《红字》中字母A的象征意义(英文)

Symbolism Of The Letter “A” Throughout The Scarlet Letter 《红字》中字母“A”的象征意义

方蒂蒂

江西农业大学2004届毕业生

Fang didi

Class 2004

Jiangxi Agriculture University

There have been a lot of arguments over the diversity of symbol over the past years. However, Nathaniel Hawthorne is successful in employing symbolic techniques and lays great emphasis on the diversity of symbol. The Scarlet letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne is undoubtedly been considered as his masterpiece, is praised as one of the greatest novels and regarded as the first symbolic novel in American literature. This novel includes many profound and important symbols, and the author’s symbolic style has the rich flavors of emotion and conforms to no conventional pattern.Hawthorn's symbolism, especially the symbolic letter “ A” helps make the keynote of the story clearer and the characters to the life. The changing symbolic meanings throughout the novel are the best expressed by the letter “A”. This paper attempts to discuss the diversity of symbolism in this novel, i.e. the changing symbolic meanings of the scarlet letter “A”, and their manifestations.

Key words: Nathaniel Hawthorne; The Scarlet Letter; symbols; symbolism; the diversity

象征的多义性曾引起过不少争议,然而纳撒尼尔·霍桑却出色地运用了象征主义手法和成功地突出强调了象征的多义性.<<红字>>无庸质疑地被认为是霍桑最杰出的作品,也被赞誉为美国文学上最出色小说,同时也是美国第一部象征小说.这部小说包含了很多意味深远而且重要的象征, 作者的象征手法具有浓郁的感情色彩,不拘于传统形式.作者通过象征手法,尤其是具有象征意义字母“A”使得文章主线清晰,并且给人物注入了生命力.字母“A”作为最具代表的例子是其在小说中含义的变化.本文试从红字“A”象征意义的多义性，讨论《红字》中的字母“A”的象征手法.

关键词: 纳撒尼尔·霍桑; 《红字》; 象征; 象征主义; 多义性

ⅠThe introduction to Nathaniel Hawthorne and his intention of writing The Scarlet Letter.

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in an impoverished noble New England’s family, the descendent of a long line of puritan ancestors. Among his ancestors, 2 generations were big wheels in organs of power of unite of religion and politics in colony areas. They persecuted heterodoxy by zealot of Puritan. Lonely childhood branded his personality with melancholy and taciturn. After his father was lost at sea when he was only four, his mother became overly protective and pushed him toward more isolated pursuits. His childhood left him overly shy and bookish, and molded his life as a writer. Hawthorne turned to writing after his graduation from Bowdon College. Though Hawthorne attacked the harmful religious zealots and stifling religious doctrines of Garvin, he viewed on the world with religious sense of good and devil in his deep heart. He summed up the social contradiction, wh ich he didn’t understand and was caused by the development of capitalism as abstract “evil”. As he said, the source of social evils contradictions among individuals phenomenon of crime were not in the material social life, but were caused by intrinsic “evil” in inner world of man. So Hawthorne wrote that the resolution to social problems started with the omnipresent “evil”. He said that once the internal world was purified, many sin loafing about external world would disappear. His focusing on the abstract “evil” decided his writing trend mostly. He preferred describing trans-natural, weird, horrible scenes or dark, unusual psychological activities in order to explore the roots of all kinds of social hidden “evil”. He said himself “only loyal to the truth of heart, comprising the heart to a winding and extending cave and the writing to “driving actively in our common human nature”. So he usually analyzed a person’s psychology cutting off social conditions peeled off the “evil” existing in everyone’s heart lay er off layer. Hawthorne focused on the problem of guilt cared for the deeper psychology and his major novels generally dealt with sensational material, like poisoning, murder, adultery, and crime, because he was ambitious to explore the result of sin, the effect on human conscience of guilt, pride, egotism, and isolation. His exploration of the soul resulted from his skeptical attitude toward the limited social reality that was characterized by a rapid change in almost all aspects of social life, and from h is “seclusion” of thinking.The central subject of Hawthorne’s major works was the human soul. According to him, “There is evil in every human heart, which may remain latent, perhaps, through the whole life; but circumstances may rouse it to activity.” So in almost every book he writes, Hawthorne discusses sin and evil. For example, in another his novel Endicott And The Red Cross, he describes a pretty woman also wears a scarlet letter on her cloth. Human’s characters are complex and elusive and difficult to see through. So it’s no right to define the human’s character good or evil simply and cleanly. Just because of the complexity of the human character and the difference of the standards of good and evil, these literatures are so readable and fascinating magnetically. Just because he lived in an age when the dynamic influence of Puritanism was gone and the impact of romanticism and Transcendentalism was large felt among the intellectuals, and thus his view of man and human history originates, to a great extent, is Puritanism. The sensibility led to his understanding of evil being at the very core of human life, which is typical of the Calvinistic belief that human beings are basically depraved and corrupted, hence, they should obey God to atone for their sins. Just as I mention above, in many of his stories and novels, the Puritan concept of life is condemned, or the Puritan past is shown in an almost totally negative light, especially in his The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne is attracted in every way to the Puritan world, even though he condemns its less humane manifestations. In this particular

novel, Hawthorne does not intend to tell a love story nor a story of sin, but focuses his attention on the moral, emotional, and psychological effects or consequences of the sin on the people in general and those main characters in particular, so as to show us the tension between society and individuals. As a man of literary craftsmanship, Hawthorne is extraordinary. The structure and the form writings are always carefully worked out to cater for the thematic concern. With his special interest in the psychological aspect of human beings, there isn’t much action or physical movement going on in his works and he is good at exploring the complexity of human psychology. So his drama is full of mental activities. Thought propels action and grows organically out of the interaction of the characters, as we can find in this novel.

ⅡThe general introduction of symbolism

Just as characterization and dialogue and plot work on the surface to move the story along, symbolism works under the surface to tie the story's external action to the theme. Early in the development of the fictional narrative, symbolism was often produced through allegory, giving the literal event and its allegorical counterpart a one-to-one correspondence. Symbolism operates on the level of the unconscious. This does not mean that the author himself is unconscious of the process of creating symbolism -- merely that we, as readers, accept its input without really understanding how it works. Symbolism, therefore, is an integral component of fiction, because it enriches the narrative by pulling its message down to the level of our unconsciousness and anchoring it there. Developed in the late 19th century, symbolism is an art movement characterized by the representation of the inner life of people through spiritual symbols and ideas. It began as a rejection of the purely visual realism of the Impressionists, and the rationality of the Industrial Age, in order to depict the symbols of ideas. Traditionally modeled pictorial depictions are replaced or contrasted by flat mosaic-like surfaces decoratively embellished with figures and design elements. Symbolism in literature is the deepness and hidden meaning in a piece of work. It is often used to represent a moral or religious belief or value. Without symbolism literature is just a bunch of meaningless words on paper. N. Hawthorne successfully uses the symbolism device in his novel and makes his novel The Scarlet Letter become an immortal famous work. In The Scarlet Letter he uses the concept of nature such as the jail, burdock, pig-weed, apple-peru, wild rose, scaffold, forest etc. and four major Characters' Names: Hester Prynne, Asher Dingmeistale, Roger Chillingworth, Pearl to show symbolism. But the most significant symbol that is shown throughout the novel is the scarlet letter “A”. The letter “A” represents different things to each of the characters and the town’s people. This paper will focus on the important role the letter “A”plays and how It changes its meanings throughout the story.

