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摘 要众所周知,《红字》是纳撒尼尔•霍桑最重要的小说之一。他在美国浪漫主义文学史上有着巨大贡献，一个多世纪以来，他的《红字》在世界各地广为流传。无论在主题、写作技巧、还是社会意义方面，《红字》都有着很高的社会研究价值，是美国文学史备受关注的作品之一，倍受读者青睐。其中，主人公海丝特的性格更是为读者所关注，她是崇高道德的化身，感化着充满罪恶的社会。她的勇敢与善良，最终把胸前罪恶的标志变成了德行的标志，成为圣者、天使。这篇论文将结合海斯特所处的社会背景，对海斯特的性格作出初步的分析。7428
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关键词：海斯特；性格分析；社会背景
Abstract
As we all know, The Scarlet Letter is one of the most important novels written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. He does a great contribution in the history of American Romantic literature. People all over the world have talked about the Scarlet Letter for more than one century, and of course it is one of the most frequently analyzed works of American literature, no matter on subjects, writing skills, or social significances. Readers are fascinated by The Scarlet Letter. In The Scarlet Letter, readers are more concerned about Hester’s character. She is the embodiment of high moral and she influences the society full of evil. Her courage and kindness finally turned evil symbol A to a sign of virtue, she becomes the saint, the angel. This paper will make a preliminary analysis on the character of Hester, combining with the background of the society at that time.
Key words: Hester; character analysis; social background
Analyzing Hester Prynne’s Character in The Scarlet Letter
Contents
摘 要.....i
Abstract.....ii
I. Introduction.......1
II. The Author and The Scarlet Letter1
III. Social Background of the Novel3
IV. Hester’s Character....4
4.1 Hester’s Feminist Consciousness....4
4.1.1 Hester’s Rebellious Spirit.....5
4.1.2 Hester’s Love.......6
4.2 Hester’s Self-reliance..........10
4.2.1 Hester’s Independence in Economy...10
4.2.2 Hester’s Independence in Thought.............11
V. Conclusion...12
Bibliography..14
Acknowledgements..15I. Introduction
The Scarlet Letter is one of the most important novels written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. It described the society in the 17th century puritan American, where there were full of women’s problems at that time. Though women in the puritan community of 17th century Boston are strong, kind-hearted, brave and industrious, but what a pity! Their whole life is always tragic in the end. Hester Prynne is the main character of novel The Scarlet Letter. She is a famous figure in American literature and always as a sympathetic character, but is now also seen by some as an early example of feminine strength and moxie. She is so unique that she dares to challenge the church and common views. This paper tries to analyze Hester’s feminist consciousness at the respect of her rebellious spirit, self-reliance and her strong mind. To some extent, maybe Hester is not a qualified wife, but she is indeed a good woman who has good judgment.
II. The Author and The Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on the fourth of July, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. In 1821 Hawthorne went to Bowdoin College, where he had Henry Wadsworth Longfellow as a classmate. From 1825 to 1837 Hawthorne lived in solitude and seclusion. His first attempt at novel writing, a book about his school life, proved to be a failure; his first tale appeared in print in 1830.The year of 1837 saw the publication of his Twice-Told Tales, a collection of short stories, which enjoyed critical attention .Scarlet Letter, the most important novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a monument in the history of American Romantic literature. In more than one century, The Scarlet Letter has been one of the most frequently analyzed works of American literature, ranging from subjects to writing skills, even to social significances. The heroine of The Scarlet Letter is Hester Prynne, who is beautiful and young, but married to an old man. And there is no love between them. Hester Prynne pursues true love and then falls in love with her pastor whose name is Dimondale, She gives birth to a baby named Pearl. The people in the town know about her adultery and then she has to wear a scarlet A on her breast to expiate her sin. She abides the great pain in order to protect her lover and shows us the bravery, rebellion, and compromise in her life.