浅析小说《红字》中海斯特•白兰的叛逆性格
反抗意识的代价——浅析《红字》中海斯特的女权意识
故 事 以 ｌ世 纪 波 士顿 一 个 清 教徒 聚集 的殖 民 ７ 地为 背 景 ， 述 了一个 凄 美 的爱情 故事 。女 主角 海 讲
是解放妇女 ， 例如为女性争取选举权 ， 使妇女在受 教育权和经济上应与男性平等 ， 因此女权主义应被
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洲人移 民到这块新土地上。 海丝特被丈夫只身送往 波士顿 ，而她的丈夫却 留在英国处理一些事务 ， 计
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知丈 夫遇 难后 ， 自在波 士顿 的她开 始 了一段 新 生 独 活 。她爱 上 了受 人仰 慕 的牧 师 丁梅斯 代 尔 ， 且 生 并 了一 个孩 子 。这 种行 为 大大 地触 犯 了清 教 的教律 。 因此 她遭 受 了惩 罚 ， 终生 佩戴 鲜 红 的表 示通 奸 的字 母 “ ”并且 生 活在羞 耻 和唾弃 中。 Ａ， 在受 清 教统治 的 社 会 ， 丝 特无 法 抗 拒 随 之 而来 的惩 罚 ， 她 用 自 海 但
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浅析 《 红字》 中海斯特 的女权意识
《红字》中海丝特形象的深度解读
那象征通奸罪 的红 Ａ字也被她 以艺术家的手绣得异 常的精美华贵 。这 个美化 的字母 已经 失去了社会强
加在她身上的意义 ， 变成她 自我定义 的优雅 。海丝特 之所 以精心装饰 这个 红 Ａ字 还有另一个原 因：她爱 的人 的名字 中有这个字母 ，这个 Ａ在她眼 中已变成 爱的象征 ， 这既粉碎 了宗教的意 图 ， 也表达 了她的反 抗精神。海丝特对清教教规的蔑视 以及她所“ 犯下 的 罪过 ” 既 显 示 了她 对 生 活 的 热 爱 ， 也 表 现 了 她 对 宗 教
气 和对 爱情的执着追 求 。更体 现在 生活 中的自立和 对 孩子的母性特质上 ，这些都体现 了她敢于打破 清 教束缚 、 追求 自然人性的决心 和勇气。 （ 一） 海丝特对清教伦理道德的反抗 ｌ ７世纪 的新英格 兰处于严 酷 的教权 统治 中 ， 严 格 的宗教 教规不仅具有 与法律相 同的强制性 ，甚 至 还 支配 和左右着人们 的思想和判 断 ，清教教徒 以教 规 愚弄 、 麻醉 、 控制人们 的思 想和 行 为 ， 他 们沿袭 古 代 用以保护男权地位 的父权制 ，鼓 吹男性对社 会拥 有 支配权 和决定权 ， 女性只是繁 殖的工具 ， 没有独 立 的人格 ，需要依附男 性而生存 ，应 当受到男人 的统 治 。为保 护男人的权利 ， 女 性受到种种 限制和束缚 ， 甚 至残酷 到 即使 在街 上微 笑都要 处 以监 禁 的地 步 。 整个 清教地 区死气沉沉 ， 气 氛阴暗颓废 ， 人们努 力压 制 着 自己的情绪和人性 ， 神情冷 漠 ， 一切都笼罩 在黑 暗之中。《 红字》 中到处都渗透着这种阴郁的宗教气 氛， 生活在这种压抑的环境 中的海丝特对这种惨无人 道、 压制人性的宗教伦理道德表达 出自己强 烈不满。 海 丝特 虽然生长 于清教社会 ，对清教法规 有着 清楚的了解 ， 但在不伤害他 人的情况下 ， 她认 为 自己 追 求爱情的行 为是 没有 过错 的， 因而 ， 对清教做 出的 严 厉惩罚她坦然接 受 ， “ 世俗 的法 律不是心 灵上的法 律” 。 ［ ¨当海丝特走 出牢 门时， 没有众人 想象的“ 黯然 失色” ， 而是露 出高傲优 雅 的举止 、 从容 不迫 的微 笑 ， 就 连身上的衣服都是 华美的 ， 她环视着 众人 ， 勇敢地 向众人展示代表耻辱 的红 Ａ字和 自己的孩子 ，就连
浅析《红字》中的人物海斯特与红字“A”的象征意义
浅析《红字》中的人物海斯特与红字“A”的象征意义[摘要] 纳撒尼尔.霍桑(Nathaniel Hawthorne)是生活在十九世纪中期的美国浪漫主义作家,被公认为美国文学史上浪漫主义小说和心理分析小说的先导。
其代表作《红字》(The Scarlet Letter),成为世界文坛上的一朵奇葩,它最能体现作者的艺术风格-象征手法。
本文拟从象征这一艺术手法着手,进一步探讨有关红字“A”的象征意义,深层次的理解《红字》这部经典著作。
[关键词]红字“A” 象征海斯特霍桑的成名佳作《红字》是美国文学发展史上的第一部象征主义小说,象征是一种文学创作的艺术手法,它是借助于具体的事物形象来表现其抽象的意义。
霍桑在小说《红字》中,在巧妙地运用了传统的象征意义的艺术手法的基础上,开创了象征主义的新篇章。
这部小说是以十七世纪北美清教殖民统治的新英格兰为背景的,它取材于在波斯顿发生的一个浪漫的恋爱悲剧,小说揭示了清教殖民统治的黑暗和教会的虚伪本质。
小说主要通过象征的手法来探索人们的内心世界,其中,小说中的红字“A”成为贯穿故事的主线,带有多种层面的象征意义的红字“A”是小说的重要线索。
一﹑“A” 是英文字母表里的首字母,它标志着开始的意义。
从基督教的教义来理解,开始则意味着堕落,是一种无人可以幸免的原罪,乃是生命之初的堕落。
霍桑将红字“A”巧妙地贯穿于小说中,作为小说的重要线索,并且赋予其不同的意义来表达善恶的观点。
在小说《红字》一开始,红字“A”就是代表了上帝对海斯特的惩罚,正是女主角海斯特﹒白兰罪恶的象征。
同时,红色的A字是腥红的血色,这个腥红的颜色让人不禁联想到祭祀台上羔羊的鲜血。
海斯特﹒白兰在灰暗压抑的男性世界中,绽放了自己生命的鲜活与美丽,却以巨大的牺牲换取了这短暂的美丽,她的一生正如她的墓碑铭文所说的那样,是“一片墨黑的土地,一个血红的A字”。
二﹑红字“A”在作品中一开始就是作为通奸的象征意义出现的,通奸(ADULTERY)的第一个字母就是“A”,它代表了上帝对海斯特的惩罚。
红字中海斯特的性格分析
AbstractAs one of the world’s most famous writers and “the Shakespeare of American” Nathaniel Hawthorne played a critical role in the highlight of romantic novel. As a trailblazer of writing romantic novel with psychology analysis, His representative work Scarlet Letter boosted him in the literary creation. And The Scarlet Letter has wined the world-wide attention. Especially the female protagonist Hester Prynne has attracted large numbers of scholars to analysis her characters. This paper is determined to detect the characters of Hester through three approaches which are her life experience, her daughter and the social environment she lives in. The result we get is that Hester is a pure, courageous, and kind-hearted woman whose spirit has enlightened a generation of women who lived in the dark corner of the world.Key words: pure; courageous; kind-heated摘要作为世界著名作家之一和“美国的莎士比亚”，霍桑在将浪漫主义文学推向了高峰。
红字中海斯特的形象分析（2）
红字中海斯特的形象分析（2）三、海斯特对生活的追求“红字”在清教徒的眼里是罪恶和耻辱的标志，而在它面前，海斯特却依然展示了她的人性魅力和尊严，她艰苦的抗争和对生活的追求是冲破旧的道德枷锁的充分体现。
海斯特顽强的生活意志和善良的本性感动了人们，许多人都不再以原有的意义去解释那鲜红的A字，（abie）“能干”（angei）“天使”却成了A字新的寓意。
“海斯特凭借着与生俱来的性格力量和不同寻常的能力在生活中得到了一个自己扮演的角色。
人们来到她的小屋，将他们的悲哀和困扰倾诉给她，寻求她的忠告。
”“海斯特竭尽所能去安慰劝导她们，并郑重告诉她们：坚信当世界渐臻成熟，某个更加光明的时代到来时，会在一个更为可靠的保证相互幸福的基础上，建立起男人和女人之间的整个关系。
”正是因她这种对美好生活的强烈的热情，使她实现了自己作为一个女人的存在价值。
结语正如尼娜贝姆所说：“在海斯特这个形象中，霍桑塑造了美国小说中的第一个真正的女主角，同时也是其中永远的英雄之一。
”海斯特以她的行动告诉女性应该怎样在逆境中求生存，怎样才能赢得自身的平等和自由的权利，怎样才能真正找到自己的价值和存在的意义。
这种敢于斗争的形象和反抗命运的精神鼓舞着成千上万的女性为实现这一理想而奋斗。
也正因为如此，她胸前的红色A是女性意识觉醒的标志，具有永恒的意义，至今仍闪耀着耀眼的光辉。
红字中海斯特的形象分析 [篇2]＜红字）思想深邃．想象丰富．表现手法独特，引起了人们一个多世纪的关注与评论．它被公认为是霍桑最杰出的作品。
在整部小说中．海斯特被描写成一个聪明、漂亮、能干。
极富同情心但又很平凡的女人．特定的环境造就了她这样的形象．在她的性格中同样蕴含着强烈的反叛精神和独立自我精神。
在霍桑的笔下。
海丝特是一个敢于反抗命运、敢于为争取人生权利而斗争的勇敢女性。
她一出场．便显示出生机勃然的个性。
当沉重的狱门拉开．当狱吏把她拉出狱门示众时，虽然一种本能的荣辱感使她感到耻辱．然而她并没有丝毫的畏怯。
浅析《红字》中海斯特的性格
浅析《红字》中海斯特的性格摘要作为世界著名作家之一和“美国的莎士比亚”，霍桑将浪漫主义推向了高峰。
他的《红字》是美国19世纪文学史上的经典作品，也是女性追求真爱，挑战清教社会中神权父权的代表作。
《红字》更是吸引了无数学者研究海斯特的性格，对她的各种分析也屡见不鲜。
本篇著作的背景是在波士顿的一个小镇上，介绍了这个地区的居民是如何被清教主义深刻影响的。
其中女主人公海斯特白兰和镇上受人尊敬的牧师丁梅斯代尔通奸并生下女儿珠儿。
作为惩罚，她被带上红字A-”Adultery”的象征。
同时，论文分析女主人公海斯特的性格。
例如勇敢坚强，叛逆，还有红字A 的转变对她性格的影响。
论文的主要目的是展现了清教法规的苛刻无情地刑法，在清教社会中，不管是谁犯罪都要接受惩罚。
