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1、2013届本科毕业论文分析红字中的主要人物对清教主义的反抗姓名：郑 曼 曼系别：外语学院专业：英语学号：090511166 指导教师：林 富 丽2013年 5 月精选学习资料 - - - - - - - - - 名师归纳总结 - - - - - - -第 1 页，共 17 页The Rebellion of the Main Characters in The Scarlet Letter against Puritanism By Zheng Manman Shangqiu Normal University May 2013精选学习资料 - - - - - - - - - 名师归纳总结 -
2、 - - - - - -第 2 页，共 17 页商丘师范学院2013届本科毕业论文I 摘要纳萨尼尔 ?霍桑是美国十九世纪杰出的浪漫主义小说家，他的成名作红字，描绘了四位主人公的不同的生活处境和不同的结局，自从二十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。本文旨在通过从清教主义的观点对小说中四位主要人物的分析， 阐明作品中主要人物对清教主义的反抗。本文分四个主要部分，第一部分主要介绍了作者背景和主要作品及其红字的研究意义。第二部分分析清教主义及其在美国社会的发展。第三部分分析小说中主要人物对清教主
3、义的反抗。最后一部分得出总结，加深了读者对清教思想及其小说中主要人物的的理解。关键字 : 红字；清教法规；白兰；丁梅斯代尔；齐灵沃斯；珍珠精选学习资料 - - - - - - - - - 名师归纳总结 - - - - - - -第 3 页，共 17 页商丘师范学院2013届本科毕业论文II Abstract Nathaniel Hawthorne is an outstanding American romantic novelist in nineteenth century. His masterpiece, The Scarlet Letter, described the differ
4、ent life conditions and ends of the four heroes. Since the first Chinese translation of The Scarlet Letter appeared in the 1950s, scholars and readers in this country have shown an ever-increasing interest in his works. Its immortal enchantment lies in not only its condemnation of the negative impac
5、t of Puritan society on peoples spirit, but also its affirmation of good thinking over human nature. This thesis will be divided into four parts: The first part mainly introduces the background of the author, some of his works and the significance of the study on The Scarlet Letter; The second part
6、will analyze Puritanism and its development in American society; The third part is the rebellion of the main characters against Puritanism, and the last part gets conclusion and gives readers a clear understanding on Puritanism and the main characters. Key Words : The Scarlet Letter ; Puritanism; Pr
7、ynne; Dimmesdale; Roger; pearl 精选学习资料 - - - - - - - - - 名师归纳总结 - - - - - - -第 4 页，共 17 页商丘师范学院2013届本科毕业论文III Contents摘要 . IAbstract . IIContents . III1Introduction . 1This is a brief introduction about the background of Hawthorne and The Scarlet Letter. 1The Scarlet Letter was widely studied . 12Pur
8、itanism . 2The following part is the definition of Puritanism . 2Puritanism developed in American society . 33The Analysis of the Main Characters . 4Hester Prynne as a rebel was against Puritanism . 4Dimmesdales action was the hypocrisy of Puritanism. 6Roger was the real sinner. 7Pearl was a satire
9、to Puritanism . 74Conclusion . 9Reference . 11精选学习资料 - - - - - - - - - 名师归纳总结 - - - - - - -第 5 页，共 17 页商丘师范学院2013届本科毕业论文1 1Introduction 1.1This is a brief introduction about the background of Hawthorne and The Scarlet LetterNathaniel Hawthorn was born on the fourth of July, 1804 in Sales, Massachuse
10、tts. Hawthorne s father was a sea captain, who died in an accident and left his mother and him behind to struggle to live for themselves. Young Hawthorn was quite aware of the misdeed of his Puritan ancestors, and this awareness made him believe that evil and sin was at the core of human life. To so
11、me extent, Hawthorn wrote some of his books, such as The Scarlet Letters, to try to make up for the sin of his ancestors. The Scarlet Letter is considered the leading American native fictionist of the 19th century. “ In 1850 he brought out his masterpiece The Scarlet Letter, the story of a triangula
12、r love affair in colonial America. In this novel Hawthorne condemned the Puritan philosophy of life ” (Ren 1998, 49) “ His stories display a psychological insight into moral isolation and human emotion. He distrusted the claim of objective reason to be able to arrive at humanly relevant truth”(Wu 20
13、03,53) The novel was short but very moving. Hester Prynne came to New England and fell in love with Dimmesdale and then had a baby, Pearl, because she could not get any news from her husband, thinking that he had died. When her “ adultery” was discovered, she was punished to wear a scarlet letter “A
14、” on her chest all her life. Roger, tried his best to torment Dismmesdale. And Dimmesdale, suffering from both mental and physical torment, announced his “sin ”at last, he died as an honest man. Roger, withered at last. Prynne, restructured her life and wan people s respect. Pearl, left for Europe a
15、nd married a noble family, leading a happy life. 1.2The Scarlet Letter was widely studied The theme of The Scarlet Letter is characterized by multiplicity and various conclusions are drawn in the field of the thematic studies. It seems that scholars have shown major concern with such diathesis as th