ⅢThe diversity of symbol

ⅰSymbol and symbolism

In dictionary, a symbol is a one-term comparison. For example, if we compare a hat to a cloud, the cloud is the symbol replacing the hat as its perfect substitute. As a result, symbols can be interpreted – both those in dreams and those brought about by free associations or coming from cultural and spiritual representations. Symbolism is the systematic or creative use of arbitrary symbols as abstracted representations of concepts or objects and the distinct relationships in between, as they define both context and the narrower definition of terms. In a narrow context, “s ymbolism” is the applied use of any iconic representations.

ⅱOn the diversity of symbol

⑴From the content of The Scarlet Letter

The letter “ A” totally appears about 150 times in this novel. In chapter 2: “On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A.” is the first time the letter appears. Then it comes out more. Especially in Chapters 5 and 8, the scarlet letter frequently appears. The letter is throughout the novel besides the Chapters 1,9 and 20. From this pinot, we can see why the novel is called The Scarlet Letter. In this novel, we can see the scarlet letter “A” is just like a magnet which connects with all the people and each setting, details. According to Puritanism, the scarlet letter symbolizes a shame, sin of Adultery. In addition, the description of the Characters makes the symbolic meanings of the letter “A” reflected to the full.

Hester Prynne

She is a heroine in The Scarlet Letter. The writer gives her much symbolic meaning by giving her this name. Hester sounds like Hestier, a beautiful goddess in Greek mythology. This gives people a sense that Hester is a passionate beautiful woman. In the novel, she is the symbol of the truth and the beauty. She is the one who dares to love, to pursue her love. Her own strong will helps her to come through all the difficulties.

Arthur Dimmesdale

He is one major character in this novel. He is a revered minister. From the name of Arthur Dimmesdale, people can get AD as the first letters. In this way, we can see clearly that AD is stands for Adultery .The writer tells us he is the partner of Hester obviously. The word Dimmesdale also has symbolic meanings. Dim means dark and weak, and dale means valley, so the dimdale here is actually a symbol of the "dim-interior" of the poor clergyman. He is the partner but her dares not admit the fact. He was hypocritical and coward.

Chillingworth

He is another major character in this novel. He is an ugly man who gives his best years to knowledge caring nothing for Hester. Not having any common ideology with her. His name-chillingworth, is compound with chilling and worth. Chilling means cold, and indeed, he is cold in his mind. He shows no love to his wife, not to mention others. What is worth to him? Have finding out the Arthur Dimmesdale is the father of Pearl, he begins to avenge on the former. To him, avenge is the only thing which is to doing in the world.

Pearl

She is an illegitimate child of Hester and Arthur, The writer describes Pearl as an effective and dynamic character; she is the living symbol of the scarlet letter, acting as a constant reminder of Hester’s sin. From her name “Pearl”, people can see that a pearl is a beautiful object found

inside an ugly oyster. She is her mother’s treasure, the source of her survival. She is just like the sunshine to her mother. Without her, Hester would have died.

⑵From the pattern of the structure of narrative

The pattern of the structure of narrative novel itself is a symbol. In this novel, there are two main chains.

Able

The 1st: A (Adultery) Angel

Admirable

The 2 nd: Concealment Uncover

At the beginning of the story, the Letter is a symbol of adultery. As the story goes, because of Hester’s kindheartedness and her virtue, the letter A is becoming the symbol of “able”, “angel”, and “admirable”. Meanwhile, There is a scarlet letter inside of Arthur, when tortures him much. He is self-condemned from time to time. In the misery of 7 years, he decides not to conceal the secret anymore.

ⅣThe diversity of the letter “ A”

ⅰThe historical setting

In 1920, a boat filled with more than one hundred people sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to settle in the New world, This religious group had began to question the belief of the Church of England and they wanted to separate from it. Those people are so called pilgrims. The pilgrims settled in what is the state of Massachusetts. There, they developed puritanical religion. Before the 18th century, Puritans had set up the Theocratic Politics in MA. In The Scarlet Letter, life was centered with a rigid, puritanistic-structured society in which one is unable to divulge his or her innermost thoughts and secrets. Every human being needed the opportunity to express how he truly felt, or the emotion is bottled up until it becomes volatile. Unfortunately, Puritan society did not permit this expression, so people had to seek alternate means in order to relieve themselves. Luckily, at least for the four main characters, Hawthorne provides such a sanctuary in the form of the mysterious forest.

ⅱThe gist of The Scarlet Letter

In the early 1600s, in Boston, a young woman named Hester Prynne was found to be guilty of adultery. Because of this crime, she was forced to wear a scarlet letter A on the breast of her gown. She also had to stand on the stocks for three hours with her baby in her arms so all the people could see her shame. Some people said she would have been condemned to death if the kind Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale hadn't spoken on her behalf. As she stood on the platform, a strange-looking man came out of the nearby forest. Hester appeared upset, and the man put his finger to his lips as a sign of silence. Hester was known in the community to be from a good family in Antwerp, Belgium. She had married an old scholar and had been sent by him to the New World. Her husband was to follow shortly, but his ship was lost at sea. She had lived quietly in Boston until the time of this disgrace. Now, standing on the stocks, the local dignitaries called on her to name the man who shared her guilt. Reverend Dimmesdale spoke to her the most about this. Nevertheless, she refused. She was taken back to prison. In prison, Hester became very disturbed.

A call sent out for a doctor, and a man who called himself Roger Chillingworth came forth. He told the jailer he'd just arrived in town after living with Indians for a year. He was the one Hester had seen while she stood on the scaffold, and she found out the man was her missing husband. He wanted Hester to speak out the name of the child's father, but she refused. He swore he'd found out something for himself, and he asked her not to reveal that he was her husband. She agreed. Hester finally settled down with her daughter in a small cottage near the town. She called the little girl Pearl, and she dressed her colorfully. She earned her living doing needlework, and always she wore the A on her breast. Pearl was a spry and lively child, and some church members wanted to take her away from Hester, whom they saw as an unfit mother. When Hester went to the governor to ask him to help her keep Pearl, Reverend Dimmesdale spoke on her behalf. The governor agreed to let them stay together.Meanwhile, Roger Chillingworth and Arthur Dimmesdale were living in the same boarding house, and they became very close. As Chillingworth got to know the Reverend better, he discovered that the Reverend suffered greatly from guilt. Most people thought the Reverend was only being righteous, but Chillingworth suspected that Dimmesdale himself might be Pearl's father.One night Dimmesdale couldn't sleep, so he went for a walk. When he got to the stocks, he climbed up to find out what it felt like. Just then Hester and Pearl walked by, and the Reverend called them to join him. When all three stood there, Dimmesdale cried out in shame that he was indeed Pearl's father. Chillingworth, in the shadows, watched the entire scene. Hester