本文还涉及了霍桑的清教价值观，他对清教值价值观和思想的肯定以及对其消极方面对人民思想控制的批判，这也是决定海斯特最后的命运是在通过自身的努力实现了对真爱的追寻并且自身也得到救赎，也改变了人们对红字的看法。
霍桑描写的海斯特的性格向人们展示了他的清教观，以及清教思想对他的影响。
海斯特最初是勇敢坚强的，最终却在清教社会的压迫下，承认了自己的罪过并通过救赎得到了社会的认可。
通过红字A的象征意义的变化也体现了海斯特的性格变化。
关键字；清教主义，海斯特，性格，通奸AbstractAN ANALYSIS OF HESTER’SPRESONALITY IN SCARLET LETTERAbstractAs one of the world’s most famous writers and “the Shakespeare of American” Nathaniel Hawthorne played a critical role in the highlight of romantic novel. The Scarlet Letter,Nathaniel Hawthorne’s representative work, is a classical novel in American literature in the 19th century. The novel is concerning how feminine pursue true love, challenge theocracy, patriarchy and political power in Puritan society. This thesis introduce how the communities in the town are deeply influenced by Puritanism. The heroine Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale, the town’s reverend priest, engages in the act of adultery baby girl named Pearl. As punishment Hester forced to wear “Adultery”. And Scarlet Letter has wined the world-wide attention. Especially the female Hester Prynne has attracted large numbers of scholars to analysis her personality.Meanwhile, The novel describes the heroine Hester Prynne who shows us some personality such as strong , brave, rebellion, compromise and hypocrisy in the transformation of her. The thesis aims at presenting the harshness and the strict punishment in Puritan society. In puritan communities, no matter who commits a sin will be punished. On one hand, he appreciates the puritan thought and value; on the other hand, he condemns the negative impact of puritan society on people’s spirit. And this thought influences Hester’s final fate-to get salvation through self-improvement and hardworking. Hester is brave and strong but with the force of puritanism she admitted her sin. And with analysis the transformation of A’s meaning reflect Hester’s personality.Key words：Puritanism; Hester ; Personality; AdulteryCONTENTSCHAPTER I INTRODUCTION (1)CHAPTER II INTRODUCTION OF THE AUTHOR AND HIS WORKS (2)2.1 Author (2)2.1.1 Puritan Influence On Hawthorne...................................................................,.2 2.1.2.Hawthorne’s Own Thought on Puritanism (3)2.2 Works (5)2.2.1 His Main Works (5)2.2.2 Introduction of The Scarlet Letter (6)CHAPTER III ANALYSIS HESTER’S PERSONALITY (9)3.1 Hester’s Personality at the Beginning of the Novel (9)3.1.1 Personality of Graceful and Beautiful (9)3.1.2 Personality of Rebellious (9)3.2 Hester’s Personality after wearing “Adultery” (10)3.2.1 Personality of Fearless (10)3.2.2 Personality of Compromising being a Mother (11)3.2.3 Personality of Brave and Strong (13)CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS OF THE LETTER “A” -ADULTERY (14)4.1 Being Shamed for “Adultery” (14)4.2Transformation of A’s Meaning; Alone, Alienate, Able, Angel, Admirable (16)CHAPTER V CONCLUSION (18)5.1 The Summary of the Research (18)5.2 The Significance of the Research (18)5.3 The Limitations of the Research (18)REFERENCE (19)CHAPTER Ⅰ INTRODUCTIONThe Scarlet Letter represents Nathaniel Hawthorne’s most successful and popular novel, which was published in 1850. It is an outstanding work, which is full of profound intention, complicated plots and sincere emotion. It also shows its unique artistic charm and literary values. Hester Prynne is a famous figure in American literature. Hester Prynne is the main character of Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1850 novel The Scarlet Letter. This novel happened in Boston, which was a colony of England in 17th century. At that time and at that place, the doctrine of Puritans was looked as the rule of people’s daily life. Hawthorne was born in a puritan family, whose grandfather was an authority. That made him was deep influenced by Puritanism. On one hand, he received the doctrine of hard working and thrifty, on the other hand, He thought that the Puritan religion was too strict and harsh.Hester Prynne is a woman, who has great courage to pure the real love and a woman who experiences hard life and longs for freedom. She loves her life no matter how difficult it is. She tries her best to struggle against the adversity. She is a beautiful, virtuous, brave and tough woman. Because of adultery, she is forced to wear an “A” on her breast to shame her. She showed extreme strength and courage to resist the bias of the Puritanism by her good deeds and finally is received and being respected by the society and get salvation through hard working.CHAPTER II INTRODUCTION OF THEAUTHOR AND MAIN WORKS2.1 Introduction of the AuthorHawthorne was born on the fourth of July, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. Some