An Analysis of Pearl in The Scarlet Letter_英语论文

摘要

 《红字》是由美国著名小说家霍桑写的一部经典长篇小说，它描写了海丝特与丁梅斯代尔的一段爱情悲剧，其背景是十七世纪北美洲清教徒殖民统治下的新英格兰。这个故事运用了大量的象征手法，不仅表达了作者对清教主义压抑人性的不满，还表明作者主张自然人性和爱情自由的向往。本文试图从以下角度分析主人公之一珠儿：珠儿的自然和神圣、珠儿的象征意义——“活的红字“和”珠宝和财富”以及珠儿的矛盾性，从而得出结论：作者试图通过《红字》这部小说揭露清教社会对人性的压抑，并唤起读者对殖民地时期社会的伪善和宗教教义的认识。

关键词：珠儿；矛盾性；清教主义；象征

Abstract

The Scarlet Letter, the classic novel written by the famous American novelist Hawthorne, depicted a tragic love between Hester and Dimmesdale, which was in the background of the New England under the Puritan colonization of North America in the seventeenth century. The story, with the employment of various symbols, not only expresses the author’s dissatisfaction with Puritanism suppressing human nature and his proposition of natural humanity, but also reflects his yearning for free love. This thesis attempts to analyze Pearl, one of the protagonists, from the perspective of her characters, her symbolic meanings—“ living scarlet A” and “jewelry and wealth”, and the contradictions in Pearl, and ends with the conclusion that by disclosing the oppression of human nature in Puritan society, the author seeks to arouse readers’ awareness of the hypocritical society and religious dogmas in the colonial period. 

Key words: Pearl, contradiction, puritanism, symbol 

Contents

1 Introduction.1

2 Demonstration.3

2.1 Pearl’s character3

2.1.1 Holiness.3

2.1.2 Naturalness3

2.2 Pearl’s symbolic meanings.4

2.2.1 Living scarlet A.4

2.2.2 Jewelry and wealth5

2.3 Pearl’s Contradiction5

2.3.1 Pearl as a devil.6

2.3.2 Pearl as an angel6

3 Conclusion.8

Works Cited9

Bibliography.10