The Symbolic Meaning of “A” in The Scarlet Letter

1、The Symbolic Meaning of “A” in The Scarlet LetterACKNOWLEDGMENTSI am deeply indebted to my supervisor, who has given me constant and valuable advice, read my drafts through meticulously and offered incisive comments on them. I am grateful to her for the useful materials she had provided to me. She g

2、ave me valuable advice and polished the thesis as well. Without her help, the thesis could never have reached its present form.I also owe my particular gratitude to all my teachers who have given me excellent lectures and great help, which are indispensable to the completion of this thesis, and my h

3、earty thanks to all my classmates who have offered generous help and useful suggestions in the process of writing this thesis.Finally, I would like to express my appreciation to all the writers whose works have been referred to in this thesis.摘 要納撒尼爾霍桑是美國非常著名的小說家。 他不僅創(chuàng)造了若干部經(jīng)典的長篇小說,而且還書寫了數(shù)量可觀且耐人尋味的短篇

4、小說.至今為止，霍桑和他的作品一直是中外學(xué)者討論的對(duì)象。紅字是十九世紀(jì)美國作家霍桑的成名作.自從本世紀(jì)五十年代被譯介到我國以來,一直倍受讀者的喜愛。其不朽的魅力在于它不僅無情的鞭撻了清教法規(guī)對(duì)人性的踐踏,更重要的是作者對(duì)人性的善的肯定。作者在作品中采用的象征手法貫穿始終的、無處不在，加強(qiáng)了作品的藝術(shù)效果。尤其是紅字“A” 這一貫穿全文的意象，有著多重的、縹緲的，乃至互相抵觸的象征意義。本文從紅字的多種象征意義入手，研究紅字中的象征手法。 關(guān)鍵詞：納撒尼爾霍桑；紅字；象征主義 ABSTRACT Nathanial Hawthorne is an extremely renowned Americ

5、an writer of fiction. He not only has created quiet a few classic novels, but also has written quantities of thought-provoking short stories. Until now, Hawthorne and his works have been the focus of discussion from the Chinese and foreign scholars. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a cla

6、ssical novel in American literature in the 19th century. Since the first Chinese translation of The Scarlet Letter appeared in the 1950s scholars and readers in this country have shown an ever-increasing interest in his works. Its immortal enchantment lies in not only its condemnation of the negativ

7、e impact of Puritan society on peoples spirit, but also its affirmation of goodness， Hawthorne uses the symbolism so skillful that it enhances the artistic effects of his work greatly. Above all, the scarlet letter "A" displays its dynamic, multimodal and even contradictive characteristic.

8、 This paper researches the symbolism in this novel from the following aspects: the changing symbolic meaning of the scarlet letter to make the symbolism clear to the readers.Key words: Nathanial Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, Symbolism CONTENTS0. Introduction.11. Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Scarlet

9、Letter .1 A brief introduction of Nathaniel Hawthorne. 2 The plot summary of The Scarlet Letter. 21.3 The theme of The Scarlet Letter.32. Symbolism and the meaning of “A” in The Scarlet Letter4 2.1Symbolisim.4 2.The prison.42. The Scaffold.5 2.The Meteor.52.Pearl .6 The Rosebush Next to the Prison D

10、oor72.2 The meaning of “A” in The Scarlet Letter.8 2.2.1 Adultery.8 2.2.2 Alone and Alienation.92.2.3 Able, Admirable and Angel.10 3. The thoughts of Hawthorne reflected in The Scarlet Letter.113.1 Puritanism consciousness11 Transcendentalism.124.Conclusion.14Works Cited.15 0. Introduction 

11、;The Scarlet Letter is regarded as the masterpiece of Nathaniel Hawthorne, who is a famous writer in American Renaissance. He showed a great interest in the problem of guilt and concerned with moral or ethical problems. He is a writer with paradoxical thoughthe criticizes the religious craze and the

12、 ecclesiastic false while he takes the views of Calvinism as the standard, and he depicts the battle of the colonials against England while he doubt the social reform and technological advancement. The novel was published in 1850 and is hailed by Henry James as "the finest piece of imaginative

13、writing yet put forth in the country." The novel thoroughly response to people's spirit wreck of Puritanism and unbridled pursuit for happy life. The theme of the novel is depicting sin and consequences around which the moods created are woven so completely and harmoniously into the st

14、ory that its characters, action and setting blend into delicate but enduring work of art. Symbolism is the conspicuous artistic characteristic of The Scarlet Letter, therefore, it is also regarded as the first symbolic novel in the history of American fiction and it has been influencing American lit

15、erature deeply and significantly. Hawthorne uses the symbolism so skillful that it enhances the artistic effects of his work greatly. The scarlet letter is not only the title of the novel but also the major symbol in the novel. The changes of the meaning of “A” are highly original, allegorical and c

16、lassic and deserve a further analysis.This thesis is composed of four parts. In the first part, the present author will give a brief introduction to Nathaniel Hawthorne and his novel The Scarlet Letter. In the second part the technique “symbolism” and especially the meaning of “A” used by Hawthorne

