《红字》中女主人公个性分析

湖南第一师范学院

毕业论文(设计)

题目 (中文)

（英文） 学生姓名 学

号

《红字》中女主人公个性分析 An Analysis of the Personality of the

Heroine in The Scarlet Letter

刘文叶 09404040421 姚芬芳 外语系 09英语4班 2013年5月

指导教师 系（部） 专业班级 完成时间

An Analysis of the Personality of the Heroine in The Scarlet Letter

By

LIU Wenye

A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Degree of

BACHELOR OF ARTS

Department of Foreign Language, HUNAN FIRST NORMAL UNIVERSITY

May, 2013

毕业论文(设计)作者声明

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作者签名： 日期: 年 月 日

摘 要

纳撒尼尔·霍桑是 19 世纪美国著名的小说家，其作品对美国短篇小说的发展起着重要的作用。《红字》是霍桑著名的代表作之一，也是众多学者研究的对象。本文试图以《红字》为文本，结合当时的时代背景与女主人公海斯特·白兰的生活环境及个人经历，探索海斯特在不同时期的个性特点。本文通过对海斯特的个性分析，揭露19世纪资本主义发展时代社会典法的残酷、宗教的欺骗和道德的虚伪。因为霍桑的小说反映出当时深厚的社会、宗教和哲学背景，所以，即使在新的世纪里其作品仍然值得我们研究和分析。

关键词：霍桑；海斯特；个性；《红字》

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Abstract

Nathaniel Hawthorne was one of the famous American novelists in the 19th century, whose works plays an important role in the development of the US short stories. The Scarlet Letter is one of his famous novels and it is studied by many scholars. This article attempts to take it as the text, and unify the historical background of the US in the 19th century and Hester’s life surroundings and personal experience to explore the characteristics of Hester in different times. The article mainly analyzes Hester’s three characteristics and her performance, revealing the cruelty of social rules, deception of religion and hypocrisy of morality in 19th century. Hawthorne's novels reflect their profound social, religious and philosophical background. Even in the new century, they are still worth of studying and analyzing.

Key words: Hawthorne; Hester; characters; The Scarlet Letter

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CONTENTS

中文摘要 ..................................................................................................... I Abstract .................................................................................................... II Chapter 1 Introduction ............................................................................ 1 Chapter 2 The Analysis on Hawthorne and The Scarlet Letter ............ 3 2.1 Hawthorne ...................................................................................... 3 2.2 The Scarlet Letter ........................................................................... 4 Chapter 3 The Analysis on the Background .......................................... 6 3.1 The Historical Background ............................................................ 6

3.1.1 America in the Romantic Period…………………………...6 3.1.2 Puritanism Influence on America..........................................8 3.2 The Life Background ................................................................... 10

3.2.1 The Surroundings................................................................10 3.2.2 The Individual Experience..................................................11

Chapter 4 The Analysis on Hester’s Character .................................. .14 4.1 Her Bravery ............................................... .错误！未定义书签。4

4.1.1 The Pursuit of Love.............................................................14 4.1.2 The Assumer of Her Guilt...................................................15 4.2 Her Rebellion ............................................. 错误！未定义书签。5

4.2.1 Her Attitude to Church........................................................16 4.2.2 Her Escape from Reality.....................................................17 4.3 Her Compromise .......................................................................... 18

4.3.1 Her Struggle in Thought......................................................18 4.3.2 Her Return to Boston..........................................................20

Chapter 5 Conclusion ............................................................................. 22 Bibliography ............................................................................................ 23 Acknowledgements ................................................................................. 24

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B.A.Thesis Hunan First Normal University

Chapter1 Introduction

The novel The Scarlet Letter is a famous masterpiece of Nathaniel Hawthorne, the famous American romantic novelist in the 19th century. The novel is a tragic love story that took place in New England of the 17th century. The heroine Hester Prynne is a kind beautiful English girl and unfortunately marries Roger Chillingworth, a malformed hypocritical old scholar. Later on the way to Boston, Massachusetts, New England, North America, Hester’s husband is captured and never arrives at his destination. In the nearly two years of widowed life, Hester falls in love with Dimmesdale, the local parish priest and gives birth to Pearl, her daughter who is beautiful and full of intelligence. After that, the Puritan regime of the state and the church take her as a specimen of sin, and punish her by taking a red letter “A” in English (ie the first letter of adultery) in her chest and living the whole life humbly. Dimmesdale is not exposed publicly, however, dies of the psychological torture and the persecution of Chillingworth.

