3。4。3 The Anguish of Hester 11

3。5 The Dynamics and Diversity of the Scarlet Letter A 12

4。 Conclusion 14

1。 Introduction

Symbolism is a kind of literature rhetorical device that uses concrete and ordinary objects to convey more abstract and deeper meanings, which can enlighten readers’ imagination and create more connotative meanings to make the work profound。 And Nathaniel Hawthorne is generally thought to be the pioneer to use symbolism in American literature。 And his masterpiece, The Scarlet Letter, is also regarded as the representative work of symbolism, which has been still influencing the contemporary writers。 Especially the various symbolic meanings of the letter A are widely discussed by scholars around the world。 And this paper will focus on the analysis of the symbolic meanings of the scarlet letter A and pay special attention to the aesthetic function of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter。 By the analysis of it we can have a better understanding of the novel, the author’s thoughts and the rhetorical device, symbolism。

1。1 Introduction of Hawthorne and his Work论文网

Nathaniel Hawthorne is a genuine writer of American Romanticism in the 19th century who has also been sought after by many other famous writers。 He enjoys a great fame over the world and even is hailed as “American Shakespeare” by Herman Melville。 Henry James praised Hawthorne’s fictions highly—“among the men of imagination he will always have his niche”。 Thanks to his special background and experience, the themes of his works are distinct。 His representative works include Mosses from an Old Manse, The Scarlet Letter, The House of the Seven Gables and The Blithedale Romance。

Hawthorne was born in a family with a long Puritan tradition in Salem, Massachusetts, so we can find some reflection of Puritan ideas in his works。 His ancestors involved in the Salem Witchcraft trials who never repented of his actions。 Nathaniel later added a "w" to make his name "Hawthorne" in order to hide this relation。 And in The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne also expiates the sin of his ancestors。 On the other hand, Hawthorne is a genius novelist, using romantic images, symbolism, a plenty of moral subjective color and psychological analysis to depict the story and indicate the themes he wants to express。 Hawthorne makes full advantages of these language skills, especially in his masterpiece The Scarlet Letter。 Hawthorne is considered as a pioneer of the modern symbolism literature。

Hawthorne was essentially a moralist, whose view of man and human history originates, in a great extent, in Puritan。 His works were perhaps the deepest and most psychological in the 19th century。 His stories display a sharp insight of human nature and his themes are always full of conflicts。 With quantities of classic novels, he is significant of his style。 He used symbols to reveal the psychology of the characters, which is characteristic of him。 And his style is soft and flowing whereas his observation is somber。 In addition, Hawthorne has a well-known writing technique to use symbolism in his work。 And he is generally regarded as the pioneer of symbolism in American literature。 In this way, Hawthorne’s works deserve our thorough research。

1。2 Introduction of The Scarlet Letter 文献综述

For most critics and readers, The Scarlet Letter is generally viewed as Hawthorne’s masterpiece。 It first published in 1850, soon after its publication, Hawthorne became recognized as the most important writer at that time。 American literature critic Professor Nina Baym considers The Scarlet Letter to be a novel depicting the contrast between the natural man and society。 Set the background in Puritan, the conflict between human natures and religion is also a conspicuous issue。 It demonstrates Hawthorne’s comparably mature literary thoughts and artistic style。 It adapts Hawthorne’s typical theme of alienation and solitude, sin from human heart and religion。 And a number of images in this story embody most of traits of symbolism。 And the psychological depiction and insight in his novel were innovative and advanced at that period。 Many scholars have been trying to explain all the symbolism in this novel。