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1、红字中的生死观The Meaning of Living and Death in The Scarlet Letter ContentsAbstract(English)IIAbstract(Chinese) IICHARPTER 1：Introduction 1CHARPTER 2：The origin of the sin 3CHARPTER 3：The way of redemption 531 The situation of Hester532 The situation of Dimmesdale733 The situation of ChillingWorth 8CHARPT
2、ER 4：Conclusion 10Works Cited 11红字中的生死观摘要：霍桑的小说红字，描绘了三位主人公的不同的生活处境和不同的结局，主要讨论了关于罪与赎罪的问题，其中体现出了生即遭罪和赎罪，而死则是解脱，获得新生的道理。本文分三个主要部分，来讨论小说中体现出作者对生死的独到阐释。首先第一章结合宗教思想探究了罪恶的起源，分析生与死之中所包含与罪恶有关的联系。紧接着第二章详尽分析三位主人公的不同生活境遇中的痛苦，他们的赎罪的过程及最终如何解脱的过程，从而探讨出生死与罪恶之间的联系及生死的不同意义。结尾部分结合了小说的创作背景和作者的清教主义思想，重申了作者对生死的理解。被公认为首批美
3、国作家的霍桑，其小说蕴含着深刻的思想内涵不仅深深地影响着他同时代的许多作家，而且极大地影响了后世作家。关键字：圣经，罪恶，赎罪，生死，新生The Meaning of Living and Death in The Scarlet LetterAbstract: Nathaniel Hawthornenovel, The Scarlet Letter, discribed the different life conditions and ends of the three heroes and disccussed mainly problems of sin and redemption,
4、which reflects that to live is to suffer from sins and atone for ones sin,whereas the death is a way of relief，and access to rebirth. This paper is divided into three main parts to discuss the novels theme, namely, the authors unique explaitions of life and death. The first chapter combines religiou
5、s thoughts and explores the origin of evil, analyzising the relevant links between life-death and sin. The second chapter makes a detailed analysis of the different living conditions of the heroes suffering, their processes of redemption and, ultimately, how the process of liberation, which explores
6、 the links between life -death and sin and the significance of life and death. At the end, connected with the background of the novel creation and the authors Puritan ideology,the paper reiterates the authors understanding of life and death. Recognized as one of the first American writers, Hawthorne
7、s novel contains a profound ideological connotations which not only deeply influence many of his contemporary writers, but also greatly influenced later writers.Keywords: Bible,sin, redemption ,life and death, rebirthChapter 1: Introduction Nathaniel Hawthorn was born on the fourth of July, 1804 in
8、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 169
9、2. Gradually, the family fortune declined. Hawthornes 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
10、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 created quiet a few classic novels, but also
11、has written quantities of thought- provoking short stories, including The Scarlet Letter (1850), The House of the Seven Gables (1851), The Blithesome Romance (1852) and The Marble Faun (1860). And another novel-length romance, Fanshawe, was published anonymously in 1828. Until now, Hawthorn and his
12、works have been the focus of discussion from the Chinese and foreign scholars. Contemporary response to Hawthornes work praised his sentimentality and moral purity while more modern evaluations focus on the dark psychological complexity. McFarland said,The style of Hawthorn is purity itself. His ton
13、e is singularly effective ,wild, plaintive, thoughtful, and in full accordance with his themes. We look upon him as one of the few men of indisputable genius to whom our country has as yet given birth.In the terms of the book The Scarlet Letter ,literary historians believe that it was undoubtedly th
14、e first great American novel. The story begins in seventeenth-century Boston, which is under Puritan command. A young woman, named Hester Prynne, is sent ahead to America by her husband-an old and ugly scholar. However, for many years, he himself doesnt arrive. Obviously, it is possible that he has
15、been lost in the sea. While waiting for her husband, Hester and a young local minister called Arthur Dimmesdale fall in love with each other. They commit adultery secretly. Because of Hesters Pregnancy, the secret is finally discovered.So the scarlet letter “A” on Hesters breast represented the act
16、of adultery that she had committed and was taken punishment for her sin and her secrecy . But adultery is not the main focus of The Scarlet Letter , just as the novel is not really a love story .Henry James ,who has learned directly from Hawthornes artistry ,made this comment :”To Hawthornes imagina
17、tion the fact that these two persons Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale had loved each other too well was of an interest comparatively vulgar ; what appwaled to him was their moral situation in the long years that were to follow.” (Tongming. A History of American Literature 103)Actually,the theme o