of his ancestors were men of prominence in the Puritan theocracy of seventeenth century New England. One of them was a colonial magistrate, notorious for his part in the persecution of the Quakers, and another was a judge at the Salem Witchcraft Trial in 1692. Gradually the family fortune declined . His father, a sea captain, died in Dutch Guiana, leaving the widow and the child behind to shift for themselves. Young Hawthorne was intensely aware of the misdeeds of his Puritan ancestors, this awareness led to his understanding of evil being at the core of human life , to “that blackness in Hawthorne ”.In 1821 Hawthorne went to Bowdoin College, where he had Henry Wadsworth Longfellow as a classmate. He also developed a friendship with Franklin Pierce who was to become the fourteenth President of the United States. In 1825 to 1837 Hawthorne lived in solitude and seclusion. He was, during the four years (1853-1857) when President Pierce was in office, the United States consul in Liverpool, England and later traveled in Italy. He died in 1864.2.1.1 Puritan Influence On HawthorneThe story tells about the life of the resident under the surrounding of persecution derived from the ineradicable religion in Massachusetts of Boston in New England in public. Boston, which was a colony of England at that time, the local Boston people was the representative of puritans. From the political authorities to the kids playing before the church, their characteristics are the same. The thesis aims at any differences from others are hereto. At the early cultures of Boston, ages and experience are emphasis; there is no culture of younger. That’s why Hawthorne makes the story happens there. To the puritans, any person or thing which is different from them will be punished or be banished. To the puritans, the laws are sacred; anyone who breaks the law should be punishedstrictly, that’s the special environment which Hester lived in.All his life, Hawthorne seems to be haunted by his sense of sin and evil in life. Reading his tales and romances, one cannot but be overwhelmed by the “black”vision which these works reveal. Evil exists in the human heart as is evident, for instance, in the short story, “Earth’s Holocaust,”which tells us that, though all symbol of tradition and the past have been burned in the bonfire of the life of the New World, the source of evil—the huAman heart—remains intact. Everyone seems to cover up his black veil (“The Minister’s Black Veil”). Evil seems to be man’s birthmark (“The Birthmark”). A. H. Quinn perceptively states that Hawthorne is at his best when dealing with sin, the supernatural, and New England past, The Scarlet Letter is set in the seventeenth century. （Barlow，2000,3）It is en elaboration of a fact which Puritanism ruled. Hester was sinned adultery, which cannot be forgiven and must be punished at that time, this reflects Hawthorne’s thought of sin, everyone has sin and they must use their whole life to expiate themselves. But he also thought the punishments are too harsh. Thus why he made Hester sinned, but didn’t admit her sin.2.1.2 Hawthorne’s Own Thoughts on PuritanismIn this novel, Hawthorne uses the repressive, authoritarian Puritan society as an analogue for humankind in general. The Puritan setting also enables him to portray the human soul under extreme pressure. Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth, while unquestionable part of the Puritan society in which they live, also reflect universal experiences. Hawthorne speaks specially to American issues, but he circumvents the aesthetic and thematic limitations that might accompany such focus. His university and his dramatic flair have ensured his place in the literary canon, tolerant and cruel. He thinks that the Puritan religion was too strict and harsh. Readers can see how he disliked them by the way people act, talk, and live.Meanwhile, he also shows how he thought the Puritan people would react to the manner in which Hester stitched the “A”, and he d oes not make them look very pleasant. By showing them as being ruthless, and evil, Hawthorne is able to reveal his views of the Puritan people, and how he dislikes them through thetownsfolk (the woman in particular). He makes them come across as people you would love to hate. Throughout the entire book, Hester is looked down upon though slightly less as the story progresses, and is treated like a second class citizen. Hawthorne shows his distaste of the Puritan culture by expressing himself through the characters and their actions. Not one person in this novel is truly good, and all the characters sins. It is impossible to have a perfect society, and Nathaniel Hawthorne explains to us in The Scarlet Letter, that one is ruled by the Puritan religion, proves this true.