17、in writing his novel will be analyzed. In the third part the deep thoughts of Hawthorne which is reflected in The Scarlet Letter will be analyzed .The last part is the conclusion of the whole thesis.1. Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Scarlet Letter1.1 A brief introduction of Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathanie

18、l Hawthorne is considered to be the first greatest American fiction writer in the moralistic tradition. He was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. Some of his ancestors were big shots in seventeenth-century New England, which was under the control of Puritanism Gradually, the family fortun

19、e 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. In 1812, he went to Bowdoin College where he made friends with Longfellow and Franklin Pierce. After graduation, he returned to his hometown and lived in se

20、clusion for 12 years, reading widely and preparing for his literary career. He is productive novelist with an inquiring imagination, an intensely meditative mind. Some of his great works are familiar to us, such as The House of the Seven Gables, Young Goodman Brown, and The Scarlet Letter etc. In mo

21、st of his novels, they are full of the description of sin and evil. Most of his stories are allegorical. He probed into the human mind. His characters tend to have complex psychologies and there is a semblance of interior monologues to reveal their states of mind. Nathaniel Hawthorne is an extremely

22、 renowned American writer of fiction. Herman Melville even hails him as the “American Shakespeare”. He is the first American writer to define his works as romance; his romantic writing is a landmark of the romantic period in American literature. As a great literary artist, he has profound influence

23、on writers like Henry James, William Faulkner and Bernard Malamud. With the scarlet letter, Hawthorne became the first American novelist to forge from the Puritan heritage a universal classic, a masterful exploration of humanitys unending struggle with sin, guilt, and pride. Besides, Hawthorne is on

24、e of the forefathers of symbols.1.2 The plot summary of The Scarlet Letter The story took place in New England in 17th century. An ageing English scholar Roger Chillingworth sends his beautiful wife Hester Prynne, the heroine, to make their new home in New England. When he comes over two years later

25、, he found out that his wife have committed adultery. She was punished before the public and condemned to wear the scarlet letter“A”in front of her bosom throughout her life time as a symbol of adultery. But when asked the name of the man with whom she committed adultery, she refused simply bec

26、ause she loved the man and cherished his life more than her own. The baby, Pearl, to whom she gave birth, was baptized by Arthur Dimmensdale, the parishioner who was actually the babys father. Different from Hester, Dimmensdale dared not admit openly the sin but was constantly tortured by a sense of

27、 guilt. Doctor Chillingworth, discovered who was the adulterer and made up a cruel plan of revenge to torture the minister mentally till his death. In the end, Dimmensdale was mentally tortured to death by his own sense of guilt plus Chillingworths vicious plan and only in the last minute of his lif

28、e he revealed his sin. Though living on the fringe of the community and suffering social ostracism, Hester Prynne bears her punishment courageously, expiates her sin by performing good deeds so that the community gradually changes its attitude and some of her peers even show their trust and admirati

29、on for her honesty and skillfulness. Years later, Pearl grows up to be married into a noble family of Europe., Through the analysis of the moral and psychological effect of the sin on different people, Hawthorne sang the praise of the moral growth of the woman who had even been sinned. 1.3 The theme

30、 of The Scarlet Letter Themes pertaining to The Scarlet Letter illustrates upon many ideas referring to life and ways of living. Nathaniel Hawthorne touches on values viewed by people of all types of social status. Morals, which should be engraved in ones mind, seemed to be forgotten. These actions

31、that should have never been performed are topics revealed in The Scarlet Letter. The actions being accomplished include ideas such as sin, revenge, and betrayal. In the experience of Hester and Dimmesdale, sin results in expulsion and suffering. But it also results in knowledgespecifically, in knowl

32、edge of what it means to be human. For Hester, the scarlet letter functions as "her passport into regions where other women dared not tread", leading her to "speculate" about her society and herself more "boldly" than anyone else in New England. As for Dimmesdale, the &

33、quot;cheating minister" of his sin gives him "sympathies so intimate with the sinful brotherhood of mankind, so that his chest vibrates in unison with theirs." His eloquent and powerful sermons derive from this sense of empathy. Hester and Dimmesdale contemplate their own sinfulness o

34、n a daily basis and try to reconcile it with their lived experiences. The Puritan elders, on the other hand, insist on seeing earthly experience as merely an obstacle on the path to heaven. Thus, they view sin as a threat to the community that should be punished and suppressed. Their answer to Heste

35、rs sin is to ostracize her. Yet, Puritan society is stagnant, while Hester and Dimmesdales experience shows that a state of sinfulness can lead to personal growth, sympathy, and understanding of others. Paradoxically, these qualities are shown to be incompatible with a state of purity. Just through

36、describing Hesters sorrowful fate, it severely criticizes the injustice and cruelty of the Puritan way of life.2. Symbolism and the meaning of “A” in The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter that is notable for its allegory and symbolism is regarded as the first symbolic novel in American literature. T