The Scarlet Letter is a unique, thoughtful and imaginative work, attracting the attention and comments more than a century, which is recognized as the most outstanding representative work of Hawthorne. Hester Prynne, the heroine of The Scarlet Letter, is a quite real and complex female image. Hester has her sins and shortcomings, but she has more admirable strength and virtue. She lives in an isolated and helpless environment, spending a long and painful process of self-transformation. On the one hand, she learns to obey and do good things; on the other hand, she keeps independent and revolted, not to yield to the Puritan

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B.A.Thesis Hunan First Normal University regime which oppresses her severely.

There are so many scholars starting to study The Scarlet Letter of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Some of them study the environment and skills reflected in the novel, some of them study Puritanism and Feminism, others study the characters in the novel and so on. However, this article attempts to take The Scarlet Letter as the text, and unify the historical background of the US in the 19th century and Hester’s life surroundings and personal experience to explore the characteristics of Hester in different times. The article mainly analyzes Hester’s three characteristics and her performance, revealing the cruelty of social rules, deception of religion and hypocrisy of morality in 19th century. Hawthorne's novel has its profound social, religious and philosophical background. Even in the new century, it is still worth of learning and thinking by us.

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B.A.Thesis Hunan First Normal University

Chapter2

The Analysis on Hawthorne and The Scarlet Letter

2.1 Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne was a famous American novelist and short story writer, who was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. His ancestors included John Hathorne, the only judge involved in the Salem witch trials who never repented of his actions. Nathaniel later added a \"w\" to make his name \"Hawthorne\" in order to hide this relation. He entered Bowdoin College in 1821, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in 1824, and graduated in 1825. Hawthorne published his first work, a novel titled Fanshawe, in 1828; he later tried to suppress it, feeling it not equal to the standard of his later work. He published several short stories in various periodicals which he collected in 1837 as Twice-Told Tales. The next year, he became engaged to Sophia Peabody. He worked at a Custom House and joined Brook Farm, a transcendentalist community, before marrying Peabody in 1842. The couple moved to The Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts, later moved to Salem, the Berkshires, then to The Wayside in Concord. The Scarlet Letter was published in 1850, followed by a succession of other novels. A political appointment took Hawthorne and family to Europe before their return to The Wayside in 1860. Hawthorne died on May 19, 1864, and his wife and their three children survived.

Much of Hawthorne's writing centers on New England, many works featuring moral allegories with a Puritan inspiration. His fiction works are considered part of the Romantic Movement, more specifically, Dark romanticism. His themes often center on the inherent evil and sin of

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B.A.Thesis Hunan First Normal University humanity, and his works often have moral messages and deep psychological complexity. His works include novels, short stories, and a biography of his friend Franklin Pierce. 2.2 The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter is an 1850 romantic work of fiction in a historical setting, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. It is considered to be his magnum opus. Set in 17th-century Puritan Boston, Massachusetts during the years 1642 to 1649, it tells the story of Hester Prynne, who conceives a daughter through an adulterous affair and struggles to create a new life of regret and dignity. Throughout the book, Hawthorne explores themes of legalism, sin, and guilt.

The experience of Hester and Dimmesdale recalls the story of Adam and Eve, because, in both cases, sin results in expulsion and suffering. But it also results in knowledge—specifically, in knowledge of what it means to be immoral. For Hester, the red letter “A” functions as \"her passport into regions where other women dare not tread”, leading her to speculate about her society and herself more boldly than anyone else in New England.

