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1、从红字和荆棘鸟看宗教禁欲主义下的爱情AbstractLove is the eternal theme in human life. However, love changes much because of the influence of asceticism. Although love is a tragedy, the spirit of main characters longing for love and struggling with the doctrine of religions is worth learning. It can also be learned tha
2、t the asceticism restrains the human nature and results in the destruction.This thesis will deal with the influence of asceticism on love in The Scarlet Letter and The Thorn Birds. The influence reflects mainly in the leading characters Dimmesdale and Ralph. Both of them are priests and fall in love
3、. The worse is that each of them has a child. However, they have to abandon their beloved because of the asceticism, and they bear too much torture. So tragedy cannot be avoided.Key WordsLove; desire; tragedy; asceticism 摘要爱情是人类永恒的话题. 可是在西方社会中，爱情由于宗教禁欲主义的影响发生了一些变化，带有了一定的悲剧色彩。在西方描写神职人员爱情的文学作品中，虽然他们的爱
4、情是悲剧，但他们那种为了爱情而努力奋斗，甚至和宗教做抗争的精神使我们振奋。从中我们也能深刻的感受到宗教对人性的摧残。本篇论文将从红字和荆棘鸟两部作品中的主要人物丁梅斯代尔和拉尔夫来看宗教禁欲主义对他们内心的摧残和折磨,从而导致的悲剧. 丁梅斯代尔和拉尔夫都是牧师，却同样陷入了感情之中。但是因为宗教的禁欲主义，他们不能接触爱情，一旦有了感情就要经受很多折磨和痛苦。所以悲剧的产生是必然的。关键词爱情; 欲望; 悲剧; 禁欲主义 IntroductionLove, one of the most beautiful and romantic emotion in human life, has be
5、en struggling with Asceticism in western society. Just because of this, love, the most beautiful feeling in humans heart, is both a dream and a punishment in the eyes of clergymen under Asceticism. Therefore, love of clergymen in the western literary works ends in tragedy. This paper will deal with
6、the love tragedy under Asceticism in The Scarlet Letter and The Thorn Birds.The Scarlet Letter is written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The story happened in the background of American colony ruled by Puritan in the sixteenth century. The leading characters in this novel Dimmesdale and Hester fall in love
7、 with each other. But Dimmesdale is a priest. Before he meets Hester, he has devoted himself to the God. In this paper, you can learn Dimmesdales mixed feeling. He loves Hester, but he must abide by the rule of Puritan. Pearls birth not only sends Hester to the prison and Hester is sentenced to wear
8、 the scarlet letter “A” all her life, but also gives Dimmesdale more spiritual torture, because Dimmesdale has no courage to confess his sin. He is afraid of losing his fame, his status and the punishment of religion. The torture he suffering is not so much coming from his conscience as coming from
9、the forbidden of asceticism. Therefore, it is asceticism that results in the tragedy love between Dimmesdale and Hester.In The Thorn Birds, Ralph has more than one chance to choose his own life, which is not controlled by the doctrine of religion. In order to get the power, fame and his career, Ralp
10、h abandons his love. His choice provides him with the power, and forbids himself at the same time. But on the other hand, he cannot forget Meggie and he realizes the importance that Meggie means to him gradually. At that time, the religious doctrines have taken back his right staying with Meggie. Th
11、erefore, the tragedy happens inevitably.In a word, Asceticism is cruel and inhuman to the priests in western society. It strangles too much love and resulted in too many tragedies.I. Love in Guilty and Self-accusationTragedy under Asceticism in The Scarlet LetterA. The Brief Contents of The Scarlet
12、LetterThe Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne discusses the original sin of human being through the love tragedy between Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale with the background of American colony ruled by Puritan in sixteenth century. The story tells about the life of the resident under th
13、e surrounding of persecution derived from the ineradicable religion in Massachusetts of Boston in New England in public. The symbol of Asceticism in this article is the scarlet letter “A”. The four leading actors are: Hester Prynne, a woman with her beloved but living in injury because of adultery;
14、Arthur Dimmesdale, a handsome and educated young man, at one time, whose behaviors and words are generally regarded as divine sign among all inhabitants in that place and godly pastor of Hester. However, he falls in love with Hester and because he is a minister, so their love is forbidden, they must
15、 face the love tragedy; by contraries, Roger Chillingworth, husband of Hester, is an ugly old man being a both skillful physician and surgeon. Unfortunately, he pursues to revenge for the humiliation by Dimmesdale with taking care at the same time, digging at him for monstrous contentment. Seen from
16、 another angle, he is also a victim of Asceticism. The last role is small Pearl, the daughter of Hester and Dimmesdale.The story begins in the sixteenth-century in Boston. At that time, it was a puritan settlement. Therefore, the ethics was puritans asceticism. The atmosphere at that time was rather
17、 depressing by the rule of Stern Puritan. People regarded exploring their real feeling as a shame. Hester is a woman who was released from the town prison with her illegal infant daughter Pearl. Hester is found adulterous guilty and sentenced to wear a scarlet letter to show her sin. Hesters husband