18、f The Scarlet Letter is characterized by multiplicity and various conclusions are dram in the filed of the thematic studies. It seems that scholars have shown major concern with such diathesis as the original sin, the moral consciousness of Hawthorne, religious belief, individual and society, though
19、ts of female doctrine and the conflict between the head and the heart.At home ,some scholars focus on such themes as the 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 an
20、alysis of wheather Hester gets rebirth and so on . Meanwhile some scholars abroad constrates 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 puritans of today:anti-W
21、hig argument of the Scarlet Letter,branding the body American: violence and self-fashioning from The Scarlet Letter to American psycho,individual and community, Hawthornepeal: woman-child of the future, A for Atlantic: The Colonizing Force of Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter, the dating problem of Hawt
22、horne ,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 done a thorough research into the life and death of the novel .Charpter 2: The Origin of the SinAccording to The Bible , It is just
23、 as sin is accompanied with one person into the world, and death is coming from a sin; then death befalls him,because he is guilty of a crime. The crime has been in the world before the law; but without law should the crime be not the “crime”. However, from Adam to Moses, death had been the king, ev
24、en those who did not commit the same sin with Adam were under the rights of his,too. Human beings can not get rid of the original sin for the sake of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden , which is a fundamental doctrine of Christianity, and Puritans also holds the same thought in theology.Hawthorne c
25、omes from Puritan family, so his morality is built on the religious teachings. The original sinof Puritanism occupies a central role in his moral values. He believes that man is born with guilty ans evil is human nature.Accordingly ,the theme of the original sin is most commonly expressed in his cre
26、ation works. At the beginning of the novel, it goes as “The founders of a new colony ,whaterver Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognised it among their earliest practical necessities to allot a potion of the virgin soil as a cemetery , ans anothe
27、r portion as the site of a prison .”(The Scarlet Letter 1) A prison is the “the black flower of civilised society” and a cemetery is the simbol of death.In Hawthornes opinion,as the place for publishing,the prision is essential, because evil do exist.Hawthorne,influenced by the sense of Puritan ,att
28、ributed many problems in life to “the evil nature of mankind” and thought that all social problems and criminalty were rooted in the sin of human nature. Charpter 3: The Way of RedemptionIn the article, heros live a suffering life,and they suffer huge pains of the earth. However,no matter how misery
29、 the situation is and how tough the days are, the author has not arranged one of them to die early,when they commit great sins.Why? whats the purpose for him doing that?As we all know,Hawthorne is affected by religous teachings from his young age. Christians believe that one ,who sincerely repents a
30、nd admits all sins committed and relies on Jesus Christ , is definitely together with the Lord Jesus . “no perish but erternal life”,which treats death as being with god ,following god and being closer to god,can be said Christianitys transcendental view of death. Therefore,it can be concluded that
31、death is the end of redemption and the way of fogiveness and soul to be freed so as to gain a new life , while to live is to suffer all tortures for the sake of redemption.Shortly,that opinions of living and death guides the author arranging the fates of heros. And now the following explainations ca
32、n strengthen that idea.3.1 The Situation of HesterIn the charpter two of the novel, Hester , found guilty of adultery , was judged by Puritan rulers crulely and stood on the scalffold ,suffering all pepole accusation and contempt.Those degrees of mocking infamy and ridicule might be invested with al
33、most as stern a dignity as the punishment of death itself . What is worse, this is the most vicious atrocity to punishe her standing on the scalffold, just as the author said ,” whatever be the delinquencies of the individual,- no outrage more flagrant than to forbid the culprit to hide his face for