Another theme is the extreme legalism of the Puritans and how Hester chooses not to conform to their rules and beliefs. Hester is rejected by the villagers even though she spends her life doing what she can to help the sick and the poor. Because they rejected her, she spends her life mostly in solitude, and will not go to church. As a result, she retreats into her own mind and her own thinking. Her thoughts begin to stretch and go beyond what will be considered by the Puritans as safe or even Christian. She still sees her sin, but begins to look on it differently than the villagers ever have. She begins to believe that a person's earthly sins do not necessarily condemn them. She even goes so far as to tell

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B.A.Thesis Hunan First Normal University Dimmesdale that their sin has been paid for by their daily penance and that their sin will not keep them from getting to heaven, however, the Puritans believe that such a sin surely condemns. But Hester has been alienated from the Puritan society, both in her physical life and spiritual life. When Dimmesdale dies, she knows she has to move on because she can no longer conform to the Puritans' strictness. Her thinking is free from religious bounds and she has established her own different moral standards and beliefs.

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B.A.Thesis Hunan First Normal University Chapter3

The Analysis on the Background

3.1 The Historical Background

America stepped into the romantic period from about 1830 and ended about in 1870, when The Scarlet Letter was completed and published. Although Nathaniel Hawthorne lived in the 19th century, however, the novel described a story in the 17th century, when Puritan played an important role in America history. 3.1.1 America in the Romantic Period

The American Romantic period, which lasted from 1830 to 1870, was a time of rapid expansion and growth in the United States that fueled intuition, imagination, and individualism in literature. When you think about stories that are labeled “romantic”, you probably think of a romance novel, where some half-dressed woman has some Fabio-esque guy hanging all over her. That is not what we're talking about in the American Romantic period. Like those stories, Romantic literature is both adventuresome and improbable, but it is a lot more than just a randy love story.

In 1830, just fifty years after the Revolutionary War, America was still really young, but its citizens were anxious to create their own identity that was uniquely American and not so reliant on European values. Therefore, the American Romantic movement challenged the very rational thinking in the Age of Reason during the Revolutionary War. This period produced fewer instructional texts and more stories, novels, and poetry.

Within these stories, novels, and poems, there are five

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B.A.Thesis Hunan First Normal University characteristics that we used to identify American Romantic literature. These are imagination, individuality, nature as a source of spirituality, looking to the past for wisdom, and seeing the common man as a hero.

The development of the American society nurtured “the literature of a great nation.” As the nation grew in size and ambition, people began to long for owning their own literature. Many writers made efforts to attract notice abroad, and their books drew attention and praise from important foreign figures. Although English literature models were still admired, the American writers soon turned to the American scene and civilization, and found their materials in the culture and history, the lore and landscape of their native land. Irving, Cooper, Bryant, and Pe all found audiences in foreign lands. Much of the interest was in reading about life in a new, experimental country which appeared remote and exotic to most Europeans. But the American writers were praised by critics as well as by plain readers, and observers saw this recognition as a sign of the maturing of American culture.

New England Transcendentalism was a main literacy stream in romantic period and also the summit of American Romanticism. The major features of New England Transcendentalism can be summarized as follows: first, the Transcendentalists placed emphasis on spirit, or the Oversoul, as the most important thing in the universe. Second, the Transcendentalists offered a fresh perception of nature as symbolic of the Spirit or God. New England Transcendentalism inspired a whole new generation of famous authors such as Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, Whiteman and Dickinson. Without its impetus America might have been deprived of one of its most prolific literary periods in its history.

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B.A.Thesis Hunan First Normal University 3.1.2 Puritanism Influence on America

Early in the 17th century some Puritan groups separated from the Church of England. Among these were the Pilgrims, who in 1620 founded Plymouth Colony. Ten years later, under the auspices of the Massachusetts Bay Company, the first major Puritan migration to New England took place. The Puritans brought strong religious impulses to bear in all colonies north of Virginia, but New England was their stronghold, and the Congregationalist churches established there were able to perpetuate their viewpoint about a Christian society for more than 200 years.