recognized that Dimmesdale was very sick, and she believed that Chillingworth was driving him ever deeper into ill health. When she encountered her former husband in the forest, she begged him to leave the Reverend alone. He refused, so she told him she'd tell Dimmesdale of her relationship with Chillingworth. When she did this, Dimmesdale made plans with her to leave the colony together, with Pearl, in secret. They would leave in four days and would return to Europe. The day they were to sail, Hester learned that Chillingworth had also made plans to leave and would, in fact, be on the same ship. Hester was filled with despair. After the Reverend gave what would be his final sermon, he weakly left the church with others of his congregation. They proceeded down the street until they approached Hester and Pearl, who were standing near the stocks. Dimmesdale then took them by the hands and climbed upon the scaffold. There he confessed all in front of the entire town, and he tore off his minister's band. He sank to the platform, dying. Some said they noticed a scarlet A on his exposed breast. Chillingworth also died shortly afterward, and he left much money to Pearl. Hester left the colony for a while, but years later she returned. She moved back into her cottage and continued to wear the scarlet letter. Now, however, the letter was a symbol of her goodness rather than her shame. In old age, she asked that the only mark on her tombstone be the letter A.

ⅲThe letter “A” and its obvious manifestations

The symbolism of the letter “A” changes a lot in this novel. Those changes are significant. The following is an analysis of the changes.

Adultery

Adultery is an original meaning of the letter "A". According to a puritan way of punishing a criminal of adultery, the criminal should put a letter “A” on his/her clothes as a sign of adultery. The puritan treatment continues, because as Hester walks through the streets, she will be looked down upon as if she is some sort of demon from hell that commits a terrible crime. This letter is meant to be worn in shame, and to make Hester feel unwanted. Hester is ashamed of her sin, but she decides not to show it. She is a very strong woman to be able to hold up so well against what she must face. Others may have left this place and found some other place where no one knows their past. She chooses to stay though, which shows a lot of strength and integrity. She dares to accept the fact that she made a blunder.

Alone and Alienation

The letter "A" also stands for Hester's lonely life in New England. After she is released, She lives in an abandoned and remote house with her child. Every one there takes her as a pestilence, and the story about her can be heard everywhere, every time when people stared at the letter “A”on her bosom, it hurts Hester. Hester's social life is virtually eliminated as a result of her shameful history. Hester comes to have a part to perform in the world with her native energy of character and rare capacity. “However, there was nothing that made her feel as if she belonged to it. Every gesture, every word, and even the silence of those with whom she came to contact, implied, and often expressed, that she was banished, and as much alone as if she inhabited another sphere, or communicated with the common nature by other organs and senses than the rest of human kind. She stood apart from moral interests… seemed to be the sole portion that she retained in the universal heart.” Hester has no friends in the world and no one understands her, in other words, no body wants to make friends with her or to be close to her as she is a woman with sin. Only little Pearl is the only companion of her lonely life, so the letter “A” is also a symbol of the words “alone” and “alienate”.

Agony

Agony is another symbol of the letter “A”. For Hester and Dimmesdale, the scarlet letter stands for agony which Hester shows in her secluded life and which Dimmesdale shows in his diminishing health. The two poor lovers can’t be together even though they love each other so much. When Dimmesdale, the reverend MR.Dimmesdale is on behalf of the Reverend MR.Wilson and the Governor to persuade Hester to tell the name of the father of the child. He is looking down steadfastly into Hester’s eyes and asks her to say the name. “If you feelest it to be for thy soul’s peace, and that thy earthly punishment will thereby be made more effectual to salvation, I charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and the fellow-suffer! …Heaven hath granted thee an pen ignominy, that thereby thou mayest work out an open triumph over the evil within thee, and the sorrow without….”Who knows how agonal he is when he makes such a dialogue to Hester? Only Hester knows that he is in deep self-condemnation. Hester shows her loyalty to love: “ It is too deeply branded. Ye cannot take it off. And would that I might endure his agony, as well as mine.”

Able, Angel, Admirable

The main and the most important symbol of the letter “A” is “able”, “angel”, “admirable”. How does it change the meaning into being able, angel and admirable? As we know Hester makes her living by handwork. “By degrees, nor very slowly, her handiwork became what would now be termed the fashion…Her needle-work was seen on the ruff of the Governor; military men wore it on their scarf, and the minister on his hand; it decked the baby’s little cap; it was shut up, to be mildewed and moulder away, in the coffins of the dead.” Have you ever seen a woman like her? How much was she undertaken? Even a man can hardly start a new life in such a condition. But she does a living well. She comes through all the difficulties. Hester is like a wild rose, and it braves the storm no matter how terrible it is, rose shows us her indomitable mind and strong life. After the storm, it blossoms a beautiful flower. Yes, she is a wild rose, she survives in the storm, and the letter “ A” on her bosom tells us it means “Able”. What’s more, Hester’s life is a thrift one but she often helps others willingly. None is so self-devoted as Hester is. She is like an angel whom the God send to the World. “There red the embroidered letter, which comfort in its unearthly ray…The letter was the symbol of her calling. Such helpfulness was found in her- so much power to do, and the power to sympathize-that many people refused to interpret the scarlet letter A by its original signification. They said that it meant Able; so story was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength.”The rulers, and the wise and learned men of the community slowly recognize her virtue day by day, even for some individuals in private life had forgiven Hester Prynne for her frailty. They have begun to look upon the scarlet as the token, not the sin. Those people often say to strangers: “Do you see that woman with the embroidered badge? It is our Hester- the town’s own Hester- who is so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick, so comfortable to the afflicted!” The townspeople who condemned her now believe the scarlet letter to stand for her ability to her beautiful needlework and for her unselfish assistance to the poor and sick. The townspeople soon begin to believe that the badge serves to ward off evil, and Hester grows quite admirable amongst the people of the town. Hester overcomes the shame of her sin through the purity and goodness of her soul, and unselfishly offering her time and love to those who need her most proves that she is not worthy of the fate which has been dealt to her.

Award

The letter “A”is an award for Hester’s tender mercy and kindness. The poor like her and

respect her due to her love to them. Many years after Arthur’s death, Hester comes back to live the rest of her life alone, nobody can remember what had happened to her when she was young. People like her, and young people like turning to her for advice. She becomes a respectable person finally. That people admire and respect Hester is a reward to her.