34、 shame .” (The Scarlet Letter 14) In this spectacle of guilt and shame , thousands of unrelenting eyes all were fastened upon her ans the concentrated at her bosom-the scarlet letter. But she a pitifull culprit,did a womans greatest efforts to sustain heself and endure this heavy infliction like the
35、 lead , and she imagined herself out of this misery scene and returing to the previous life in her home land, so that she could seek a moments relief , in spite that the reality before her eyes was so cruel .And Hesters sin and painful life did not end with the serious trial,on the contrary,her life
36、 became more agonizing.On one hand ,it was from the people in the town.They , including adults and children , used the most brutal means to expose her most sensitive scars in every second, so that she felt a new grief which hurted her very much .Th poor , whom she usually offered and supported, abus
37、ed her lending a hand to them; the dames of elevated ranks were used to distiling drops of bitterness into her inner heart; women would concoct a subtile poison from ordinary trifles. Besides, insidious Puritan court tortured her constantly in various ways ; priests would carry out some admonitions
38、when meeting with her in the street ; children would follow her at a distance with shrill cries and scoffs. All those things seemed to lead to the whole natural world aware of her shame , and made her scars tortured day by day and more sensitive. Facing such a grievious life , as the author said ,”s
39、he just sustain and carry it foward by the ordinary resources of her nature , or sink beneath it.”(The scarlet letter 50). On the other hand , there is no more cruel suffings than them from her daughter- Pear . In fact , it is agreed that Peal is the entity of the scarlet letter in the novel, and sh
40、e is the living embodiment of all the symbolic meanings of the scarlet letter “A”. This little wizard born out of wedlock reflects with the scarlet letter in Hester bosom . We can say that she is the product of the sin and also the proof of love. When she grew upgradually , Peal yet brought about ma
41、ny new sufferings and reminded Hester ignomity. Just as Hester said,”she is my happiness ! she is my torture , nonetheless ! Peal keeps me here in life ! Peal punishes me too ! See ye not , she is the scarlet letter , only capable of being loved , and endowed with a millionfold the power of retribut
42、ion for my sin ? ”(The Scarlet Letter 106) In the novel , Peal was willful and acted wildly . She throwed the fllowers hitting Hesters mark and hurted her breast for which she could not find a balm in the world and know how to seek it in another . Whats more , sometimes Peal went against her and mad
43、e clear that her sin was rather severious. She pestered her mother to the solution of the mystery of the scarlet letter. What impressed me most was the scene of walking in the forest . As the figure , the body ,the reality of sin, as long as Hester passed somewhere , the sun would disappear there. A
44、ccording to the little Pealunderstanding , it is because her mother wore the letter in her chest , whereas she did not wear ,and so sunshines did not hide from her , as a result , “the light lingered about the lonely child , as if glad of such a playmate ,until her mother had drawn almost light enou
45、gh to step into the magic circle too.”(The Scarlet Letter 223) In additions , when Hester remove the scarlet letter away, she felt more relaxed than ever before, in which the burden of shame and anguish deparred from her spirit, but Pearl insisted to her mother wearing it ,or else she refused to be
46、close with her mother .From those ,we can see that the author did not fogive Hestersin and he made her not getting felief from the evil for a moment in a cruel way . The existence of Pearl reminded her of the existence of her evil, and she must accept the punishment of living in order to atone and l
47、ived so that “this burning shame may still blaze upon her bosom. ”(The Scarlet Letter 42)At the end of the novel, Hester took her daughter to leave the colony, and then years later, she returned to the house at the seaside, still wearing the scarlet letter. Many people believe that she is to obtain
48、a new life .However ,as a matter of fact ,it can not be rebirth. After she went through a cruel fate and suffered misrey life time and time again , she submitted to and accepted her trial judged by the Puritan community. In the seventeeth charpter, when Hester talked with Dimmesdale in the forest , she admitted that she committed sins , meanwhile, she comfort to him that he had deeppy repented so that his sin has gone. Besides, she recognized their awareness and comprehensions of life, human nature and human