Richard Mather and John Cotton provided clerical leadership in the dominant Puritan colony planted on Massachusetts Bay. Thomas Hooker was an example of those who settled new areas farther west according to traditional Puritan standards. Even though he broke with the authorities of the Massachusetts colony over problems of religious freedom, Roger Williams was also a true Puritan in his zeal for personal godliness and doctrinal correctness. Most of these men held ideas in the mainstream of Calvinistic thought. In addition to believing in the absolute sovereignty of God, the total depravity of man, and the complete dependence of human beings on divine grace for salvation, they stressed the importance of personal religious experience. These Puritans insisted that they, as God's elect, had the duty to direct national affairs according to God's will as revealed in the Bible. This union of church and state to form a holy commonwealth gave Puritanism direct and exclusive control over most colonial activity until commercial and political changes forced them to relinquish it at the end of the 17th century.

Because of its diffuse nature, when Puritanism began to decline in America is difficult to say. Some would hold that it lost its influence in

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B.A.Thesis Hunan First Normal University New England by the early 18th century, but Jonathan Edwards and his able disciple Samuel Hopkins revived Puritan thought and kept it alive until 1800. Others would point to the gradual decline in power of Congregationalism, but Presbyterians under the leadership of Jonathan Dickinson and Baptists led by the example of Isaac Backus (1724 - 1806) revitalized Puritan ideals in several denominational forms through the 18th century.

During the whole colonial period Puritanism had direct impact on both religious thought and cultural patterns in America. In the 19th century its influence was indirect, but it can still be seen at work stressing the importance of education in religious leadership and demanding that religious motivations be tested by applying them to practical situations.

American Puritanism was one of the most enduring shaping influences in American thought and American literature. It has become, to some extent, so much a state of mind, rather than a set of tenets, so much a part of the national cultural atmosphere that the Americans breathe. Without some understanding of Puritanism, there can be no real understanding of American culture and literature.

Puritans was the name given in the 16th century to the more extreme Protestants within the Church of England who thought the English Reformation had not gone far enough in reforming the doctrines and structure of the church. They wanted to purify their national church by eliminating every shred of Catholic influence. In the 17th century many Puritans emigrated from the New World, where they sought to found a holy Commonwealth in New England. Puritanism remained the dominant cultural force in that area into the 19th century.

Puritans believed that human beings were predestined by God before they were born. Some were God's chosen people while others

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B.A.Thesis Hunan First Normal University were predestined to be damned to hell. The success of one's work or the prosperity in his calling given by God was the sign of being God's elect. Therefore, everyone must work hard, spend little and invest for more business. Working hard and living a moral life were their ethics. They regarded Bible to be the authority of their doctrine. To be able to read the Bible and understand God's will, education was essential for Puritans. 3.2 The Life Background

Hester lives in New England, a colony of North America. At that time, Puritans seriously advocate people to believe God. It is an honor to be chosen by God, but others are predestined to be damned to hell. However, Hester is hurt by the Puritanism. The novel reveals the darkness and cruelty of the colonial domination and the hypocrisy and ferocity of the church through reflection of Hester’s miserable sufferings. 3.2.1 The Surroundings

Puritans originates from the first thorough religious reform by English King Henry VIII in the 16th century. They want to clear the remnants of the Catholic for purer life. Puritanism generalizes the thoughts and the behavior of Puritan. Puritans begin to emigrate in the end of the 16th century because of the English domestic suppressed policy from 16th to 17th century, and this culminates from 1730s to 1740s. With the self-confidence of God's chosen, the Puritans come to North America to take the mission of the establishment of the New Jerusalem. Their beliefs and practices have a profound impact to the United States of the colonial period, especially northern New England Puritan colonies. They leave a deep imprint in its political, economic and cultural field, and with the economic development of New England, the Puritans’ westward settlements thereby affect the whole American society.

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B.A.Thesis Hunan First Normal University Puritan predestination prompts the Puritans to concern both the internal self-cultivation and the external success to please God. Puritan predetermined theory gives God the absolute power, and God chooses some human as the chosen people according to their free will. On the one hand, they have to strive for introspection and high moral standards requirements to make life sanctified and show their voters. On the other hand, they have to please God and deserve God’s chosen by doing the vocation and obtaining success in vulgar industry. Puritans’ attitude to economy is deeply affected by their view of duty and wealth, so they can accumulate wealth without guilt. Puritanism considers that God gives gift to the voters and judges their behavior through vocation.