16、e original sin, the moral consciousness of Hawthorne, 精选学习资料 - - - - - - - - - 名师归纳总结 - - - - - - -第 6 页，共 17 页商丘师范学院2013届本科毕业论文2 religious belief, individual and society, thoughts of female doctrine and the conflict between the head and the heart. At home, some scholars focus on such themes as the
17、symbolism in The Scarlet Letter, the meanings of “A”, the ideas of marriage, moral problems and religious complex, sin and redemption, the loneliness diathesis of the novel and analysis of whether Hester gets rebirth and so on. For example, Huang Fang emphasizes that one of the themes is the “ Analy
18、sis of the Image of Hester Prynne in the scarlet letter” (Gan 2003, 67). Meanwhile some scholars abroad concentrates on the following themes: the persistence of theocracy, reforming America and its men, original sin, the exclusion of the traditional villain from contemporary American literature, the
19、 puritans of today: anti-Whig argument of The Scarlet Letter, branding the body American; violence and self-fashioning from The Scarlet Letter to American psycho, individual and community, Hawthorne s pearl; woman-child of the future, “ A” for Atlantic; The Colonizing Force of Hawthorne s The Scarle
20、t Letter, the dating problem of Hawthorne, postponing politics in the novel, the dark problem of this life, motivation in the scarlet letter, writing skills of the novel. However, very few scholars have ever analyzed the main characters from Puritanism. This thesis analyzes the rebellion of the main
21、 characters in the scarlet letteraganist Puritanism. Through the analysis , people can get a deep understanding on the novel and the main characters from a completely new aspect. Besides, people know Hawthorne s viewpoint about puritanism better.2Puritanism 2.1The following part is the definition of
22、 Puritanism The word Puritan was first coined in the 1560s as a derisive term for those who advocated more purity in worship and doctrine. The Puritans were a widespread and diverse group of people who took a stand for religious purity in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries in Europe. Their rise was
23、directly related to the increased knowledge that came to the common people in the Age of Enlightenment. As people learned to read and write, and as the Bible became more accessible to commoners, many began to read the Bible for themselves (a habit that 精选学习资料 - - - - - - - - - 名师归纳总结 - - - - - - -第
24、7 页，共 17 页商丘师范学院2013届本科毕业论文3 was strongly discouraged in the established church). Some Puritans were connected with Anabaptist groups in continental Europe, but the majority were connected with the Church of England. “Puritans includes people from the humblest to the loftiest ranks of English societ
25、y, educated and uneducated, poor and rich ” ( Encyclopia of American 1988,91) “The Puritans were indebted to John Calvin and the example of the Calvinist tradition. Another source of Puritanism was the Bible, considered the sole authority in matters of faith”. It has the following thoughts: “The Pur
26、itans demand greater purity and stricter obedience to the will of God, Englishmen in the 16th called such person: Puritans, a name derived from the Latin word for pure, and intended as a criticism of the reformers for being too extreme in their demands.” (Encyclopia of American 1988, 21) “Puritan op
27、position to pleasure and the arts has sometimes been exaggerated.” (Zhu 2002, 91) 2.2Puritanism developed in American society “ Puritanism was entirely in England in its origin, yet the movement achieved its greatest influence in America. The 17thcentury colonies in New England represent the fullest
28、 development of the movement.” ( Encyclopia of American 1988, 22) Puritanism was the practices and beliefs of the Puritans. The Puritans were originally members of a division of the Protestant Church, who came into existence in the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and King James I. The first Puritans who a
29、rrived in America were Separatists. A new group of Separatists fled England in 1607 1609, to the north of Plymouth, in the area around Boston, then other Puritans began arriving in 1628 1630. They came over under the auspices of the Massachusetts Bay Company, a corporation with rights to the area of