(Gao,2000,4)Nevertheless, although he is shocked by the Puritan injustice, he is convinced that there is both good and evil in Puritanism. He thinks a lot about the conflict of God as omniscient and omnipotent on one hand, and vengeful and cruel on the other. He sees that religion is able to produce evil. Things like the witch trials, where innocent people have to die, can happen in his Puritan hometown of Salem, which leads him to the opinion that the fusion of religious dogma and political authority is the worst evil. His ancestors and all the other Puritans maybe think to have found the devil when prosecuting witches, but Hawthorne is of a different opinion. Hawthorne’s answ er is that devil existed in everybody. It makes people blind so they are not able to recognize the evil in themselves.In a whole, Hawthorne’s attitude towards Puritanism is split. There are things he is absolutely in favor of and things he condemns from the depth of his heart. And to some extent, Hawthorne is a Puritan because of his Puritan origin. It is Puritanism that has led to today’s American achievement oriented society. But Hawthorne describes the Puritan society of the 17th century as narrow and relentless. He does not share the dogmas and delusions of the people who are condemned, because he has little interest and less belief in doctrines and theological debate. His imagination is repeatedly drawn the subjects of temptation, guilt and shame. He seeks the depth of the human things.Of course Hawthorne’s point of view is that of the 19th century, not that of 17th century, where his short stories are settled. He is aware of his roots and history, but he questions these roots and history from his modern point of view. Back to his attitudes towards the Puritanism of ancestors, when Hawthorneread the accounts about his first American ancestors, he was reported to have readthem with fascination and horror. He was different from his ancestors.The way Hawthorne makes Hester’s fate goes with the Puritans. She sins, isforced to wear a letter “A”on her breast, is isolated by the townspeople, butfinally is respected because of her kind-hearted. This can be assigned the origin toHawthorne’s experiences that he has isolated from the outside after he graduatesfrom university. Hawthorne has ever said to Longfellow, the most fearful thing isthat you can not share your happiness or sorrow of your daily life to others. Onewho is deprived the right of join the society, is an audience but not a participant,Max said that one is a social man because man has to live in the society, or hewill lose the meaning of exiting. （Chang，2009,76）Hawthorne thinks Hestershould resign the punishment of Alienation, which is seen as the cruelest one.Hester should turn over a new leaf by expiating herself.Hester’s fate is designed; she has no choice because she lives in a puritansociety and Hawthorne’s puritan thoughts also determine her fate.2.2 Works2.2.1 His Main WorksThe House of the Seven Gables is an appalling fictional version Hawthorne’sbelief that “the wrong-doing of one generation lives into the successive”, and thatevil will come out of evil though it may take many generation to happen.ColonelPyncheon takes by force the land of Matthew Maule, and condemns him as awizard. He builds a house on the land while Matthew Maule is sent to thescaffold. Before he dies, the “wizard” curses the colonel, saying “God will givehim blood to drink”. Retribution does come. The house seems to be haunted. Thescion of the colonel wither and die out, and eventually it is the descendant of thepersecuted wizard who gets the upper hand. The curse does, in time, materialize.It is true that the book concludes on a happy note, and that good triumphs overevil.The Marble Faun i s a good illustration. A young Italian nobleman, Donatello byname, falls in love with a beautiful Miriam whose happiness is, however,threatened by a monk and eventually gives himself up to a life-imprisonment while Miriam is resolved to lead a life of penance. Donatello lives through the tragic experience and attains maturity as a man.2.2.2 Introduction of the Scarlet LetterThe story begins in seventeenth-century Boston, then a Puritan settlement. A young woman, Hester Prynne, is led from the town prison with her infant daughter, Pearl, in her arms and the scarlet letter “A” on her breast. A man in the crowd tells an elderly onlooker that Hester is being punished for adultery. Hester’s husband, a scholar much older than she is, sent her