Arthur and Amour

A is the first letter of the name of Arthur Dimmesdale, and is also the first letter of Amour. In Hester’s eyes, the letter A represents her lover Arthur and her amour. The letter “A” can be seen as the badge of their true love between Hester and Arthur. This point can be showed by Hester’s appearance at the scaffold with proud smiling at the beginning. Hester does not feel shameful but she thinks of the letter as their great love. That she refuses to speak out the name of Pearl's father is a way to protect him and love him; She prefers to stay in New England because she imagines one day she would hold a weeding with her lover; She rises up Pearl and lives a hard life but she still looks forward to the bright future. “There dwelt, there trod the feet of one with whom she deemed herself connected in a union, before the bar of final judgment, and make that their marriage-alter, for a joint futurity of endless retribution.” She wears the scarlet letter for seven years, and misses her lover in this way. Only when she meets Arthur again in the forest in seven years, deciding to go to somewhere else with her lover and Pearl, does she throw the scarlet letter away. After Dimmesdale's death, Hester and Pearl disappear for several years. Despite living with her daughter, Hester comes back to live the rest of her life in her cottage again, and picks up the scarlet letter for the third time. To Hester, there is a more real life in New England than in that unknown region where Pearl has founded a home. “Here had been her sin, here, her sorrow, and here was yet to be her penitence.” Hester eventually dies and is buri ed in the King's Chapel Cemetery. “It was near that old and sunken grave, yet with a space between, as if the dust of the two sleepers had no right to mingle. Yet one tombstone served for both.” Finally, the two lovers --Hester and Arthur, will be together forever after their death.

Adam

Adam is the one character in Bible, He is considered as the original sin of human being with Eve in the Garden of Eden. It can be said that the letter “A” is the symbol of Adam. The writer shows his sympathy by describing the scarlet letter "A" on Hester's clothing as an ornament and a decoration. Hester's making the scarlet letter "A" into a thing of beauty offends many bystanders, who comment that, " it were well if we stripped Madame Hester's rich gown off her dainty shoulders." However, as a young woman observes, "not a stitch in that embroidered letter, but she has felt it in her heart." The feeling of sympathy, only expressed by one of the characters throughout this scene, is used by Hawthorne to criticize the puritans for their strictness. The society is too strict in its ways, and Hawthorne shows his contempt for the treatment of Hester by constantly reinforcing how cruelly the people talk about her. Hester didn’t deserve such a cruel punishment. Her deed is not a grievously sinful one. N. Hawthorne mentions it at the end of Chapter One," Finding it so directly on the threshold of our narrative, which is now about to issue from that inauspicious portal, we could hardly do otherwise than pluck one of its flowers, and present it to the reader. It may serve, let us hope, to symbolize some sweat moral blossom, that may be found alone the track, or relieve the darkening close of a tale of human frailty and sorrow." This kind of sympathy can be seen everywhere in the novel.

As Aspiration of the new life

In the novel, Hester’s daughter Pearl shows great interest and fondness in the letter, which

has accompanied the girl ever since she is born. On time when she plays alone, she wears the letter “A” on the breast with the imitation of her mother. However the letter is green and full of vitality. This green letter symbolizes the aspiration to release from conservative idea of the letter and to pursue a new life with hope and vitality.

ⅤThe concluding remarks

In a word, N. Hawthorne uses lots of rich and unique symbolic technique in The Scarlet Letter, especially the letter “A”. And the technique leads the way to an independent literature genre: the symbolic novel. Therefore, N. Hawthorne fully deserves the title “the prophet of symbolism”.

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英美文学选读. Modernism (1914-1945)

小说The Scarlet Letter中字母“A”的象征意义

小说The Scarlet Letter中字母“A”的象征意义 发表时间：2012-06-28T10:19:50.390Z 来源：《时代报告（学术版）》2012年5月（上）供稿作者：赵楠 [导读] The Scarlet Letter 是Nathaniel Hawthorne的代表作。 赵楠河南省轻工业学校河南郑州 450006 中图分类号：I712.074文献标识码：A 文章编号：41-1413（2012）05-0000-01 摘要：The Scarlet Letter 是Nathaniel Hawthorne的代表作。Nathaniel Hawthorne是美国浪漫主义文学时期的著名作家。他的小说的主要特色就是象征手法的运用。小说中字母“A”作为贯穿全文的主要线索，在主要人物和情节发展中起了重要的连接作用，随着故事情节的发展，字母“A”的象征意义也在不断的变化，通过对字母“A”象征意义的分析，读者能对这部经典的小说有一个更好的理解。 关键词：红字“A”；象征；象征意义 一、 Nathaniel Hawthorne简介 Nathaniel Hawthorne(1804--1864)是美国浪漫主义文学时期最著名的作家之一。他是一个多产的小说家,有着追根究底的想象力和一种强烈的心灵冥想力。他的大部分小说都对罪恶有着详尽的描述。他认为，每个人的心里都存在罪恶的念头，心灵和灵魂的罪恶比肉体的更普遍。在读他的小说的时候，你能够体会到作者悲观的态度以及内心的挣扎，在小说The Scarlet Letter中尤为明显。 二、The scarlet letter中的象征符号 红字“A”作为小说中主要的象征符号，被赋予了丰富而深远的意义。在不同的时期，不同的人对字母“A”有不同的理解。作者向读者生动地展示了清教徒群体的生活。这部小说中除了红色字母“A”之外，还有很多其他的象征符号。 生锈的牢门是那个黑暗和残忍的时代的象征。在那种环境下，没有真正的爱情，只有人类的虚伪和人性的自私。由于使用了这个象征符号，整部小说的基调都是悲观的。但是为了能让读者在绝望中读出一点希望，作者用玫瑰花丛及其花香来为阴郁的心里添加了一点明亮的色彩。 另外一个象征符号是Chillingworth。他是这部小说中真正意义上的恶魔。最初，他只是一个无辜的受害者，受到了大家的同情。但是作为本质上非常冷血的人，他预谋了一场邪恶的复仇计划，最终成为真正的罪人。他是无情，邪恶，冷血的代表。所以我们可以推断，他残疾的身体是他残缺灵魂的象征。 三、字母“A”的象征意义。 1.在故事发展的不同时期，人们对字母“A”的不同解读 最初，红色的字母“A”是罪恶和愧疚的象征。它意味着“通奸”或者“奸妇”。当时女主人公Hester被迫在胸前戴着用猩红颜色写的字母“A”。正是因为这个猩红的字母，她被同一社区的人们孤立了起来。从她佩戴这个字母的那一天起，她所经历的只有绝望和无法忍受的孤独。最初，她非常害怕并且不知所措，但是到最后，她意识到担忧、逃避是于事无补的。她选择了坚强、勇敢的面对这个事实，努力地做力所能及的事情来改变她的困境。为了重新建立起她与同社区人的关系，她改变了自己，过着艰苦枯燥的生活。随着时间的流逝，通过不断的努力，她终于重新得到了村民们的接受和尊重。慢慢地人们不再将字母‘A’解读为“通奸”，在人们的心目中，它被赋予了新的意义“能力”。 Hester并没有恨抛弃她的社会和之前伤害过她的村民们。她怀着极大的宽容和慷慨。很多人被她的行为深深地感动了，并且因为她的坚持和努力，人们开始接受她，直到这一刻，这个猩红的字母有了跟修女胸前的红色“十”字一样的意义。因此，人们开始把Hester当成是天使而不再是罪人。这时，这个猩红色的字母有了另外一个意义-----天使。 2.字母 “A” 对于小说中的主要人物来说有着不同的含义 对于Hester来说，这个猩红的字母“A”是她所犯下的罪的一个外在的表现。她有着强烈的欲望来克服所有的困境，并且尽力友善地对待每一个人。由此我们可以看出，这个字母在给她磨难的同时也孕育出一个全新的Hester。正是由于这个字母让她勇敢了起来，她敢于探险其他女人从来不敢踏足的地方，在很多人的心目中，她变成了一个足够勇敢，敢于起来反抗这个残忍世界的女人。 对于Dimmensdale来说，虽然他没有佩戴这个猩红的字母，但是他的心里却经历着巨大的痛苦和悲伤。他把他的罪恶感深藏于心，然而这种罪恶感却使他万分痛苦、忧心和绝望。这个猩红的字母就像是一条鲜血淋漓的鞭子，在不停的抽打他的内心，直到他最终承认他罪恶的那一刻。但是无论他怎么努力，他罪恶的灵魂都不能得到片刻的平静。 对于Chillingworth来说，这个猩红的字母就像是一个羞耻的象征，在不停的提醒着他的耻辱，从而刺激着他向Dimmensdale报仇。看到这个字母，他变得越来越残忍，这个字母给了他无穷的报仇的刺激和动力，他也变得越来越邪恶，从而变成了这部小说中真正的恶魔。在他奄奄一息的时候，他承认了自己的罪恶。 小说中有另外一个重要且突出的人物Pearl。与其说她是小说中的一个人物，不如说她是一个象征符号。 一方面，她是Hester 和Dimmensdale的女儿, 是耻辱的象征。她有着跟那个猩红的字母“A”一样的影响，但另一方面，她又是爱情的结晶，是Hester唯一仅存的财富，正是因为Pearl的存在，Hester才有了足够的力量和勇气去努力的生活，克服所有困难。Pearl是她活下去的唯一希望。 对于Dimmensdale来说, Pearl的存在时刻提醒着他所犯下的罪。他非常地爱Pearl，但他却没有勇气去面对她。Pearl 就像是一个精灵，不仅给他带来了快乐，也带来了悲伤和强烈的罪恶感。 对于Chillingworth来说, Pearl是一个他永远无法忘记的耻辱，每次看到她，他就会想到Hester 和Dimmensdale之间的奸情。所以为了他的面子和自尊，他从这个活着的字母“A”（ Pearl）身上得到了无穷的力量去实施自己的报仇计划。 四、字母“A”的意义。 或许有人会问，为什么这部小说有着如此深远和广泛的影响呢？不仅是因为他的写作风格具有不朽的文学魅力，更重要的是，小说所运用的象征意义的写作方法。象征意义手法是运用象征符号来代表人物的观念、情感等的一种写作手法，象征手法潜在地连接了故事情节的外部发展和主题的关系，它能使抽象的形象化，普遍的具体化，意识形态的实质化。所有这些都有助于读者对小说的理解，也能使读者更易于接受小说中的人物。 象征手法的运用能激起读者的阅读兴趣并激发他们的想象力。当Hester 被迫佩戴字母“A”的时候，读者会感到很吃惊，可能会有一些疑

