduction t

2、o the author.31.2.1 the authors growth and main works .31.2.2 the fame of the author.31.3 background.41.3.1 social atmosphere in the 17th century.41.3.2 the puritanism in america.41.4 the form of symbolism.41.4.1 the definition to symbolism.41.4.2 the form of symbolism.5ii. the use of symbolism in t

3、his novel.52.1. different meanings of the scarlet letter “a”.62.2 the symbolism of main characters.62.2.1 hester prynne.72.2.2 pearl.72.2.3 roger chillingworth92.2.4 reverend arthur dimmesdale92.3 the symbolic meanings of the objects described in the novel .102.3.1 light and darkness.102.3.2 rose bu

4、sh.102.3.3 other objects.11iii. the influence of symbolism on romantic period and its position in america literature.11iv. conclusion.12references.12摘要：紅字是美國作家霍桑最出名的一部作品，作者的象征主義手法貫穿始終，無處不在，這也是霍桑的紅字譽(yù)滿全球的原因。紅字中象征手法的運用獨具匠心，因此它被稱為美國文學(xué)史上第一部象征主義小說。本文從他運用象征的特征入手，研究紅字的象征意義。本文從作者的象征意義的體現(xiàn)，即：象征意義的定義，象征在作品中的運用，

5、從對人物的分析等方面入手，研究紅字中的作者的象征手法的運用及體現(xiàn)。同時，對作者的生平和主要作品，以及紅字對浪漫主義文學(xué)的影響，作者宗教背景進(jìn)行介紹，使我們能更好地了解作者的象征主義手法的運用。關(guān)鍵詞：紅字；象征主義；象征運用；霍桑；宗教abstract: the scarlet letter is american writer nathaniel hawthornes famous work; hawthornes symbolism usage was displayed so well, that it makes the scarlet letter known all around

6、the world. it is regarded as the first symbolic novel in american literature because of the ingenious using of symbolism. this paper researches the features of symbolism originally used in this novel to make the novel clear to the readers. this paper researches the authors use of symbolism use in th

7、is novel from the following aspects: the definition of symbolism, the usage of symbolism in this novel, readers can have a clear view on the authors use of symbolism when the main characters are analyzed in the novel. at the same time, the instruction to the authors growth and his main works, the in

8、fluence of this novel on the romance period and the authors religious background can help readers have a better understanding of the authors use of symbolism use.key words: the scarlet letter; symbolism; the use of symbolism; nathaniel hawthorne; puritanism. i. introductionthis research mainly deals

9、 with the use of symbolism in the scarlet letter. i will introduce the novel and author to you.1.1 the introduction to the storythe scarlet letter is the most famous work of hawthorne. the scarlet letter is hawthornes representative works. it symbolized the significant breakthrough of american novel

10、 creation, because of the profound main thought the rich imagination and the unique writing technique. 1.1.1 the content of the scarlet letterthe story began in seventeenth-century boston, then a puritan settlement. an aping english scholar roger chillingworth sent his beautiful young wife, hester p

11、rynne, alone to new england to make their new home, but in midway chillingworth were captured by the indian. hester had arrived america alone and fallen in love with the pastor arthur dimmesdale. this matter, was regarded as the most bad thing by the local puritan society and let her to wear th

12、e scarlet letter “a” on her dress as punishment for her adultery. in the end, chillingworth was morally degraded by his monomaniacal pursuit of revenge; dimmesdale was broken by his own sense of guilt, and he publicly confessed his adultery before dying in hesters arms. only hesters could face the f

13、uture bravely, as she planed to take her daughter pearl to europe to begin a new life.1.1.2 the theme and charactersfor the main thoughts, what morals and religion had hawthorne publicized in scarlet letter? hawthorne was going to publicize puritan, thats to say hawthorne believed it was god who cre

14、ated the world and human beings, every one was born with original sin and should be punished, only gods mend can save us. (yao 1995)the main themes: forgiveness, sin. alienation appearance versus reality, breaking societys rules, maternal love, betrayal, faith and love, a womans place in society.the

15、 scarlet letter deeply expressed the characteristics of emotions and interpretations of each relationship. a story of betrayal, passion, and public persecution, nathanial hawthorne clearly expressed these themes throughout the scarlet letter.the main characters: hester prynne, reverend arthur, pearl

16、 and roger chillingworth.1.1.3 the feature of the novelthe scarlet letter is considered a masterpiece of american literature and a classic moral study. although commonly called a novel, the scarlet letter is actually a romance. it is set in a village in puritan new england. romances, on the other ha

17、nd, were concerned with internal truths. the genre of the romance also allowed hawthorne to embellish the relationship between humans and nature. the author excels to promulgate characters inner conflicts and the psychological description, he has the rich imagination. most of his work is based on th

18、e history of new england; most of his works show hawthornes perplexing thinking and incompatible nature, the scarlet letter is the special one. he is a novelist and short story writer in the american renaissance. the style of the scarlet letter is precise, descriptive, and formal. hawthorne used for