ahead to America, but he never arrived in Boston. The consensus is that he has been lost at sea. While waiting for her husband, Hester has apparently had an affair, as she has given birth to a child. She will not reveal her lover’s identity, however, and the scarlet letter, along with her public shaming, is her punishment for her sin and her secrecy. On this day Hester is led to the town scaffold and harangued by the town fathers, but she again refuses to identify her child’s father.The elderly onlooker is Hester’s missing husband, who is now practicing medicine and calling himself Roger Chillingworth. He settles in Boston, intent on revenge. He reveals his true identity to no one but Hester, whom he has sworn to secrecy. Several years pass. Hester supports herself by working as a seamstress, and Pearl grows into a willful, impish child. Shunned by the community, they live in a small cottage on the outskirts of Boston. Community officials attempt to take Pearl away from Hester, but, with the help of Arthur Dimmesdale, a young and eloquent minister, the mother and daughter manage to stay together. Dimmesdale, however, appears to be wasting away and suffers from mysterious heart trouble, seemingly caused by psychological distress. Chillingworth attaches himself to the ailing minister and eventually moves in with him so that he can provide his patient with round-the-clock care. Chillingworth also suspects that there may be a connection between the minister’s torments and Hester’s secret, and he begins to test Dimmesdale to see what he can learn. One afternoon, while the minister sleeps, Chillingworth discovers a m ark on the man’s breast, which convinces himthat his suspicions are correct.Dimmesdale’s psychological anguish deepens, and he invents new tortures for himself. In the meantime, Hester’s charitable deeds and quiet humility have earned her a reprieve from the scorn of the community. One night, when Pearl is about seven years old, she and her mother are returning home from a visit to a deathbed when they encounter Dimmesdale atop the town scaffold, trying to punish himself for his sins. Hester and Pearl join him, and the three link hands. Dimmesdale refuses Pearl’s request that he acknowledge her publicly the next day, and a meteor marks a dull red “A” in the night sky. Hester can see that the minister’s condition is worsening, and she resolves to interv ene. She goes to Chillingworth and asks him to stop adding to Dimmesdale’s self-torment. Chillingworth refuses.Hester arranges an encounter with Dimmesdale in the forest because she is aware that Chillingworth has probably guessed that she plans to reveal his identity to Dimmesdale. The former lovers decide to flee to Europe, where they can live with Pearl as a family. They will take a ship sailing from Boston in four days. Both feel a sense of release, and Hester removes her scarlet letter and lets down her hair. Frustrated in his revenge, Chillingworth dies a year later. Hester and Pearl leave Boston, and no one knows what has happened to them. Many years later, Hester returns alone, still wearing the scarlet letter, to live in her old cottage and resume her charitable work. She receives occasional letters from Pearl, who has married a European aristocrat and established a family of her own. When Hester dies, she is buried next to Dimmesdale. The two share a single tombstone, which bears a scarlet “A.”CHAPTER III ANALYSIS OF HESTER’SPERSONALITY IN SCARLET LETTERHester’s entrance is an attractive and graceful lady like a lady of quality, which makes her different from people. Although she sins, she acts brave and dare to admit her sin, dare to get salvation through her acts.3.1 Hester’s personality at The Beginning of The Novel3.1.1 Personality of Graceful And BeautifulHester is attractive when she appears. She is a slender lady who herself with a deliberate grace. She has a beautiful face with deep black eyes. To most people, she looks more like a graceful lady from the upper class. But Hawthorne’s female characters tend to fall into two broad categories, the blond and effete, and the dark-haired and sensual Oriental type. To the latter belongs Hester Prynne, attractive, appealing, and mildly aggressive, she represents sexual guilt as love with her is fatal, but she is really pure and innocent. Young Hester borders on being licentious. Her drive is sexual. One needs to take just a casual look at her luxuriant head of black silky hair to understand this of her. But she lives a rigorous life; only once does she let loose her lovely hair. (Barlow, 2000, 21)3.1.2 Personality of RebelliousThe heroine in