18、, a scholar much older than her sends her ahead to American, but he does not arrived in Boston. Therefore, Hester thinks he has dead. The fact is that he has lost at sea. While waiting for her husband, Hester has love affair with a young minister Arthur Dimmesdale. Hesters husband, who is now practi
19、cing medicine and calling himself Chillingworth, intends on revenge when he escapes and arrives at Boston. For the reason that he wants to find the “true criminal”, he becomes another victim of asceticism.Readers often interpret The Scarlet Letter as a tale of sin. However, this novel is much more a
20、 love story between Hester and Dimmesdale than everything else. Through the strong emphasis of love, Pearls presence and Dimmesdales torture, it can be identified as a tale of romance.B. Dimmesdales TragedyDimmesdale, the hidden scarlet letter, dies after suffering the long torture and self-punishme
21、nt.Life is hard, but accepting that fact makes it easier. This common phrase has been proven true in many peoples lives, but it is also a harsh fact that Dimmesdale, the key character in the Scarlet Letter, have to face. In this twisted story of deception and adultery set in the Puritan era, Hawthor
22、ne introduces Dimmesdale as a weak and cowardly man who refuses to take responsibility for his actions. Yet, at last, he frees himself through facing his sin before it is too late, ultimately finding happiness.In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes imagery to convey that Dimmesdale can
23、represent Puritan society rather than round character that can be seen on the surface level. This is seen through the imagery and symbolism of hypocrisy, Dimmesdale as a Christ figure, and the scarlet letter. Living in such surrounding, as a minister, because of the love, he drops in the abyss of mi
24、sery.In this article, Hawthorne describes Dimmesdale as “a viler companion of the vilest, the worse of sinners,” (Hawthorne, 2001) even though Dimmesdale is seen as the most holy man in the Puritan community. One really cannot understand Dimmesdale or his dilemma without at least a cursory understan
25、ding of the Puritans who inhabited Boston at this time and because he is in the dilemma of the love to Hester and Pearl and the loyalty to the God, so it is destined that he is a tragic character.Dimmesdale is a minister, love means sin to him. But he loves Hester. From this point, he is not only a
26、sinner to God but also a lover of Hester and a father to Pearl. He lives in this dilemma and cannot get away from it.As a minister, Dimmesdale has a voice that consoles and an ability to sway audience. His congregation adores him and his parishioners seek his advice. As a minister, Dimmesdale must b
27、e above reproach, and there is no question that he excels at his profession and enjoys a reputation among his ministry aids people in leading good lives. If he publicly confesses, he will lose his ability to be effective in this regard.For Dimmesdale, however, his effectiveness betrays his desire to
28、 confess. The more he suffers the better his sermons become. The more he whips himself, the more eloquent he is on Sunday and the more his congregation worships his words. Nevertheless, Hawthorne states in chapter 20, “No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself, and another to
29、 the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true.” (Hawthorne, 2001)Dimmesdales struggle is dark and his penance is horrifying as he tries to unravel his mystery. In chapter 11, “The Interior of a Heart,” (Hawthorne, 2001) Dimmesdale struggled with his sin, his inability to
30、 disclose it to Puritan society, his desire for penance, he knows his actions have fallen short of both Gods standards and his own, and he fears this represents his lack of salvation. In an attempt to seek salvation, he fasts until he faints and whips himself on the shoulders until he bleeds. Howeve
31、r, these punishment are done in private rather than in public and do not provide the cleansing Dimmesdale seeks and needs.As a sinner, Dimmesdale is weakened to temptation. As demonstrated later, his weakened condition makes it easier for him to associate himself with Black Man in the forest. His co
32、ngregations expect himto be above other mortals, and his life and thoughts must exist on a higher spiritual plant than others. Accordingly, his wonderful sermons are applauded by all for a reason his listeners do not understand. Sin and agony have enabled the intellectual scholar-minister to recogni
33、ze and emphasized with other sinners.Hawthorne writes about one of Dimmesdales sermons that are, “addressed to the multitude a discourse on sin, in all its branches.” (Hawthorne, 2001) In Dimmesdales sermons, he speaks out against sin while at the same time he commits his sin, just as the Puritans c
34、ommit sins that they condemn Dimmesdales character models Puritan society in the way they treat religions persecution. In fact, Dimmesdale has many opportunities to admit his sin and get the guilt off his chest. The first opportunity is when Dimmesdale was making his speech in front of an audience.