Puritans must be serious, thrifty, industrious, honest and pious, which plays an important role in the formation of the spirit of capitalism. The diligence makes the Puritans do startling results on the infertile land in New England; earnest and thrift makes Puritans put limited time, energy on the labor for the glory of God and put a lot of wealth on reproduction not for comfort and enjoyment; loyalty and keeping promise promotes the credibility of the capitalism. 3.2.2 The Individual Experience

Hester Prynne is the protagonist of Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter. She is portrayed as a woman condemned by her Puritan neighbors. The character has been called \"among the first and most important female protagonists in American literature.\" As a resident of colonial America, Hester is sent ahead to the \"New World\" by her husband, who later assumes the name of Roger Chillingworth, as he has some business to finish before he can join her. After he is shipwrecked and captured by Native Americans and presumed dead, Hester continues to live her life as a seamstress in the town. She looks to the local pastor

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B.A.Thesis Hunan First Normal University Arthur Dimmesdale for comfort; somewhere along the way passion emerges, culminating in the conception and subsequent birth of their child, Pearl. Because Hester has no husband with her, she is imprisoned, convicted of the crime of adultery, and sentenced to be forced to wear a prominent scarlet letter “A” for the rest of her life.

Though scorned by her fellow citizens, Hester continues to lead a relatively uneventful life. Shortly after the birth of the child and her punishment, Hester's husband reappears and compels her to tell him the name of the child's father. Hester refuses, but swears not to reveal the fact that Chillingworth is her husband to the town folk. Hester continues living her life as a seamstress, providing for herself and her child.

Novelist John Updike said of Hester: She is such an arresting and slightly ambiguous figure. She is a funny mix of a truly liberated, defiantly sexual woman, but in the end a woman who accepts the penance that society imposes on her. And I don't know, I suppose she is an epitome of female predicaments. ... She is a mythic version of every woman's attempt to integrate her sexuality with societal demands.

One analyst wrote: All the contradictions of Hester Prynne — guilt and honesty, sin and holiness, sex and chastity — make her an enduring heroine of American literature. She is flawed, complex, and above all fertile. The idea of Hester Prynne, the good woman gone bad, is a cultural meme that recurs again and again — perhaps because we as a culture are still trying to figure out who Hester really is and how we feel about her. According to popular tradition, the gravestone of Elizabeth Pain in Boston's King's Chapel Burying Ground was the inspiration for Hester Prynne's grave. Scholar Laurie Rozakis has argued that an alternate or additional source for the story may be Hester Craford, a woman flogged for fornication with John Wedg.

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B.A.Thesis Hunan First Normal University In various film adaptations of the novel, Prynne has been portrayed by actresses such as Lillian Gish, Sommer Parker, Meg Foster, Mary Martin, Sybil Thorndike, Senta Berger and Demi Moore. In the cult television Series Twin Peaks the name is also adopted as a pseudonym by the character Audrey Horne. Another literary figure using the surname Prynne is a woman who had an adulterous relation with a pastor in the novel A Month of Sundays by John Updike, part of his trilogy of novels based on characters in The Scarlet Letter. In the musical The Music Man, Harold Hill refers to Hester Prynne in the song \"Sadder but Wiser Girl.\" He sings that he wants a girl with a \"touch of sin\" remarking \"I hope, I pray, for Hester to win just one more A.\"

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B.A.Thesis Hunan First Normal University

Chapter4

The Analysis on Hester’s Character

4.1 Her Bravery

There is no doubt that Hester is a brave woman. Hester falls in love with Dimmesdale, the priest, and conceives a daughter, Pearl. Many people think her as unchaste woman, but Hester admits her mistakes bravely and takes the crime without fear by herself. More valuable is that Hester refuses to speak the priest’s name. She protects him all the time by this way.