30、 land lying between the Charles and the Merrimack rivers, They came to America out of various reasons, but it should be remembered that they were a group of serious, religious people, advocating highly religious and moral principles. They believe that the church should be restored to complete “ puri
31、ty” , they accepted the doctrine of predestination and total depravity, and limited atonement through a special infusion of grace from God. Puritans lives were extremely disciplined and hard. As a culture heritage, Puritanism did have a profound 精选学习资料 - - - - - - - - - 名师归纳总结 - - - - - - -第 8 页，共 1
32、7 页商丘师范学院2013届本科毕业论文4 influence on the early American mind. American Puritanism also had a enduring influence on American literature. It had become, to some extent, so much a state of mind, so much a part of the national cultural atmosphere, rather than a set of tenets. In the American Literature ed
33、ited by Zuo Jinmei, some important features about Puritanism quoted as follows: rigid sense of morality, emphasis upon material success, self- reliance, feeling for democracy, enthusiasm for education, favor for social reform, conflict of conscience was not adequate as a major goal in life. American
34、 puritanism was influenced by John Colvinism deeply. Hawthorne himself was not an puritan, but he was under the influence of his Puritan ancestors, thinking “the wrong doing of one generation lives into the successive one”.3The Analysis of the Main Characters 3.1Hester Prynne as a rebel was against
35、Puritanism Hester Prynne was one of the main characters in The Scarlet Leter. In the whole novel, Hester Prynne, a woman of graceful nature, rebelled strongly and continuously against the unjust puritan society. Hester s rebellion against puritanism can be reflected in the following aspects. Hester
36、s committment of the sin with Dimmesdale was her first attempt to rebel aganist puritanism. Hester Prynne was born in a once rich family and lived a happy infancy. She was beautiful, passionate and young. Unfortunately, she married an old and ugly physician, Roger Chillingworth, whom she never loved
37、. Hester, then, rebelled against the puritanical society which wanted to enforce its law on her. She chose to the young priest Dimmesdale and commited what the purian society called “ a sin” . In that society, Hester should have kept adherence to her husband, even she had not a bit love for him. And
38、 furthermore, she should kill her natural love within her, instead of letting it released and spoil such a decent settlemant as Boston. But Hester prynne shook off such puritanical bondage and loved whom she really loved bravely. 精选学习资料 - - - - - - - - - 名师归纳总结 - - - - - - -第 9 页，共 17 页商丘师范学院2013届本科
39、毕业论文5 Hester s rebellion against Puritanism was also reflected in other actions. She was a woman who committed adultery, which was representation of evil of human nature in Puritans eye, and cannot be accepted by the puritans and the society at that time. Hester betrayed her husband and went against
40、 the principle of honesty according to Puritanism, so she must accept the severe penalty in the puritan society, wearing a scarlet letter “A” on her breast all her life which meant “adultery”. “At the least, they should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynnes forehead.” “This woman has br
41、ought shame upon us all, and ought to die. ”( Hawthorne 2004, 43) The women s vicious curse was the supplement of the puritanical code of law. To the puritans, the civilized life was to throw the human nature into the prison. Here, people can see the writers negation to the Gail-the symbol of the Pu
42、ritanism. But “and never had Hester Prynne appeared more ladylike, in the antique interpretation of the term, than as she issued from the prison.” (Hawthorne 2004, 45) “ The door of the jail being flung open from within, there appeared, in the first place, like a black shadow emerging into sunshine,
43、 the grim and grisly presence of the town-beadle, with a sword by his side and his stuff of office in his hand ” (Hawthorne 2004, 44) In the whole story, Hester generally kept silent, accepted the insult from adults to children in the puritan society, In fact, she showed extreme strength and courage
44、 to resist the bias of the Puritanism by her good deeds. She was always the first one to help people in trouble; gradually she won people s respect by her benevolence. She spent most of her time on embroidery and Pearl, her fancy work was elegant and incomparable, which made people admire her abilit