19、mal diction and syntax throughout the book, even in the dialogue. each word was carefully chosen for precise meaning.1.2 the introduction to the author1.2.1 the authors growth and main worksnathaniel hawthorne (1,8041,864) was one of the greatest romanticism fiction writer and psychological fiction

20、writer in 19th century of american. hawthorne was born in new englands declined aristocratic family in 1804. after the death of his father, he moved along with the mother to his grandfathers home. entire family sincerely believed in the christianity puritanism. hawthornes thoughts and creation was e

21、normously influenced by his grandfathers strong religious atmosphere and the intense religious sect struggle as well as the hawthorne familys traditional religion. he liked the literary arts since childhood, when he graduated from the university, he accepted a customs office position, latter affecte

22、d by the french utopian socialism, making implementation utopian socialism plan in bucker farm. hawthorne took a gloomy view of human nature.he did publish one novel, fanshawe (1828), beginning with what was generally considered his masterpiece, the scarlet letter (1850), he followed with the house

23、of the seven gables (1851), in 1853 hawthorne went to italy, which became the background for his last completed novel, the marble faun, written in 1860.on may 19th, 1846, he died in his sleep in plymouth, new hampshire.1.2.2 the fame of the authormost of his works were based on the history of new en

24、gland where used to be colony; they show hawthornes perplexing thinking and incompatible nature. on one hand, he believed the original sin; on the other hand, he experienced frantic, peremptoriness and hypocrisy of calvinism, he believed there were some super strong powers in the world while he was

25、controlled by religious order. he was good at analyzing the inner incompatible train. using symbolism, he often understood deeply about inner meaning than other writers. (cheng 1983)1.3 backgroundhawthornes views on man and human history originates, to a great extent, in puritanism. he is with the p

26、uritan world or society as a historical background.1.3.1 social atmosphere in the 17th centuryin 17th century boston every thing was very strict and everyone was expected to follow the laws.religion seemed to govern over all, people would look up to reverends and the community believed that fate was

27、 their destiny. puritans believed that there was a stern god who had decreed in advance the fate of each person in gods eyes. therefore, there was not much people who felt they could do to become a better person in gods eyes but do his biding with their jobs. woman still did not have some rights. 1.

28、3.2 the puritanism in americano matter in what age or country , hawthornes characters are puritans. puritans were a group of religious reformers who arrived in massachusetts in the 1630s under the leadership of john winthrop. like the pilgrims, they were mostly middle-class folk, although some highb

29、orn gentlemen joined them. hawthorne felt ashamed for his ancestors deeds, and that he saw them and the puritan society as a whole with critical eyes. so, both open and subtle sarcasm of the puritans practices was applied throughout the novel. the puritan setting also enabled him to portray the huma

30、n soul under extreme-pressures. its very strict, the women couldnt smile on the street, and children couldnt play.1.4 the form of symbolism1.4.1 the definition to symbolismthe symbolism is the use of symbols to represent things, esp. in art and literature; the symbols thus used. an art style develop

31、ed in the late 19th century characterized by the incorporation of symbols and ideas, usually spiritual or mystical in nature, which represented the inner life of people. symbolism is a 19th-century movement in which art became infused with exaggerated sensitivity and a spooky mysticism. influenced b

32、y the connections between music and poetry, it sought to achieve the effects of images and metaphors to symbolize the basic idea or emotion of each poem. symbolism is a relatively straightforward concept on its surface. an object or objects represents an idea or a concept. symbolism is traditionally

33、 a sign or token of something. in the matter of literature, the definition of the literary device, symbolism, is more complicated. symbols of literature are usually metaphysical.1.4.2 the form of symbolismsymbolist movement was a movement in literature and the visual arts that originated in france i

34、n the late 19th century. in literature, symbolism was an aesthetic movement that encouraged writers to express their ideas, feelings, and values by means of symbols or suggestions rather than by direct statements. symbolism writers, in reaction to earlier 19th-century trends,proclaimed that the imag

35、ination was the true interpreter of reality.they also discarded rigid rules of versification and the stereotyped poetic images of their predecessors, the so-called parnassians. important precursors of symbolist poetry were the american writer edgar allan poe and the french poet gérard de nerval

36、. the symbolist movement had its beginning in the poetry of charles baudelaire, whose les fleurs du mal (flowers of evil, 1857) and le spleen de paris (1869) were judged as decadent by his contemporaries. the symbolist movement survived well into the 1890s, in the works of such french poets as jules

37、 laforgue and paul valéry, as well as those of the writer and critic rémy de gourmont. from france, symbolism spread worldwidenotably to russia, where it was evidenced in the work of the poet aleksandr blokand had great influence on the shaping of 20th-century literature. ii. the use of sy

38、mbolism in the scarlet letterthe scarlet letter is pervaded with symbolism. a religion can be described as a language of concepts related to human spiritualism. symbolism hence is an important aspect of most religions. the interpretation of abstract symbols has had an important role in religion and