4.1.1 The Pursuit of Love

In isolated days in Boston, Hester becomes acquainted with the young pastor Dimmesdale. The most intense feeling of her heart is awakened, the love between them produced, and this kind of love, however, is impossible in the social system and religious law developing into a legal marriage. In this case, she chooses a brave fight to win the road to happiness. They secretly combine. This combination not only shows the courage of her pursuit of a happy marriage, but also reflects her religious revolt, a challenge to the regime, Cardiff rights and religious rights.

The birth of their daughter Pearl reveals the crime of Hester. In order to protect her beloved, Hester refuses to say the name of him and determines to bear all the blame and punishment. When the priest Wilson induces her to say the name of adulterer and promises to get rid of the red letter “A” on her chest, Hester gives an exact answer: No. The letter is branded too deeply to take it down. I hope I can endure my pain, can endure his pain!

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B.A.Thesis Hunan First Normal University She bravely bares all the crime, which indicates to the world: the love of her and the priest is immaculate and she is willing to sacrifice woman's self-esteem for her lover. Extraordinary courage and a strong sense of love prompt her to give birth to the child and bring it up. The critics consider Hester impure and immoral, but at this point, they have to admire the bravery and loftiness of her than those who abandons their own flesh and blood to conceal their crime. 4.1.2 The Assumer of Her Guilt

Hester is firm and persistent, never complains to others, and never begs for others’ mercy and forgiveness. She longs for a normal life and goes after true love. She dares to accept new ideas, showing the most intense rebellious spirit before the religious force in that particular historical circumstance. After being humiliated publicly, she chooses to bear the sufferings of life, never begging for sympathy from others.

Although someone prepares to show little mercy to her because of having received her help, Hester just puts her hand on the red letter “A” of her chest to show her rejection. She watches the customs of mankind as well as everything created by priests and legislators from a solitary’s view. She criticizes the ribbon of the pastor, robe of judge, the pillory, the gallows, the family, as well as churches and so on.

She has little awe for these things, just like the Indians’ feelings about them. On the contrary, her fate and sufferings make her free. 4.2 Her Rebellion

Rebellion is one of obvious character of Hester. She never gives up seeking for true love and never ceases to protect Dimmesdale and Pearl. When the dominator wants to take away Pearl, Hester revolts seriously and shouts that he can not take away her and Pearl is God’s compensation to her. When she sees Dimmesdale is hurt heart and soul by

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B.A.Thesis Hunan First Normal University Chillingworth, She encourages him to flee with her without hesitation. 4.2.1 Her Attitude to Church

In this novel, Hester’s rebellion given by the author is the converging point of her characters. The first opposition action reflects in the fighting for the custody of the child. The birth of Pearl takes so strong disastrous consequences, but for Hester, the child is the direct result of her crime, and she has to take the disgraceful letter “A”.

This is Hester’s full understanding of the shame letter, and her inner confession of staying in Boston to accept the punishment. Under this thought and the isolated circumstance, Hester stands out. She does not weep in her secluded cabin and not wait for the mercy of fate. After sufferings of seven years, Hester becomes more mature, and the way of her opposition turns from the revolt of inner thought to the revolt of external action.

When the rulers attempts to take away Pearl, Hester determines to revolt seriously. She stares at the old Puritan Executive in a fierce expression, and shouts to them: God gives me the child, in order to compensate for what you take away from my hands. You can not take away her! I would rather die! Hester never determines to give up Pearl and finally forces the rulers to abandon the conspiracy.

Hester’s second action is the ruthless reveal to her ex-husband, which is a sign of her mature characters. When Chillingworth visits Hester in the prison, She is bearing humiliation and under isolated situation, so Hester promises him that she can not tell anyone about his true identity. This is Hester’s expedient measure of protecting Pearl and preventing Dimmesdale from harm, or her noble act of self-sacrifice. At the same time, she is not clear Chillingworth’s motivation and purpose. But when she witnesses Dimmesdale struggling with intense pain and in

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B.A.Thesis Hunan First Normal University a crazy edge, she stands out again. She wants to prevent Dimmesdale from Chillingworth’s further damage.