45、y. She didn t only struggle for the right of her own but also for a new world where both men and women could possess the equal right to love. She rebelled against the Puritanism strongly. Several times when they met in the forest, she encouraged Dimmesdale to escape together with her. “ Hester never
46、 thought of meeting him in any narrower privacy than benea th the open sky.” (Hawthorne 2004,154) Hester s rebellion against Puritanism in appearance. In Hawthorme s and Poe s novels, women s black long hair stood for romance and desire, while evil in Puritan society (Gan 2006, 66). She was an actio
47、n affirm to the the feudal regime and oppress. “She took off theformal cap that confined her hair;” “Her sex, her youth, and the whole richness of the 精选学习资料 - - - - - - - - - 名师归纳总结 - - - - - - -第 10 页，共 17 页商丘师范学院2013届本科毕业论文6 beauty, came back from what men call the irrevocable past. ” (Hawthorne
48、2004, 171) Here, we can see Prynne never gave up her pursue for love and freedom. At the end of the story, to the reader s surprise, Prynne had returned to New England. “ People brought sorrows and perplexities, and besought her counsel, as one who had herself gone through a mighty trouble. Earlier
49、in life, Prynne had vainly imaged that she herself might be the destined prophetess ”(Hawthorne 2004, 221) which was the bitterest satire to the Puritanism and its doctrine of total depravity. 3.2Dimmesdale s action was the hypocrisy of Puritanism “ Dimmesdale was a man torn between human nature and
50、 the religious rules that formed civilization at that time.”(L 1993,27) The puritans saw themselves as restoring the Christian tradition to its original purity by new faith but to restore an old one. They hoped to inspire the whole communities with zeal for Christian living, mainly through powerful
51、preaching and bible study. He represented many of their best virtues. He was conscientious, learned, and eager to serve. He also represented some of their common vices. He was hypocritical humorless, and a bit vain. “ Unlike Hester and Roger who represented two poplars of passion and puritan doctrin
52、e, Dimmesdale struggled between the two extremes. The rigorous doctrine of puritan society got him stuck in his dilemma. Neither could he deny his love to Hester nor could he make a public confession about his sin because he was afraid of the consequence. This dilemma gnawed his heart till his final
53、 confession and death. ” (Zhang 2000, 43) As a puritan representative, he suffered more from the guilt of his hypocrisy than from the guilt of his passion. He was a clergyman, meanwhile he was a man full of compassion and human nature, he loved Prynne very much, and he committed adultery which betra
54、yed the puritanical code of law. Four decisions were thus forced upon him; he must assert his position in relation to man, God, his original sin and better self. In each case, he only added new falsity to his torment and suffering. “ He was struggling on the edge of the spirit and flesh coming break
55、down, and he was beat and lashed by the so- called articles of religion the gory whip at every moment. It must be considered that he continued to be engaged in the pure mission of a priest with the criminal body should be a 精选学习资料 - - - - - - - - - 名师归纳总结 - - - - - - -第 11 页，共 17 页商丘师范学院2013届本科毕业论文7
56、 great affront to god and a deception to god-people. Eventually, he told the secret in mind with divine courage, he obtained tranquil and the newborn of spirit. ” (Liu 2005, 48) this restraint from religion in human nature exposes the hypocrisy of Puritanism and its doctrine of predestination. 3.3Ro
57、ger was the real sinner Roger was someone whose emotional famine ended in a dark feast of avenge. This made him a figure of black magic in Hawthorne s sense, that was, someone who had willingly committed his soul to the devil s care, and who became learned in the arts of evil-doing. He was the most
58、deplorable figure, “ at first, he was a victim; at last, he entirely became a ruthless devil. The basic factor led to the result is affected by moral conception, and the main criterion is Puritanism at that time.” (L 1993, 92) His fate was a satire to the “ good and evil”“ soul salvation” in the Pur
59、itanical code of law. Roger was the full embodiment and victim of the rigorous code of puritan society which negated human passion. He represented moral evil and destroying power. When his evil work was done he positively withered up, shriveled away like an uprooted weed that lay wilting in the sun.