39、psychoanalysis.this novel is full of the religions, most christian religious symbolism are emblems, figures or ideas drawn from the cultures which christianity has superseded, so that symbols existing in those cultures have been adopted but imbued with christian meaning.2.1 different meanings of the

40、 scarlet letter “a”the most pervasive symbol is the scarlet a from which the book gets its title.  the main symbol of the scarlet letter is the red “a” that hester prynne was sentenced to wear on her chest. this is the most important symbol of the story, and symbolism is a major literary device

41、 of the story. in this novel, hawthorne didnt tell us what the scarlet letter stood for. nathaniel hawthorne's intention was to make the meaning of the crimson token worn on the bosom of hester prynne was highly ambiguous. the letter, a patch of fabric in the shape of an “a”, signifies that hest

42、er is an “adulterer.” in this novel, to the townspeople, author, and reader clearly the original intention of the “a” was to stand for “adulteress”. when hester prynne became pregnant during the absence of her husband she was accused and convicted of adultery. she was sentenced to wear a scarlet let

43、ter “a” on her bosom to let everyone know that she was an adulteress, forevermore. although the first intention of the “a” was to mark hester prynne as an adulteress, it also had other, more abstract meanings. the letter has a relation to the word, “american”. hester prynne's “a” reflects an “am

44、erican” meaning in various ways. on the one hand, america is a melting pot of many peoples and ideas, as was hester's “a”. she earned that “a” under certain situations. she was in a loveless marriage. she had been separated from her husband for 2 years. she thought he might be at the bottom of t

45、he sea. she was in love with another man. on the other hand that hester prynne's “a” symbolizes america, is that they were both shaped by past actions. no matter how hester had changed, since her act of adultery, at any point in her life, she was forever damned to be labeled as an adulteress wit

46、h the “a”. the symbol of the scarlet letter shaped who hester was. america was shaped by everything that happened in her past. but at last this word changed to “able”, hester prynne was a very capable woman. she was too strong of a woman for puritan boston right from the start. she was able to accep

47、t her punishment. hester was also an capable mother, nurse and seamstress. she was able to bring up a strong daughter. later in the story, the letter “a” appears in the sky, signifying “angle”, but the other writers said that letter “a” symbolized amorous, art, advance. like the wild rose in front o

48、f the jail gate, stands erect becomes “the church annex” under the church eaves punishment taiwan, and so on. these symbols fully exposed the use of the symbolic comparison of hawthorne is perfect, no qualms for the modern literature symbolism pioneer. the other prominent symbol of the book is heste

49、rs daughter, pearl. pearl symbolizes the shame of hesters public punishment for adultery. then as pearl grows older, she symbolizes the punishment itself by continuing to torment hester about the scarlet “a” embroidered on her dress. the main symbol of nathaniel hawthornes the scarlet letter is the

50、red letter “a” that hester prynne wore on her chest.2.2 the symbolism of main charactersthe scarlet letter is a novel in which lots of symbolism is used. throughout the novel several characters represent other ideas.2.2.1 hester prynneone of the most complex and misunderstood characters in the novel

51、 is hester prynne. the writer gives her much symbolic meaning by giving her this name. hester sounds like hestier, zeus sister in greek mythology, who is a very beautiful goddess. this gives us a sense that hester is a passionate beautiful woman. in this novel, she is the symbol of the truth, the go

52、odness and the beauty. “the young woman was tall, a figure of perfect elegance on a large scale, she had dark and abundant hair, so glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a gleam, and a face which, besides being beautiful from regularity of feature and richness of complexion, had the impressiven

53、ess belonging to a marked brow and deep black eyes”(hawthorne) society condemned her for her sin, without knowing anything else. hester was forced to live alone on the outskirts of the city. she was a seamstress, but got very little business. when she used her skills to decorate the “a”, things only

54、 got worse. people felt that she was trying to show off the fact that she was an adulteress, or that she was proud to be. clearly it was the first intention of the symbol to reveal that hester prynne was an adulteress. hesters guilt, however, is derived from both chillingsworth and dimmesdale. chill

55、ingsworth married a woman who did not love him, which is one of the causes of hesters guilt.also, hester is the homophone of the word haste. at first, she gets married to roger prynne. not having got the news about her husband who should have arrived by ship from england, she fell in love with arthu

56、r hastily and gave birth to pearl, for which she was condemned to wear on the breast of her gown the scarlet letter “a”, which stands for adultery. but hesters adultery haste is nothing but a very natural thing to do. 2.2.2 pearlpearl is the daughter of hester prynne. she is both a rose and indeed t

57、he scarlet letter. if she had not been born, hester would not have had to wear the letter. she was a kind of burden, yet love for hester.she is also her mothers only treasure and her only source of survival.from being a living scarlet letter, to a valuable thing with high price, then to the moral in this novel.the most significant symbolic meanin