Hester’s third revolt is to flee with the pastor. When she find that Dimmesdale nearly collapsed both in physical and mental aspects, Hester can no longer bear it, she bravely inspires him to flee, and develops a series of plans. Although the love between them pays her too much, it is spirit pillar of her life. A seven-year’s misery life does not kill the Prynne's pursuit of a better life, and the love flame in her heart is not extinguished.

When she sees Dimmesdale is damaged by Chillingworth like the devil and struggles in the pain to a collapsed edge, she is in a fierce ideological struggle. She recognizes that the original decisions are wrong, so she determines to do everything possible to make up for their mistakes. She feels strong after so many years’ ordeal, and she believes that she has enough energy to defeat the vile old man. Then she will take a series of actions, flee away from the land with the priest, and start a new life. 4.2.2 Her Escape from Reality

Hester chooses to succumb to reality for the sake of her daughter Pearl. In a society where religious theocracy dominates, Hester believes that she has right to seek for true love and does it boldly, but she still realizes that her own betrayal of marriage violates the precepts. Although Hester can fearlessly bear the whole punishment and misfortune by herself, as a mother, she can not break through secular and religious fetters, and she worries that her daughter may repeat her mistakes and sufferings.

To this end, Hester can just endure silently. She hopes to get psychological comfort and secular recognition by doing good things, the future of Pearl gradually calms her down, and she tends to obey external

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B.A.Thesis Hunan First Normal University rules through her tolerance and charity. When Hester pulls the scarlet letter off to break with the so-called rules and prohibitions thoroughly, Pearl picks up it. Suffocating reality mercilessly forces Hester to wear it again.

From a fundamental point of view, Hester can not completely get rid of the shackles and detention of religious thought. Although she think the love between Dimmesdale and her is sacred, she find her behavior violates religious discipline and she is evil in front of God. Religious discipline has a deep impression on her inner heart. She tries hard to break up the shackles and detention and takes the first step, but finally she does not achieve a qualitative breakthrough and has to succumb to reality.

It all comes down to her faith and fear to religion. Hester does not fight with unreasonable social system and brutal religious creed, but willingly selects to re-wear the scarlet letter, a sign of shame. 4.3 Her Compromise

Puritanism gives her a deep impression on her inner heart. Although she has the pursuit of love, Hester can not completely get rid of the shackles and detention of religious thought. She thinks she is sinful before God. To protect Pearl, she has to succumb to reality. After a long time, she returns to Boston and re-wear the scarlet letter. 4.3.1 Her Struggle in Thought

Hester lives in the North American colonial society in the 17th century where religious theocratic ideology dominates. Powerful religious forces plants a dragnet, and the suffocating religious spirit like opium poisons people's minds. Hester has pursuit of a happy life, but can not completely get rid of the shackles and detention of religious thought to her. The compromise of her thinking and behavior comes out. She is

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B.A.Thesis Hunan First Normal University well aware of the sacred point of the love between Dimmesdale and her, but she still thinks her behavior violates religious discipline and she is sinful in front of God. The letter A of her chest clearly tells her that if she is guilty, then those who are at her side are similarly guilty, regardless of the social status of the body and the level of the position. But she always tries to make herself believe that people who live in the world are not so sinful as her.

The encounter with Dimmesdale brings her moment of solace, and she thinks she re-commits the crime in that brief meeting. The religious thought roots deep in her mind. Though she attempts to break the detention and take the step, she can not ultimately get rid of this powerful and invisible giant net. As a result, day after day, she bears the torment and humiliation without complaint, and strives to make herself believe that this will eventually purify her soul and create a more chaste and sacred soul than the lost one. When strangers look at the scarlet letter on her chest or Pearl throws apples to it jokingly, she feels painful and tries hard not to conceal it, because she believes that only in this way can she better complete her atonement.

What a sad, pathetic woman! Could only ascetic behavior make God forgive her? From her, we can see a woman yearning for a happy marriage but full of strong religious thinking is struggling painfully. She sometimes makes a fight cry, sometimes a desperate weep, doing helpless ups and downs in the life of the ocean. Since she convince the existence of God and can not get rid of the guilt, then she will be afraid of God's punishment for her, especially fears that punishment may fall on the body of her only baby Pearl.