The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is a beautiful and competent woman. Even though she is reduced to a prisoner, she is still “very slim with black silky hair. Her face is fair and charming which looks more moving with her moon-like eyebrow and deep black eyeball. She belongs to the group of noblewoman even if she is measured by temporary female style”. It is this young and beautiful woman that is married to an old and ugly scholar, Chillingworth. At that time, Hester is very young just like a newborn moss. Although the scholar is anile, he always accompanies her when she is down and out. It is hard to say whether there is love between them. But Hester and Chillingworth live harmoniously. In later years Chillingworth sends Hester to New England to settle down there and asks Hester to wait for him. Since then he has never been heard of since. Having heard that her husband has died, Hester and the priest, Dimmesdale, falls in love with each other and later Heater gives birth to a child named Pearl.Although the judge doesn’t put her to death out of mercy, she is still punished to wear a scarlet letter A with her three-month old baby in her arms in the scaffold. No doubt this punishment is a torture to her. The scarlet letter A on her breast is a symbol of evil. And the baby is a vivid evidence of the crime. What makes her feel shameful is other’s abuse and spurn. This rebellion against the world is sinful especially in the puritan society. Hester’s love to her husband is somewhat a betrayal, but her love toward Dimmesdale is sincere. There is no true love between her and her husband, but there exists between her and Dimmesdale. When the relation with Dimmesdale is revealed, she is brave to bear the accusation to maintain Dimmesdale’s reputation. When she is publicly exposed in the scaffold, Hester is forced to point out her lover. But she resolves not to do it. She says that “she wants to bear the pain of him like she does in herself”. In fact, she herself alone bears the crime for seven years. When she knows that Chillingworth has used various kinds of means to revenge on the unaware Dimmesdal and the latter has suffered a lot because of this, Hester makes up her mind to expose Chillingworth’s true identity and leave for other place with Dimmesdale. She gives a lot of comfort and support to him. Her female gentility, virtue and positive spirit have made their full expression in the people around her. She bravely faces the hardship in her life, and at key moment she can protect her baby Pearl from being taken away by puritans. As a mother and lover, Hester is sincere.3.2Hester’s Personality after Wearing “Adultery”3.2.1 Personality of FearlessHester Prynne leaves a deep impression to the readers. Hester is a woman, who has great courage to devote to real love and a woman who experiences hard life and longs for freedom. She loves her life no matter how difficult it is. She tries her best to struggle against the adversity. She is a beautiful, virtuous, brave and tough woman.Hester marries an unloved ugly old man, nothing but having great knowledge admired by all fools. However, when Hester goes to Massachusetts of Boston,She falls in love with Dimmesdale who is her true lover. It should be a good matter, so to speak, if she could divorce from the oldest Chillingworth and then marry Dimmesdale it would be a romantic love story. Unfortunately, it is disgraceful of a married woman to love another man even if that is her beloved one in that abnormal time. So, what a disgraced thing it is that she has to be set up to public shame and wore a mark of shame upon her bosom letter A stands for adultery that makes her bring sermon against sin, until the ignominious scarlet letter be engraved upon her tombstone .But that does not impact on her life even if all dwells give a wide berth to her and use the most incautious words to aggress her later. Because of her benevolence, the inhabitants accept her gradually though they insult her sometimes. Hester does not mind it, because what she concerns is Whether Dimm esdale’s life is good or not.3.2.2 Personality of Compromising Being A MotherHester is deeply influenced by the society. Although she is rejected by the society, she tries to return to it. She has distinctive characters of contemporary feminist. “The y have strength and virtue, but there are also shortcomings and evil. On the one hand they learn to obey and do something good; on the other hand, their minds remain independent and keep fighting. For Hester, she has to get close to Puritanism’s idea about human nature and its values. On the other hand, she refuses to repent and insists on true