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Abstract In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s well-known masterpiece The Scarlet Letter, Pearl, daughter of Hester and Dimmesdale, is an important classic character, rather than a dispensable supporting role. Her distinct personality relates the protagonists in this novel together organically. 33838
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This thesis intends to have a close study of little Pearl’s complex characters from the perspective of deconstruction. To be specific, this paper firstly introduces that Pearl is the fruit of adultery. She not only shows her evil but also presents her justice, which makes the hard sinful scarlet letter become fading as time goes by. Then the paper analyzes that Pearl is innocent, but she often shows her sophistication which is different from normal children at her age, which makes her becoming more and more endearing. Finally, it expounds that Pearl achieves her self-worth gradually. She is not only the angel of God, but also the saver of her parents.
It appears that each group of Pearl’s character traits above contains a sharp contrast. Nevertheless, it is unambiguous that they are all the unity of opposites based on deconstruction theory. Thus, the glaring scarlet letter has faded gradually. By subverting the binary oppositions, readers can see a lively and multi-dimensional image of Pearl.
Key Words: The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne Pearl character binary oppositions
摘 要 在纳撒尼尔•霍桑的著名小说《红字》中，海丝特•白兰和牧师丁梅斯代尔的女儿珠儿，是一个非常重要的经典人物形象，而不是一个可有可无的配角。她鲜明的个性将小说中的几个中心人物有机地联系在了一起。
本文试图从解构主义的理论视角来深入研究珠儿复杂的性格特征。具体来说，论文首先介绍珠儿是其父母通奸的产物，珠儿身上虽然有邪恶的根源，但同样也存在强烈的正义感。因此，随着时间的推移，罪恶的红字逐渐褪去了它刺眼的颜色。第二部分论述了珠儿具有天真无邪的一面，然而她还经常会展现出其他孩子所没有的老成，让她愈发讨人喜爱。最后一部分阐述了珠儿既是上帝的小天使，也是父母灵魂的拯救者，于是慢慢实现了自我价值。
珠儿的每一组性格特征看起来似乎都存在着鲜明对比，但是如果从结构主义的理论来看，它们其实都是对立统一的，这就使得显眼的红字逐渐变得模糊起来。通过消解二元对立，读者可以看到一个生动立体的珠儿形象。
毕业论文关键词：《红字》 纳撒尼尔•霍桑 珠儿 性格 二元对立
Contents
Abstract i
摘 要 ii
Contents iii
Introuction 1
Chapter One Facing the Humiliation since Birth 3
1.1 Sowing the Seeds of Evil 3
1.2 Showing the Sense of Justice 4
Chapter Two Behaving an Endearing Girl with Experiences 7
2.1 Maintaining Innocence 7
2.2 Presenting Sophistication 9
Chapter Three Achieving Her Self-worth 12
3.1 Becoming an Angel of God 12
3.2 Saving the Soul of Her Parents 13
Conclusion 15
Works Cited 16
The Fading Letter—— A Deconstructive Interpretation of Pearl in The Scarlet Letter
Introduction
Nathaniel Hawthorne, born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, was an American short story writer and novelist. Later, in order to dissociate from relatives including John Hathorne, a judge during the Salem witch trials, Hawthorne added a “w” to change his name to “Hawthorne”. When he was four years old, his father died. Fortunately, his maternal relatives supported his education since then. In 1821, he entered Bowdoin College and graduated four years later. In 1828, Hawthorne published his first novel with his pseudonym, Fanshawe; later, because he felt it wasn’t equal to the standard of his later work, he even tried to suppress it. In 1837, he collected his several short stories written in various periodicals as Twice-Told Tales. He was engaged to Sophia Peabody the next year. Before he married Peabody in 1842, Hawthorne worked at a Custom House and joined Brook Farm. In 1850, The Scarlet Letter was published, which was followed by a series of other novels. Since then, Hawthorne’s reputation as an American writer was on the increase.