60、 Some people may think that he was the victim and he revenged for his dignity, but from the cruel means he revenged on Prynne and Dimmesdale he committed an unforgivable sin. When Dimmesdale, his tormented subject, ascended the scaffold to confess his sin triumphantly, he was completely defeated jus
61、t as the puritan hierarchy was defeated. Prynne and Dimmesdale were sinners at first, they committed the “ original sin”according to the Puritanical code of law, but they did good deeds to others and got rid of evil in their heart. On the contrary, Roger was not forgivable he saw revenge his sole pu
62、rpose of life. 3.4Pearl was a satire to Puritanism Pearl is considered the most typical character by some people. “ Pearl was a character who has not yet chosen good or evil; she was in a natural pre-moral state. In this crucial sense she was an unformed person and a reader cannot 精选学习资料 - - - - - -
63、 - - - 名师归纳总结 - - - - - - -第 12 页，共 17 页商丘师范学院2013届本科毕业论文8 penetrate much of he personality. Her innocence is tainted with a natural inclination to selfishness, perhaps strengthened by her sadly solitary life. Hawthorne tried to show that Pearl was like a rippling stream, mirroring life around her w
64、ithout really understudy or judging it for herself.” ( Brown 1987, 63) Pearl was in fact “ the scarlet letter”in another form, it endowed with life. “ She was a living symbol of adultery.”(Yan 1991, 111) She was viewed almost as a ghost in the Puritans eyes. However, in little Pearl s mind, the scar
65、let letter was the first thing she got used to. It was the token that her loving-tender-care mother ware quite opposite to the puritan s outlook. She didn t consider the scarlet letter on her mother s breast as a sign of shame, but an undispatchable part of her mother. Her idea about “ A”was a rebel
66、lion against the Puritan society. Pearl didn t go with the society which she lived in. On some other times, like a brave warrior in the battle, she fighted forcefully against the puritan. She was not a coward anyway. It was the social isolation and discrimination that shaped her character in life. F
67、ortunately, nature offered her warmth to Pearl, from the beginning to the end, the sunshine was always with her. “ She stood laughing in the midst of it, all brightened by its splendors, and scintillating with the vivacity excited by rapid motion .The light lingered about the lonely child as if glad
68、 of such a playmate.” (Hawthorne 2004, 155) The impressive friendship of the nature made her feel that she was one of the members in nature like a wild animal. In the forest, it was understandable that a pigeon the symbol of peace, uttered a sound to greet the girl. What was more fascinating was tha
69、t the wolf the wildest animal in that forest, “ has surly lapsed his tale into the improvable, came up and smelt of Pearl s robe and protruded his savage head to be patted by her hand.” (Hawthorne 2004, 173) Since her release from the dark prison, she was separated naturally from other children in t
70、he society. Sometimes Pearl only watched the children playing under the puritanical nature in great distance. She would never take part in their games, nor would they invite her to. However, “ she had not the disease of sadness, which almost all children, in these days, inherit, with the scrofula, f
71、rom the troubles of their ancestors.” (Hawthorne 2004, 156) This was more than a satire to the Puritanism. It was seemingly paradoxical that the Puritan considered Pearl as a symbol of adultery, while the author regarded her as an 精选学习资料 - - - - - - - - - 名师归纳总结 - - - - - - -第 13 页，共 17 页商丘师范学院2013届