Every day she watches the growth personality of her child, fearing to find some kind of gloomy or wild proclivity that is consistent with this

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B.A.Thesis Hunan First Normal University evil of the child. She is dimly aware that the root of women's liberation is to overthrow the entire social system, but still falsely believes her misfortune is caused by her own proclivities. Although she does not entirely believe the religion, even negates it, yet hopes her daughter to become a devout Christian. It seems that as long as the Pearl strictly does in accordance with the regulations of the Puritan, she will avoid that fate. 4.3.2 Her Return to Boston

When Dimmesdale dies and Pearl marries to Europe, Hester should have worried about nothing and becomes more treacherous. On the contrary, after leaving the colony for many years, Hester is back and takes the abandoned shame! Here are her sins, her sadness, and her confession. Forced by the pressure of the community in the past years, although she has to conceal her dissatisfaction to social and make the surface of the concession and compromise, she has never ceased to protest. She often does not know what to do wandering in the dark ideological maze, but she never gives up resistance.

It is time to combat the unreasonable social system and brutal religious law, but Hester willingly re-wears the scarlet letter, a sign of shame and confesses her sins. She believes that all relations between men and women will base on the mutually happy and reliable foundation, but advises those who suffer a lot like her to be patient, to wait, as if a bright period will arrive.

Hester first holds her head high regardless of despite from others, then she get the hit of fate over and over and all of her hope fails, next she confesses sins by herself and arranges her own burial and epitaph, finally she unavoidably accepts the dreariness, misery and darkness of life. From the experiences above, Hester’s characters of bravery, rebellion and compromise bear a rich and complex social content from

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B.A.Thesis Hunan First Normal University the times of change, and leave profound effects on the introspection and criticism of society, religion and culture. The value and meaning of Hester’s characters just lied in them.

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Chapter5 Conclusion

The Scarlet Letter is a great and immortal novel. It describes a brave, kind, independent and rebellious woman Hester Prynne, who is the heroine of the novel. Undoubtedly, Hester leaves a deep impression on us. Under the brutal domination of Puritan, Hester resists the injustice of fate, never gives up pursuit for love and life. The core of Hester’s spirit is not to yield but to pursue for love, however, her ideal love is affected by every internal or external factor, deducing a sad tragedy. It is the tragedy that produces the unique enduring glamour, and it becomes a romantic classic in the American literature even in the world literature.

This paper makes great efforts to analyze the characteristics of Hester on the basis of background and surroundings in that time. As is well known, one’s character is greatly affected by them. Hawthorne’s affirmation to self-consciousness and living value of Hester demonstrates the criticism to unreasonable evil marriage system and the praise to pure love.

Besides, the novel not only reflects the sad love tragedy, but also greatly exposes the tragedy’s historical sources. Studies on the novel can make readers learn more about American history, religion and culture. Moreover, readers can learn Hawthorne’s skill of sarcasm, symbolism, psychological description and so on.

The research of The Scarlet Letter is increasing. Although the analysis of this paper seems to be rigorous，we should also notice that the research on The Scarlet Letter should frequently renew itself to catch up with the readers’ point of view.

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B.A.Thesis Hunan First Normal University Acknowledgements

I would like to express my sincere thanks to all those who have helped me during the writing of this paper. My deepest gratitude first goes to my tutor—Yao Fenfang. She has spent a lot of time reading through my paper and gives me invaluable suggestions. For her patient guidance, helpful suggestions and other support throughout my paper and for her careful reading of my paper, I can finish the paper. Without her continuous help, this paper could not have reached its present form. Second, I want to thank all of my teachers in Hunan First Normal University, whose lectures help me open my eyes to a dynamic world of knowledge. I also wish to thank our college providing free database for us to download free but useful thesis and books.

Lastly, I wish to give my thanks to my family for their support during my paper-writing period. I also want to thank all my classmates and my dearest lovely friends, for they are so helpful and supportive. I especially appreciate the help from my dear classmates in Hunan First Normal University, they supported me throughout the final stage of my research.

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