37、he novel revolves around one major symbol: the scarlet letter. Besides, some other objects that are described in the novel have their symbolic meanings. In The Scarlet Letter, most of the objects that are described have many symbolic meanings. The novel is filled with light and darkness symbols

38、 because it represents the most common battle of all time, good versus evil.  The Scarlet Letter is a novel of much symbolic meanings.2.1 SymbolismSymbolism is a literary device with which the author deliberately make concrete objects evolved into some abstractions, usually moralistic or philos

39、ophical .It can make abstraction concrete, generality specific, ideology material. All of these features do contribute to the readers comprehension and can let them accept to the characters easier. A symbol is something that conveys two kinds of meaning; it is simply itself, and it stands for someth

40、ing other than itself. In other words, a symbol is a way of telling a story and a way of convening meaning. It is the major technique that has been successfully used by Hawthorne The scarlet letter“A”as the main symbol however, there are many other symbols except for the scarlet letter“A”. He impose

41、s deeper meanings to many objects. These symbols add their special strengths in approaching the theme. Here the present author just wants to mention five of them. The PrisonThe rusty prison-door was the symbol of that time which was dark and cruel. In this environment, there was no true love but hyp

42、ocrisy of human beings. Because of this symbol, the whole novel was based on the tone of sadness. In the first chapter Hawthorne describes the prison as "the black flower of civilized society".  The prison represents the crime and punishment that was incorporated in the early Puritan

43、life.  He also contrasts the prison with the tombstone at the end of the novel by suggesting that crime and punishment bring about the end of civilized life.  In the same chapter he describes the overgrown vegetation of weeds around the prison.  The weeds symbolize how corrupt civiliz

44、ation really is.  The Scaffold The scaffold is a prominent image of symbolism in the novel. It not only is a symbol of the stern Puritan code but also becomes a symbol for the open acknowledgment of personal sin; it is the place to which Dimmesdale knows he must go for atonement, the only place

45、 where he can escape the grasp of Chillingworth, or of the devil. In the beginning, Hester Prynne is publicly condemned there. As depicted in the book, the public gathering at the prison and at the scaffold, both of which are located in central common spaces, speak to a Puritan belief: the belief th

46、at sin not only permeates our world but that it should be actively sought out and exposed so that it can be punished publicly. Although Hester is led to the town scaffold and harangued by the town fathers, she again refuses to identify her childs father. Indeed, she accepts her humanity rather than

47、struggles against it.2.1.3 The MeteorTo faithful Puritans, signs, particularly natural ones, are of the utmost importance, and are read as symbols of divine will. A meteor traces out an “A” in the night sky. Here, as the narrator recognizes, the meteor physically and figuratively illuminates Dimmesd

48、ale, Hester, and Pearl, and it exposes their relationship to Chillingworth. To Dimmesdale, the meteor implies that he should wear a mark of shame just as Hester does. He reads the “A” in the sky as his own, divinely sent scarlet letter. His constant burden of guilt taints and controls the way he see

49、s the world. So, too, does the communitys reading of the “A” as standing for “Angel” testify to its mind. The townspeople see only what they want to see, a tendency that is reaffirmed the following morning when the sexton invents a story to prevent the discovery of Dimmesdales glove from seeming sus

50、picious. Just as Dimmesdale must remain an example of piety-no matter how one has to stretch the facts-so, too, must Hester remain either a scapegoat or a negative example. She is not allowed to receive forgiveness.2.1.4 PearlPearl, also plays an important role of symbolism in the novel. She is a ba

51、ffling mixture of strong moods, given to uncontrolled laugher at one moment and sullen silence the next, with a fierce temper and a capacity for the “bitterest hatred that can be supposed to rankle in a childish bosom.” Pearl is a sort of living version of her mothers scarlet letter. She is the phys

52、ical consequence of sexual sin and the indicator of a transgression. Yet, even as a reminder of Hesters “sin,” Pearl is more than a mere punishment to her mother: she is also a blessing. She represents not only “sin” but also the vital spirit and passion that engendered that sin. Thus, Pearls existe

53、nce gives her mother reason to live, bolstering her spirits when she is tempted to give up. It is only after Dimmesdale is revealed to be Pearls father that Pearl can become fully “human.” Until then, she functions in a symbolic capacity as the reminder of an unsolved mystery. According to Hawthorne

54、s design, he is not attempting to develop realistically a normal little girl. Throughout the book, he is using Pearl as a symbol, and as a symbol she is one of his most remarkable creations. 2.1.5 The Rosebush Next to the Prison DoorThe narrator chooses to begin his story with the image of the roseb

55、ush beside the prison door. These soft, red roses offer a small but bold contrast to the strict, black and white world of the puritans. The vibrant flowers give a splash of life to the monotonous, dreary scene.   The rosebush symbolizes the ability of nature to endure and outlast mans activitie

56、s. The roses can also be interpreted as a beacon of hope; the one last symbol of freedom and beauty before one is condemned to prison, a cold, heartless place. Its almost as if the flowers wait for the prisoner to come back out because they “have been kept alive in history.” No matter how long the prisoner is in there, they can count on one thing in their life to still be there when