72、本科毕业论文9 angel. Besides, “ Pearl, this character hinted Hawthorne s skeptic feeling to Puritanism, she breached of the requirements in Puritanism s homespun wearing and worn the bright and glittering Bizarre dress by Prynne.” (Zhang 2000, 18) At the end of the novel, Pearl left England to Europe, lea
73、ding a happy life, which announced an affirmation from the author that Pearl would be unable to obtain happiness in the strict and severe Puritan society. 4Conclusion In the 17th century Boston everything was very strict and everyone was expected to follow the laws, which made Hester s sin such an e
74、xcellent illustration of the belief of that time period. As we know, Hawthorne was born in a prominent Puritan family; undoubtedly, he was deeply affected by the doctrines of Puritanism and adhered to the main of them, emphasizing the Sovereignty of God and the Innate Depravity of man. The four char
75、acters were a significant arrangement. They displayed a picture of all desires and sufferings, good and evil, and therefore, they made the book an allegory of mankind. To conclude the story, Hawthorne put into a sentence one most important moral: “ Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world
76、, if not your worst, yet some trait where by the worst may be inferred!”(Hawthorne 1981, 236) When people were not true to the world and to themselves, how was it possible for them to make any judgment? The author seemed to have examined the basis of the whole system of Puritan civilization and he s
77、tressed that all human action should be open to interpretation, and people can not and should not impose the truth with absolute certainty. The ideal society as Hawthorne imaged should be built not on false living, but on a new moral order, in which broad mindedness, compassion, and individualism wi
78、ll be highly valued. And from these figures, readers began to comprehend the Puritan thoughts and values and realized what the dark side of Puritan was: harshness, persecutions and absolute certainty. Through the analysis of the rebellion of these main characters, readers had a better understanding
79、about Puritanism and Hawthorne s viewpoint about Puritanism. Besides, readers can see that Hester prynne was against Puritanism in her own way, both in action 精选学习资料 - - - - - - - - - 名师归纳总结 - - - - - - -第 14 页，共 17 页商丘师范学院2013届本科毕业论文10 and in appearance; Dimmesdale s action was the hypocrisy of Pur
80、itanism; Roger was the real sinner in that puritan society and Pearl was a satire to Puritanism. Readers knew more about the relation between these figures and Puritanism. Although much effort was made to approach the novel, it still left much to be discussed due to the limited time and personal ina
81、bilities. 精选学习资料 - - - - - - - - - 名师归纳总结 - - - - - - -第 15 页，共 17 页商丘师范学院2013届本科毕业论文11 Reference Brown, Suzanne. 1987. York Notes The Scarlet LetterM. Longman York Press, World Publishing Corporation. Gan, WenPing. 2006. The Return of Surprise: The Interpretation of the Image of Hester prynne. Fore
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84、ersity Press. Ryan, Michael. 2008. The Puritans of Today: The Anti-Whig Argument of The Scarlet Letter J. Ottawa: Canadian Review of American Studies (2):38-39. Wu, Dingnian. 2003. The Outline of American Literature. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Education Press. Yan, Meiling. 1991. The Role of Pearl i
85、n The Scarlet LetterJ. Weinan Normal College Journal(1-2): 111-113. Zhu, Jinrui. 2002. The Puritan Flavor-Comment on The Scarlet Letter. Nanchang: Changyuan Newspaper . 精选学习资料 - - - - - - - - - 名师归纳总结 - - - - - - -第 16 页，共 17 页商丘师范学院2013届本科毕业论文12 Zhang, Yalin. 2000. The Scarlet Letter-An Accusation against Puritanism LawJ. Jinzhong Normal College Journal(4): 13-14. Zuo, Jinmei. 2000. The American LiteratureM. Qingdao: Qingdao Sea University Press. 精选学习资料 - - - - - - - - - 名师归纳总结 - - - - - - -第 17 页，共 17 页