love. Maternal love plays an important role in Hester’s psychological process. In the society where religious theocracy dominates, although Hester knows she has the right to pursue love, she is still conscious that her betrayal of marriage offends the law. As a woman, she can alone bear all punishments and misfortunes. But as a mother, she worries about the cruel punishments will fall into Pearl. “Everyday she observes the child’s personality closely, for the fear that it may develop some gloomy or wired manners. She has suffered so much pain and loneliness, so she hopes her child not to recommit the same error, but to integrate into the society and live a happy life. Therefore, she silently endures the pain and maintains contact with the society through the needlework to gain comfort. As Pearl’s name suggests, she comes from sin, but she is pure. She is also a constant reminder to Hester and totownspeople of Hester’s sin. Hester dresses her with bright color and named her pearl, and that shows her love to her baby. Though Pearl is regarded as the result of Hester and Dimmesdale’s adultery, she is still a pearl to Hester. Hester give all hope to Pearl. She is still a brave mother.The compromise of Hester Prynne is related to Hawthorne's ideology. Hawthorne was born in New England dilapidated aristocratic family. There are two generations of his ancestors were in colonial politics and religion and authority figures, who persecuted by fanatical Puritan heresy. When Hawthorne was a child he lived in Salem town which was a famous place in American history. He deeply influenced by Calvinism, a region suffering from the infiltration of religious and cultural. Then in Hawthorne's later year he face the American capitalist economy of rapid development, social structure, the scene of major changes, it shows a very complicated ambivalence of his mind. On the one hand he dared to criticize Calvinism poisoning people's religious fanaticism and stifle the religious dogma in the pursuit of an abstract thought in the United States. In The Scarlet Letter, on the one hand, he criticized religious bigotry destroy people's position. He focus on the performance of the bravely and rebellion of Hester Prynne. On the other hand, and most importantly, he concept of original sin and Calvinism affirmed the seriousness of early Puritan, digestion of the Hester's courage and sense of resistance, so that to search for compromise in the Hester's life from the original sin in access to spiritual self-rescue. Hester Prynne of The scarlet letter, consciously or unconsciously reinforce compromise, this is the result of Hawthorne's religious contemplation. Compromise of Hester Prynne is began with the crimes. She gradually forced to compromise on the way to redemption. She and Dimmesdale's love sown the seeds of evil, therefore, she spent seven years to living shame.3.2.3 Personality of Brave And StrongHester is the only person who wears the “A” in the whole article. Puritan authority’s power forces her to wear it all day long after the punishment of three hours standing on the scaffold. Hester can leave the Massachusetts colony, but she does not flee. She regards the place as her home living as the type of shame.It is love, which is the only reason for her to live in that place. The kind of love is declared guilty according to the puritan religion, which takes the asceticism as the local law at that time. “There trod the feet of one with whom she d eemed herself connected in a union would bring them together before the bar of final judgment, and make that their marriage-alter, for a joint futurity of endless retribution (Hawthorne, 2009,489 ). Maybe at that time, Hester’s choice seems a little innocent. Just for the faith for love, which can also be regarded as the passion in a short while though wild nature as she has, she restrains her be behavior from then on for she thinks herself commit an offence. She swears of keeping the secret of the relationship between her and her husband Chillingworth shows that she is in blame at that time and puzzled with her love.When being put into prison, Hester refuses to confess who the father of the baby is, she protect Dimmesdale though Dimmesdale is too recreant to admit the sin. After Hester commits the sin, the Puritan society immediately enforces its law against her. “Hester betrayed her husband and went against the principle of honesty on Puritan, so she must accept the severe penalty in the Puritan society at that time.” Apart from wearing the red letter “A”, she has to suffer public shame on the scaffold.Though the love between Hester and Dimmesdale is true, Hester is a woman who is married. Both of them sin, they have to be punished and get salvation through their acts.CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS OF THE LETTER “A”-ADULTERYIn puritan’s doctrine, one should get salvation by hard working, Hester must be tortured until she receives forgiveness from God, and all that she can do is to bear until she gets salvation.。