红字的象征意义

Symbols in the Scarlet Letter The Symbolic Meaning of “A”: From beginning to end in the novel, the most typical symbol is the scarlet letter “A”. As a key to the whole novel, the letter “A” takes on different layers of symbolic meanings as the plot develops and people come up with different interpretations. The letter "A" begins as a symbol of sin. It then becomes a symbol of alone and alienation, and finally it becomes a symbol of able, angel and admirable. 1、Adultery The letter "A", worn on Hester's bosom, is a symbol of her adultery against Roger Chillingworth. This is the puritan way of treating her as a criminal, for the crime of adultery. The puritan treatment continues, because as Hester walks through the streets, she will be looked down upon as if she is some sort of demon from hell that commits a terrible crime. This letter is meant to be worn in shame, and to make Hester feel unwanted. Hester is ashamed of her sin, but she chooses not to show it. She commits this sin in the heat of passion, and fully admits it because, though she is ashamed, she also receives her greatest treasure, Pearl, out of it. She is a very strong woman to be able to hold up so well against what she must face. Many will have fled Boston, and seek a place where no one knows of her great sin. Hester chooses to stay though, which shows a lot of strength and integrity. Any woman with enough nerve to hold up against a town, which despises her very existence, and to stay in a place where her daughter is referred to as a "devil child," either has some sort of psychological problem, or is a very tough woman. 2、Alone and Alienation The scarlet letter "A" also stands for Hester's lonely life in New England. After she is released, Hester lives in a cottage near the outskirts

《红字》中红字“A”的不同象征意义

《红字》中红字“A”的不同象征意义 一、私通（Adultery）的象征 红字“A”挂在海丝特的胸前，象征了她违背她丈夫齐灵渥斯的意愿与别人的私通。这是因为她犯了私通罪而作为罪犯被清教徒惩罚的方式。这种惩罚方式继续，因为，当海丝特走过大街的时候，人们瞧不起她，仿佛她是犯了可怕罪行的从地狱里出来的魔鬼。这个字母的意义必定使佩戴者感到耻辱，使她感到想要摘下来。“她对自己说，这里曾是她犯下罪孽的地方，这里也应是她接受人间惩罚的地方”。海丝特因为她得罪孽而感到耻辱，但是，她选择深藏不露。她在爱情的怀抱犯下了罪孽，而且完全承认这个罪孽，因为，尽管她感到耻辱，但是她也由此获得了最伟大的珍宝———女儿珠儿。她是一个坚强的妇女，尽管她面对非常恶劣的条件，但是，她却能越过越好。像她那样的许多人也许会逃离波士顿，寻找一个没人知道她罪孽的地方。海丝特选择停留，就这一点，就显示了她的坚强和伟大。面对一个鄙视她的这样一个城镇，而且住在一个人们把她女儿叫做“魔鬼的孩子”的地方，她有足够的勇气坚持下去，就表明她是一个坚强不屈的妇女。（1）孤独(Alone)和异化（Alienation）的象征 红字“A”也代表了海丝特在新英格兰孤独的生活。在海丝特释放出来以后，她就住在城市郊区的茅屋里。“这是原先的一位移民建起后又放弃了的，因为那一带土地过于贫瘠，不宜耕种，况且离群索居，而社会活动当时已成为移民的一个显著的习惯。”因为海丝特耻辱的历史，她几乎没有什么社会活动。由于她生性倔强而且才能出众，她在人世上有了自己的一席之地。可是，没有什么东西可以使她感到她好像属于这个世界。“然而，他在同社会的一切交往中，却只能有格格不入之感。同她有所接触的那些人的一举一动、一言一行，甚至他们的沉默不语，都在暗示，往往还表明：她是被排除在外的；而她的孤凄的处境似乎证明：她是生活在另一个世界中的，只有靠与众不同的感官来同其余的人类交流。对于人们感兴趣的道德问题，她避之犹恐不及…‥似乎成了她在世人心目中所保留的惟一份额了。”海丝特在这个世界上没有朋友，小珠儿是她孤独生活的唯一伴侣，因此，红字“A”也是以a 开头的“孤独（Alone）”和“异化（Alienate）”的象征。 （2）能干的（Able）、值得尊敬的（Admirable）和天使（Angel）的象征后来，红字“A”变化了意思，成了“能干的、值得尊敬的和天使的象征”。开始，整个镇上的人谴责海丝特，但是，后来他们认为红字代表了做漂亮手工活的能力和她对于贫穷和生病的人的大公无私的援助。“那字母成了她响应感召的象征。由于从她身上可以得到那么多的支援——她深富同情心又极肯助人——许多人都不肯再按本意来解释那红色的字母“A”了。”到了这时，许多镇上的人意识到，海丝特是一个拥有高贵品质的人。“‘你看见那个佩带刺绣的徽记的好人了吗？’他们会对陌生人这样说。‘她是我们的海丝特——我们这镇上的海丝特，她对穷人多么好心肠，对病人多么肯帮忙，对遭难的人多么有安慰啊！’”镇上的人很快开始相信，这个徽记可以避邪，海丝特也渐渐成了镇上值得尊敬的人。海丝特用她灵魂里的的纯洁和善良克服了她罪孽中的耻辱，她无私的把自己的时间和爱奉献给了那些需要她的人，这证明，她是值得获得她最终的命运的。（3）前进（Advance）的象征 在读完整个小说之后，读者意识到，红字“A”还代表前进。实际上，霍桑在《红字》中关心的是“善”与“恶”的关心。社会现状使他迷惑，他对社会变革产生不解和恐惧，这些与他的宗教信仰产生矛盾，作者把故事中心场景的示

