Abstract

The Scarlet Letter is generally considered to be the representative work of American famous romantic writer Nathaniel Hawthorne. The novel displays Puritanism’s great impact on people’s life and thought. Since the novel was published in the year of 1850, it has been reread in the circle of literary criticism from various perspectives, such as the aspects of symbolism, feminism, religion and character analysis. It is found that Hawthorne portrays Hester Prynne as one full of rebellious spirits in this book.
Therefore, this paper attempts to analyze Hester Prynne from three aspects. First part is an introduction to Hawthorne and The Scarlet Letter, which demonstrates the background of the work. The second part states Hester’s independent personalities that including her bravery and dignity, self-reliance and perseverance to true love. The third part tells Hester’s struggle and rebellion to traditions, which includes her rebellious personalities and her resistance to Puritanism. Hawthorne explains his puritan thoughts through creating Hester, who is brave and strong, and as a sinner, she finally get salvation by working hard. This thesis aims to deepen reader’s understanding of the novel The Scarlet Letter and the heroine Hester.

Key words: Hester; personality; anti-traditional consciousness; independence

摘  要

《红字》被广泛认为是美国著名浪漫主义作家纳桑尼尔•霍桑的代表作品。小说淋漓尽致的体现了清教对人们生活和思想的影响。自1850年小说出版以来，它已被文学评论界从多种角度进行解读，如：象征主义，女性主义，宗教及人物分析等角度。读过《红字》之后，笔者发现霍桑笔下的女主人公海丝特•白兰身上充分体现了反传统意识。
本文尝试从三个方面解析海斯特•白兰：首先第一部分对纳桑尼尔•霍桑以及他的《红字》进行简单介绍，了解此作品当时的创作背景。第二部分研究海斯特•白兰的独立意识，其中包括她的勇敢和自尊，独立以及对真爱不屈不挠的追求。第三部分解析海斯特对传统清教的反抗和挣扎，主要体现在她的反叛个性以及行为上对清教的反抗。霍桑通过海斯特•白兰表达了自己对清教的看法，海斯特是一个勇敢并且坚强的人，她有罪，但她最后通过自己的努力得到了拯救。笔者希望本文的研究能够加深读者对小说《红字》和女主人公海斯特的理解。

关键词: 海斯特；个性；反传统意识；独立