35、He tries to tell the truth but more lies just come out. The second opportunity that Dimmesdale has to confess what is troubling him and again, Dimmesdale refuses to confess. Finally, the third time that Dimmesdale has a great opportunity to confess is at the end of the story during the festival on t
36、he scaffold. Standing there with Hester and Pearl, Dimmesdale is still too much of a coward to admit his sin and release the anguish from his burning chest.He cannot confess his sin, just because he does not want to lose his good fame, his status. He bears long torture and pain. He desires to libera
37、te himself. He wants to expiate Hester and Pearl, but he has not the courage. He is a coward facing the God. He is afraid to be punished by God. Therefore, even though he has more chance, he can do nothing except when his life is going to end.As Hesters lover, he is coward. When Hester is placed bef
38、ore public in burning shame and orders to wear an “A”, a scarlet letter on her breast, Dimmesdale does not stand out to admit his sin. On the contrary, he keeps his dreadful secret for seven years just for fear that, he will lose the citizens love and they will not forgive him. He is too weak to adm
39、it his sin and love openly and entirely. Just because of this, Hester tasks on all the love and all the punishments. Dimmesdale is a sinner to God, and to Hester he is also a sinner. His sin against Hester and Pearl is that he will not acknowledge them as his wife and daughter. He loves Hester, but
40、Hester bears all the miseries and punishments. On the other hand, it can be seen that Dimmesdale wants to reduce his sin. He loves Hester and his Pearl. At the town meeting where the governor plans to take custody of Hesters daughter Pearl, Dimmesdale convinced G.ov.Wilson to let her retain custody.
41、 The town meeting is set up by the author to appear as a reminder of Hester and Dimmesdales sin. However, it is Dimmesdales love for Hester that ultimately carries the scene. While defending Hester, he speaks “with a voice sweet, tremendous but powerful.” He could have spoken in the darker tone. The
42、refore, it can prove he also love Hester.The forest scene is crucial in the narrative of the Scarlet Letter and a proper understanding of what happens in the forest is necessary for any interpretation of Dimmesdales last days of life and his final “confession”. The meeting in the forest can say at t
43、he times Dimmesdale is wakening. He was getting rid of the tie of asceticism gradually. He wants to start a new life with Hester and Pearl. He knows what he loves and he can confess his sin to get the new life. The meet in the forest proves the harmony nature. There, Dimmesdale gets away from the Go
44、d, reflexes his heart, and has a rest at that time.Hester is afraid that Chillingworth would do something bad to Dimmesdale, so they plan to run away four days after their meeting in the forest. Dimmesdale comforts himself with the knowledge that he would give his sermons predestination on the third
45、 day and thus leave his community with fond memories of his final exhortation. Dimmesdales flaw can be found in the fact that he chooses to value the public view above those of Hester, his love, and God, his master.In the forest scene, Dimmesdale evidently realizes that he is a human and he should a
46、sk for forgiveness and do penance openly. On the way home, he sees how far his defenses have been breached by evil. These thoughts explain why he could so easily write his Election Day sermon, which is filled with the passion of his struggle and his humanity.Dimmesdales confession in the third scaff
47、old scene and the climax of the story ensures his salvation. The reader senses that whether chosen or earned, Dimmesdales salvation is a reality. Having had several opportunities to confess, without success until this scene, true to his nature if not his ministry, he asks for Gods forgiveness not on
48、ly for himself, but also for Chillingworth, who confirms the ministers triumph when he laments, “Thou hast escaped me! .Thou hast escaped me”! (Hawthorne, 2001) Dimmesdales confession also brings about Pearls humane metamorphosis.He lives in big pain of discomposure because of the secrecy of his tho
49、ught that he has brought the heavy stress to Hester. On one hand, he feels greatly guilty when the dweller treats him as venerator, because he has to pretend to be noble-minded. On the other hand, he is ashamed of making Hesters life harder and he is guilty to Hester and their love. Worse lucky, Chillingworth lives with Dimmesdale and he tries his best to torture Dimmesdales heart. Thus, it makes him incriminatory all days and becomes afflict himself everyday for releasing multiple pains. Furthermore,