《红字》中A的象征主义的文献综述

《红字》中A的象征主义的文献综述 摘要:纳撒尼尔·霍桑是十九世纪美国伟大的浪漫主义小说家。作为一位伟大的浪漫主义小说家，霍桑对象征主义手法的运用可以说是独具匠心。他擅长用特殊命名法刻画人物以突出作品的主题。其代表作《红字》便集中体现了这一特点。在这部作品中霍桑对特殊人名和字母A的象征意义的运用，使作品蕴含多重寓意和多元主题。女主人公的名字白兰蕴含着美丽、激情、轻率、欲望灵魂净化以及对人性的研究等意义。丁梅斯代尔的名字含有“一个犯了通奸罪的人因性格怯懦把罪恶隐藏在阴暗的心中”之意。齐灵沃斯的基本寓意是“恶棍、复仇和冷酷”。白兰与丁梅斯代尔的女儿的名字珠儿有“珍贵、美好与纯洁”等人性善的内涵。字母A的含义随着主题的发展而发生变化，作品以字母A开始又以A结尾，它不仅以各种各样的形式出现，而且其象征意义不断变化，从“通奸”到“有能力的”甚至“天使般的”，这诸多变化交织了人性的矛盾、冲突、善恶的转换，罪与罚宽容和爱，可谓意义丰富。从每个人物凸显在书中的行为及心理主线来看，红字也许蕴藏在每一个人的心中，但关键在于罪恶面前人们是怎样对待的。 关键词: 红字；“A”；象征主义 一、红字A的多重释义 红字A是贯穿全书的主线,也是最为典型的象征。在小说中红色的“A”出现以频率之高让读者不禁在读完小说后仍继续深思。从“某一种标记”“A”出现在文中近150次之多。这个红字到底象征着什么意思呢?可以根据故事的情节先后顺序,简单地用一条情节发展线索来解释:apple(象征原罪,恶的根源)——adultery(通奸)ashamed——alienation (疏远)、abnormal、abandon -------able(能力)、affection(慈爱)——angel(天使) -------admire（敬佩）、awakened （觉醒）。在故事开始,当红A字第一次出现在众人的眼前时,它精工细做,人为地赋予光彩和奢华:“它聚集了海丝特衣着唯一,但最合体的装饰品所带来的效果”,它的光辉如同“随划过黑暗的清教徒社会的一缕耀眼的光”。但是对海斯特·白兰来说,就是她自己亲手绣得如此精美的这个火红的A字,却是代表了她的羞耻。故事中,美丽年轻的女孩嫁给了一个伪学者、披着济世外衣的医生丈夫，她在遭遇了年轻的牧师，在清教徒的世界里，她追求这种世人认为不论的不正常的爱情，这种自由的

红字象征意义分析word版本

红字象征意义分析

吉林工商学院 毕业论文 题目名称：浅谈《红字》的象征意义 院系：外语分院 专业：英语 学生姓名： 656 学号：15 指导教师：454 2012年 5月 14日

毕业论文原创性声明 本人郑重声明：所呈交毕业论文，是本人在指导教师的指导下，独立进行研究工作所取得的成果。除文中已经注明引用的内容外，本论文不包含任何其他人或集体已经发表或撰写过的作品成果。对本文的研究做出重要贡献的个人和集体，均已在文中以明确方式标明。本人完全意识到本声明的法律结果由本人承担。 论文作者签名：年月日

浅析《红字》的象征意义 摘要：象征主义作为一种文学流派, 出现于19 世纪末至20 世纪30 年代, 是欧美现代派文学的一个重要分支。纳撒尼尔·霍桑(Nathaniel Hawthorn, 1804- 1864) 是美国19 世纪杰出的浪漫主义小说家,其代表作《红字》(The Scarlet Letter)更是将象征主义运用的淋漓尽致，以细致入微的心理分析和寓意深刻的象征手法剖析人类的罪恶根源, 揭示“人性恶”这一古老而永恒的主题。《红字》以17 世纪北美清教(加尔文教) 殖民统治下的新英格兰为背景, 描写两个触犯清教戒律的教徒悔罪的心理历程。《红字》中，霍桑成功地运用多重象征, 从不同的侧面暗示《红字》的主题，包括其中各个人物、不同的场景, 以及红字本身所蕴涵的象征意义, 赋予主题以具体的形象, 从而使整部小说的含义更含蓄、更丰富,《红字》使霍桑成为现代象征主义文学的开创者之一。我将会在论文中从各个方面，不同角度来分析《红字》的象征意义。 关键词：象征写作手法；宗教；意义