《红字》中海斯特的性格症候论析-文档资料
《红字》中海斯特的性格症候论析纳撒尼尔?霍桑是19世纪美国杰出的浪漫主义作家,他的代表作《红字》是美国浪漫主义小说中最有声望的权威作品之一。
他在小说中象征手法的运用使得《红字》这部小说成为世界经典名著,也使得霍桑成为享誉世界的作家。
他在小说中探索人性的罪恶,用犀利的笔锋去讽刺邪恶,揭露道德的伪善,抨击宗教的狂想,揭示真理。
这使得看似简单的爱情悲剧之后却蕴含这丰富的思想内容。
女主人公海斯特是一个美丽善良的女人,但在婚姻上却很不幸。
年轻时嫁给了身体畸形的学者齐灵沃斯,但他们之间并没有爱情。
婚后两人移居波士顿。
齐灵沃斯先将妻子送到了那里,令人没有想到的是,在这之后的近两年间,他却杳无音讯,生死不明,海斯特孤独的过着日子。
这时英俊的青年牧师丁梅斯戴尔闯入了她的生活。
他们真诚的相爱,并有了爱情的结晶。
这件事的暴露使海斯特处于水深火热之中。
在殖民地的独居生活中,她犯下的通奸罪是为清教教义所不容的,按照当时的教规,海斯特只有交待了奸夫的姓名,才能得到宽恕,但是她却独自承受了这一切。
海斯特站在刑台上独自受罚,胸前戴着醒目的红字“A”。
毫无疑问,这字母一定有一种隐含的意义,而这种含义仿佛从这种神秘的象征中自然地涌现出来。
海斯特是一个饱受舆论和宗教谴责的犯下通奸罪行的少妇,她胸前的大红字母“A”是英语单词Adultery(通奸)的缩写。
海斯特犯下的罪行是不可饶恕的,是让人难以启齿的。
然而这却是小说表达的表层含义。
作者用近似褒奖的语言对红色字母作了这样的描绘:“以精细的红布作底,四周饰有雅致的刺绣和金线织成的奇巧花样,融汇了瑰丽的奇思妙想与精美的手工技艺。
”当海斯特站在刑台上时,她的第一个举动就是抱紧孩子,她这么做与其说是出于母爱的激情,不如说她想掩盖身上的标记,但当她意识到孩子也是一个耻辱的符号,用一个耻辱的标记去掩盖另一个,根本无济于事时,她用胳膊架着孩子,脸上露出了“高傲”的微笑。
“倘若在这群清教徒中有一个天主教徒,在看到这个怀抱婴孩,风采如画的盛装美妇人时,他也许会想起无数名画家竞相描绘的圣母像。
《红字》女主人公性格分析
《红字》女主人公性格分析摘要：《红字》不仅是美国浪漫主义小说的代表作，也是美国精神分析小说的开创者。
纳撒尼尔·霍桑不同于常人的生活和经历使他形成了独特的世界观、创作思想和技巧。
他巧妙地运用隐喻、象征等细腻的艺术手法，不断探索人类灵魂最深处的柔软，成功地塑造了《红字》女主人公海丝特·白兰这一复杂的人物形象，也形成了海丝特独特的性格特征。
在这本书中，海丝特意志坚定、勇敢而又矛盾。
一次次的羞辱和愤怒让她承受了许多别人无法理解的痛苦，同时也让她变得更加坚强和独立，她的这一特点让人感触良多。
与此同时，她那许多令人称赞的优点和积极的行为又值得我们每个人去学习。
关键词：性格分析勇敢孤独坚强独立善良女主人公海斯特是一个淑女。
在第二章中，海斯特首次亮相时，那令人惊艳的外表和独特的气质无不使她立刻就吸引了众多的目光。
她不但没有蓬头垢面的挫败面容，而且焕发着普通妇人所没有的气质，举手投足尽显当时女性的优雅风范。
颀长的身材，优雅的体态，浓密的头发，在阳光的照耀下显得熠熠生辉，分外夺目。
匀称的五官，莹润的肤色，秀密的眉眼，深邃的眸子，令人印象深刻无法忘怀。
她的身上散发着某种尊严和高贵，难以用语言来表达，却令人难以忘怀。
当所有人都以为她会因为自己的罪行黯然憔悴的时候，她却依旧光彩照人，就连那不幸的遭遇和无尽的耻辱都变成了耀眼的光环，衬托着她的淑女姿态和她的端庄优雅。
海斯特是一个勇敢的女人。
那种勇敢不是胆大包天，不是目无一切，也不是男人性情里的勇敢，而是一种从内心散发出来的无畏。
当别人用冷峻而严厉的声音逼迫她说出孩子的父亲是谁的时候，她坚贞不屈，坚定又从容地说：“决不，我不会说的！”无论其他人对她怎样好言相劝，或者是威逼恐吓，她都无动于衷，也没有一丝一毫的犹豫，只是保持着自己的坚定和勇敢，心甘情愿地承担所有需要遭受的痛苦。
那种无畏不是强装出来的，也不是别人给予的，是从骨子里透露出来的。
在当时那种时代背景下，倘若不是拥有这样无比的勇敢，海斯特可能一分钟也无法在世间生存。
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浅析小说《红字》中海斯特•白兰的叛逆性格
摘要：小说《红字》是美国19世纪伟大的浪漫主义小说家霍桑创作的一部长篇
小说。
这本小说中对海丝特•白兰这一女性人物的塑造可谓非常经典，作家霍桑
通过对海斯特•白兰这一人物形象的生动描写，把女权主义的思想展现得淋漓尽致。
本文从女权主义观的角度出发，分析小说女主人翁的人物特点，以此来阐述
海斯特•白兰生活的社会环境以及她叛逆性格的体现，从而了解在当时的社会背
景下女性行为所体现出的心理想法是怎么样的一个状态。
通过对小说里女主人公
的性格分析和研究，理解作品想要表达的内涵和主题，呼吁和倡导男女平等这一
观念。
一、小说《红字》的创作背景
霍桑的《红字》这本小说自从出版以来就广泛受到喜爱文学的读者和学术
研究者们的热烈欢迎，因为小说在故事情节、人物特征以及人物的心理变化描写
上都可以说是非常经典的，描写技法相当高超。
小说《红字》的创作背景为19
世纪，当时正值美国第一代女权运动迅猛发展时期，由于特殊社会背景的制约，
许多知名女士以及一些女性作家从女性的角度出发，创作和出版了诸多女权主义
方面的作品，使得女权主义思想越来越深入到女性同胞的心里，在全世界范围里
产生了巨大的影响，为女权意识的出现及小说创作中女权主义的融入提供了一定
理论基础。
二、小说《红字》的女权主义观点
女权主义的兴起是由于女性独立意识的苏醒。
在17世纪的波士顿，女权主
义之所以兴起是因为殖民地统治者对人们实行残酷的压迫和精神折磨，女性受到
的压迫更严重。
女权主义的兴起主要是为了反抗男女社会地位的不平等，在社会
交往中女性得不到应有的尊重，经济大权掌握在男人的手中，无法实现男人和女
人拥有平等的财产权。
在小说《红字》说，女权主义主要表现通奸一事上，也就
是表现在性，再说得具体一点就是表现在性歧视和性压迫上。
发生在海斯特·白兰
身上的一切遭遇，起因都是因为性，性是作为一个中心点来阐述的。
也许，在小
说《红字》中，作者更想强调的女权主义是性平等，对性平等的追求表现在海斯特·白兰与丁梅斯代尔通奸之事揭露之后，女主对“通奸”爱情的忠贞和守护。
三、从女权主义的视角来分析海斯特白兰的叛逆性格
（一）思想上的叛逆
海斯特·白兰的叛逆性格，霍桑从思想方面和现实生活方面两个层次来阐述。
海斯特·白兰在思想上的叛逆主要表现在三个方面，第一个是对清教法规的反抗和
不屈服，第二个是对通奸爱情的忠贞不渝和守护，第三个是她具有独立而倔强的
性格。
1.对神、清教法规的反抗
海斯特·白兰对清教发挥的反抗仿佛从监狱门口就开始了，清教统治者勒令
海斯特·白兰站在绞刑台上三个小时，想以此方式来当众羞辱她，并且这场审判结
束之后，还要求海斯特·白兰终身佩戴红色A字在胸前。
女主人公对这些惩罚表面上全都接受了，实则是一种无声的反抗，也是霍桑的写手技法，所谓无声胜有声
就是这个样子。
海斯特·白兰面对教会的再三逼问，始终不肯透露半个字，这是硬
碰硬的反抗清教法规，而清教法规最不能容忍的就是海斯特·白兰这种冥顽不灵的
人。
2.对“通奸”爱情的忠贞和守护
在那个时代，在那样的社会环境中，在那样的殖民地统治时期，通奸一事
可以说是惊天地泣鬼神的大事件，足以轰动一时，足以掀起波澜万丈，谁都不敢
触犯。
但是，海斯特·白兰终究是不同寻常的人物，她不但触犯了通奸，而且还生
下了难以磨灭的通奸的证据，这得需要多少勇气，这得需要多大的勇气？不说那
个时代，哪怕是今天这个比较开明的时代都需要无比大的勇气。
不仅如此，在通
奸之事被揭露之后，海斯特·白兰为了保护丁梅斯代尔，从始至终都没有把丁梅斯
代尔供出来，要是没有一颗勇敢而坚定的心是无论如何也做不到的。
可以说，海
斯特·白兰很珍视她和丁梅斯代尔的爱情，为了将这份坎坷的爱情进行下去，她只
有坚强不屈地活下去，直到出逃的日子到来。
3.独立而倔强的性格
海斯特·白兰在小说中出于主体地为，是一个最为关键的人物。
当通奸之事
被教会的统治者当着众人的面抖出来的时候，并且海斯特·白兰的胸前显眼地挂着
一个红色A字，她在思想上的回应是坚决不说出孩子的父亲是谁，任凭教会再三
逼问，她就是不说。
当审判结束之后，海斯特·白兰因为违反了教会的规定，被抛
弃到社会的边缘，被孤立在社会的边缘。
（二）行动上的叛逆
小说《红字》的女主角海斯特·白兰在行动上的叛逆主要表现在两个方面，
一方面是她和女儿珠儿相依为命，另一方面是她在婚姻上的叛逆以及后来与丁梅
斯代尔商定的一起出逃。
1.与女儿珠儿相守
在整篇小说中，海斯特·白兰和丁梅斯代尔通奸之后诞生的爱情的结晶——
珠儿具有多重象征意义，珠儿这一角色不仅可以看作是海斯特·白兰与年轻的牧师
丁梅斯代尔通奸的证据，从另一种意义上讲，珠儿是海斯特·白兰为了捍卫自己的
女性权利的一个重要武器，珠儿降临人间既然是上帝的旨意，那么，谁也没有资
格从海斯特·白兰的身边夺走珠儿。
在和女儿相依为命的七年中，海斯特·白兰专门用显眼的红色布料给珠儿制
做衣服红天鹅绒裙衫，这耀眼的红色衣服穿在珠儿的身上一度引起了贝灵汉总督
和神甫约翰·威尔逊的不满，他们想要把珠儿从海斯特·白兰的身边抢走，但是，
海斯特说什么也不能让他们的阴谋得逞。
于是，她大声说珠儿是上帝给她的孩子，珠儿是她的幸福！
2.婚姻的叛逆
海斯特·白兰没遇到丁梅斯代尔之前，她嫁给一个畸形的年老的男人，而海
斯特·白兰又是年轻漂亮的女人，且不说她为什么要嫁给一个老男人，且是畸形的
老男人。
不过，从常识来说，她是不幸福的，或者说她从齐灵渥斯的身上是得不
到自想要的幸福的，也许物质方面还差强人意，但是，在精神上却是贫乏而孤独的，两人没有很难有共同的交集。
结语
女权主义想要获得实质性的发展和飞跃，必须先从解放性欲开始，不但17
世纪的北美如此，今后的世界各国同样如此，《红字》表达的主题莫过于此。
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