红字的象征意义The Symbolic Meaning of the Scarlet Letter

The Symbolic Meaning of the Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne always wears on her chest a scarlet letter “A”, which is the central symbol of the novel. It shows different identities of Hester. And the symbolic meaning changes from “Adultery” to “Angel”. I will analyze it from the following three aspects. 1. Adultery During that time, the strict Puritans rule Boston and they punish the people who break their rules. Hester really commits a crime of adultery. When she stands on the platform, the letter “A”is the sign of punishment of her adultery, and the color scarlet is a symbol of sin. The scarlet looks like blood and fire, which can be regarded as desire. There is passionate love between Hester and the priest, but it brings them misfortune. Hester has to wear the scarlet “A” as a punishment and she will never forget her crime. With the shame, she is regarded as a naughty woman. Red should be regarded as the symbol of love and life, but under the control of Puritan strictness, it’s a symbol of shame and punishment. When Hester first appears, she doesn’t look like a criminal but a loving mother. She is grace and elegant, holding her baby to the chest. She stands proudly to bear her punishment. That is impressive to me. Her spirit is full of disobedience and strength. In addition, from the words I can see the elegantly sewn letter “A” is an art. 2. Alone and Alienation Hester lives a lonely life without friend. Only her daughter Pearl accompanies her. What’s worse, because her crime is still within town, people insult her and treat her badly. Even children are afraid to get close to her. She suffers great from the mental torment. If I were she, I couldn’t stand such kind of pressure. I would leave for a new place where no one knows me and begin a new life. However, she chooses to face the reality rather than escape from it. She is patient to those insulting words and even tries to forgive those people. 3. Able, Admirable and Angle

红字A的象征意义

On the Symbolic Meaning of the Letter “A” in the Scarlet 姓名：胡钰琴班级：1002 学号：2010403210223 Abstract:There are many different views among scholars about the symbolic meaning of the letter “A”in the scarlet letter. For instance, “A”for “adultery”, “angel” and “able”. Contrary to these scholars, this paper holds opinions that the letter “A” is the symbol of “adore”, “alone”“admirable”. This article focuses on these four things to analyze the whole novel. Key words:the Scarlet Letter, symbolism, romantic, Hester 一、Introduction The Scarlet Letter is considered as the most famous novel of the American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne, who is one of the greatest romantic writers in the 19th century. This novel told us a story about Hester Prynne, who committed adultery with her puritan minister Arthur Dimmesdale and has given birth to a child, Pearl, during the time her husband was disappeared. So, she was forced to wear the letter “A” on her bosom all the time as a punishment. But when Hester’s former husband—Chillingworth knows the adultery after his arrival in Boston, he began to revenge on and torments Dimmesdale until his death. Many years later, Hester dies and she is buried with Dimmesdale. Their love continues after life, and the scarlet letter changes its meaning in people’s heart. In this work, Hawthorne successfully uses symbolism by concentrates on his creative characteristics and experience and make the scarlet letter his most famous masterpiece around the world. Nathaniel Hawthorn was born on the fourth of July, 1804 in Sales, Massachusetts. Some of his ancestors were big shots in seventeenth-century New England, which was under the control of Puritanism. One of them was a colonial magistrate, notorious for his participation in the persecution of Quakers, and another was a judge at the Sales Witchcraft Trail in 1692. Gradually, the family fortune declined. 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 was at the core of human life. To some extent, Hawthorn wrote some of his books, such as The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gambles to try to make up for the sin of his ancestors. He is an extremely renowned American writer of fiction. He not only has

浅谈《红字》的象征意义

目录 摘要-----------------------------------------------------------4 Abstract-------------------------------------------------------5 引文-----------------------------------------------------------6 一、红字的象征意义----------------------------------------------8 （一）通奸（Adultery）---------------------------------------8 （二）孤独（Alone）------------------------------------------9 （三）女斗士（Amazon）---------------------------------------9 （四）艺术（Art）、能干（Able）、天使（Angle）-----------------9 二、人物的象征意义----------------------------------------------11 （一）海斯特的象征意义---------------------------------------11 （二）丁梅斯代尔的象征意义-----------------------------------11 （三）齐灵沃斯的象征意义-------------------------------------11 （四）小珠儿的象征意义---------------------------------------12 （五）贝灵汉总督的象征意义-----------------------------------13 三、场景的象征意义----------------------------------------------14 （一）刑台---------------------------------------------------14 （二）监狱、墓地---------------------------------------------14 （三）小溪---------------------------------------------------14 四、总结--------------------------------------------------------16

红字象征意义分析

吉林工商学院 毕业论文 题目名称：浅谈《红字》的象征意义 院系：外语分院 专业：英语 学生姓名：656 学号：15 指导教师：454 2012年 5月 14日

毕业论文原创性声明 本人郑重声明：所呈交毕业论文，是本人在指导教师的指导下，独立进行研究工作所取得的成果。除文中已经注明引用的内容外，本论文不包含任何其他人或集体已经发表或撰写过的作品成果。对本文的研究做出重要贡献的个人和集体，均已在文中以明确方式标明。本人完全意识到本声明的法律结果由本人承担。 论文作者签名：年月日

浅析《红字》的象征意义 摘要：象征主义作为一种文学流派, 出现于19 世纪末至20 世纪30 年代, 是欧美现代派文学的一个重要分支。纳撒尼尔〃霍桑(Nathaniel Hawthorn, 1804- 1864) 是美国19 世纪杰出的浪漫主义小说家,其代表作《红字》(The Scarlet Letter)更是将象征主义运用的淋漓尽致，以细致入微的心理分析和寓意深刻的象征手法剖析人类的罪恶根源, 揭示“人性恶”这一古老而永恒的主题。《红字》以17 世纪北美清教(加尔文教) 殖民统治下的新英格兰为背景, 描写两个触犯清教戒律的教徒悔罪的心理历程。《红字》中，霍桑成功地运用多重象征, 从不同的侧面暗示《红字》的主题，包括其中各个人物、不同的场景, 以及红字本身所蕴涵的象征意义, 赋予主题以具体的形象, 从而使整部小说的含义更含蓄、更丰富,《红字》使霍桑成为现代象征主义文学的开创者之一。我将会在论文中从各个方面，不同角度来分析《红字》的象征意义。 关键词：象征写作手法；宗教；意义

红字读书报告(英文版)

A Reading Report of The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804—May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. He was a key figure in the development of American literature for his tales of the nation’s colonial history. His four major novels were written between 1850 and 1860, and they were The Scarlet Letter, The House of the Seven Gables, The Blithedale Romance, and The Marble Faun. The story took place in Boston about 200 years ago. It narrated love affairs between three persons. They were Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth. Roger was an old misshapen man and a doctor. Hester was his wife, but she did not love him at all. Two years ago, Hester was sent alone across the ocean by Roger. However, Roger did not show up thereafter. While waiting, Hester fell in love with another man, Dimmesdale, who was a young minister and had a high position among ministers and was highly respected among his people in town. Hester and Dimmesdale loved each other, but their love was forbidden in that time. It was sinful because they committed adultery. And the secret was finally discovered because of Hester’s pregnancy. Due to this, Hester was punished by society with a letter A on her chest, which was considered as an evil and a shame. However, Hester refused to tell the name of the father even when she was asked to stand on the scaffold. And she chose to bear all the shame and punishment by herself. At the same time, Roger Chillingworth appeared and tried to take revenge on the adulterer. As time goes on, Hester’s daughter, Pearl was seven years old. And Roger became a real devil. He pretended to live with Dimmesdale to treat his disease. Actually, he just wanted to revenge him. Finally, Dimmesdale was weaker and weaker. In the end, Dimmesdale told the truth to the folks on the scaffold that he was Pearl’s father, and then he died. Roger also died after one year because the revenge took his all energy and strength. Hester then lived alone in her cottage far away from the city by herself. Pearl became a rich woman and lived in a happy life. When Hester died, she was buried next to Dimmesdale. The two shared a single tombstone, with a deep colored letter A shining

《红字》1000字英语读后感——The Scarlet Letter

Perseverance and Kindness Make A Brilliant Life — After reading The Scarlet Letter Not only is The Scarlet Letter the most successful representative work of Nathaniel Hawthorn, but also the most prestigious work in the field of American romanticism novels. The story offers an extraordinary insight into the norms and behavior of American Puritan society in the 17th century. However, the basic conflicts and problems of the main characters are rather familiar to readers at present. The story was set Boston in the middle 17th when people are brutally persecuted by the authority both mentally and physically. Heist, a young beautiful woman, suffered the adversity of marriage, whereas unfortunately married to a Warlock who is handicapped and sickish, with whom she has nothing in common. Subsequently, the man got lost during a voyage and disappeared ever since, leaving endless pain and woe to the young woman. But exactly during this tough time, suddenly breaks in a man. They fell in love and spend a pleasant and unforgettable time with each other. All good things didn?t last long. It was not long before the poor young woman was arrested in the name of adultery because the fact of pregnancy was exposed to public. She gave birth to the child anyway. According to the doctrine at that time, Heist could be assoiled only under the condition of making it clear the name of the father. Dramatically, the man who was in charge of the interrogation is her lover.

红字中A的象征意义

云南社会主义学院学报 2012年第1期 NO.1,2012 云南社会主义学院学报J O U R N A L O F Y U N N A N I N S T I T U T E O F S O C I A L I S M 209浅析《红字》中A 的象征意义 纪雅彬 （陕西师范大学 外国语学院，陕西 西安 710062） 摘 要：《红字》是美国小说家纳撒尼尔?霍桑最著名的代表作。在他那独特的写作技巧---象征主义手法的帮助下，他在小说中探讨了人性及其弱点。这一技巧的运用大大加强了该作品的艺术效果。大写字母A 是这部小说的主要象征意象。本论文主要分析《红字》中字母A 的五种象征意义，即：通奸，疏远，能力，天使和亚瑟?丁梅斯代尔，从而帮助读者更好的理解这部小说。 关键词：《红字》；象征；字母A 中图分类号：1106.4 文献标志码：A 文章编号：1671-2811（2012）01-0209-2 一、引言 纳撒尼尔?霍桑是美国19世纪一位杰出的浪漫主义作家。《红字》是他的成名小说。小说充分运用了象征主义的手法，探讨了人性及其弱点。字母A 是文中最主要的象征意象，小说围绕它而展开，发展。 象征一词来源于古希腊单词symballein（动词形式）和 symbolon（名词形式），标记，象征的意思。韦勒克和沃伦指出：“它是一个逻辑学术语﹑数学术语﹑也是一个语义学﹑符号学和认知论的术语，它还长期使用在神学世界里（‘象征’即‘宗教信条’的一个同义语），使用在礼拜仪式中，使用在美术中，使用在诗歌里。在上述多有的领域中，它们共同的取义部分也许就是‘某一事物代表别的事物’。” [1](203)在文学作品中，象征常常是一个具体的物体，用来代表更抽象和更宽泛的意义，经常是宗教的，哲学的或道德的概念或价值。霍桑的小说《红字》被认为是最典型的象征主义代表作。象征主义手法的运用使这部小说深奥而具艺术美感。本文试图探讨《红字》中的最主要象征意象字母A 的五种象征意义，以期帮助读者更好的理解这部作品。 二、字母A 的不同象征意义 作为整部小说的关键，字母A 随着剧情的发展，呈现出不同的象征含义。在最开始，字母A 象征“通奸”（Adultery）；中间它象征“疏远”（Alienation）；最后它意味着能力和天使（Ability，Angel）；它同时也可以被理解为女主人公的情人亚瑟?丁梅斯代尔（Arthur Dimmesdale）。 1、通奸（Adultery） 女主人公海斯特虽然已婚，却爱上了另一个男人——亚瑟?丁梅斯代尔并且生下一名女婴。这一行为在当时的清教社会是罪恶的和无法容忍的。所以她受到严厉惩罚。她被迫在胸前佩带象征通奸意思的字母A。这是清教惩治她犯了通奸罪的方式。这种惩罚不是暂时的而是永远的。这比身体的惩罚更残酷，因为身体的伤害容易恢复和忘记，可是这种精神上的羞辱却难以消除。当她出现于公众场合时，最初人们都报以嘲笑和轻蔑。霍桑在小说中描写的那样“牧师们会在街上停步，对她劝诫一番，结果招来一群人围着这个可怜的﹑罪孽深重的女子蹙眉狞笑。”[2](73) 2、疏远（Alienation） 字母A 同样象征着海斯特孤独而被疏远的生活。她因通奸罪被大家所唾弃和排斥。没有人意做她的邻居，没有人愿意和她讲话。她被迫居住在城镇边缘的一个茅草屋 里。她和大家的接触仅限于为他人做针线活，帮助贫困患病者。她的女儿珍珠是她唯一的伴侣。她被镇上居民所隔离，过着孤苦的生活。 3、能力（Ability） 随着故事发展，A 逐渐转变为能力的意思。海斯特通过为别人做针线活养活了自己和她的女儿。她的技术精湛，为小镇居民做了大量的针线活。她的针线功夫出现在各色人等的各种服饰衣帽里。正如霍桑在小说里描写的那样“于是，她做的针线活便出现在总督的皱领上﹑军人的绶带上﹑牧师的领结上﹑婴孩的小帽上，甚至死人的棺材里，封闭在那里发霉腐烂。”[2](71)除此之外，她还有能力帮助贫穷和患病者。她为他们提供无私的帮助。 4、天使（Angel） 最后，字母A 被可被理解为天使。无论小镇居民如何 残酷的对待她，她都不在乎并且一直坚持帮助他们。她把自己的收入很大一部分捐献给了贫苦者。自己和女儿却过着最为清贫的生活。“现在她在众人的眼里，已经再无所失，再无所望，而且似乎也再无心愿希冀得到什么，她赢得的尊重只可能是对美德的真正尊重，对把可怜的流浪者带回正道的美德的尊重。” [2](142) 5、亚瑟?丁梅斯代尔（Arthur Dimmesdale） 字母A 还可被理解为海斯特的情人亚瑟?丁梅斯代尔（Arthur Dimmesdale）。她精心绣制字母A，表现出她对爱人亚瑟的爱意。她拒绝说出孩子父亲的名字是为了保护他。她选择呆在那个小镇上而非逃走是因为她的爱人亚瑟还居住在那里。她佩戴红字A 七年，思念了她的爱人七年。仅当七年后她和亚瑟在森林中相遇并决定离开这座小镇时，她才把胸前的红字A 扔掉。亚瑟死之后，海斯特带着珠儿离开了一段时间。