Hawthorne’s symbolism in The Scarlet Letter

1、hawthornes symbolism in the scarlet letterintroduction the scarlet letter makes the american writer nathaniel hawthorne known all around the world. it is regarded not only as nathaniel hawthorne greatest accomplishment, but frequently as the greatest novel in american literary history. it also arose

2、 wide concerns and attracted thousands of millions readers. after its publication in 1850, the scarlet letter has stayed in print and in favor ever since. moreover it has been hailed as the first symbolic novel. in this novel, nathaniel hawthorne applys and underlines skillfully symbol, which marks

3、a great breakthrough in writing method. through the use of symbolism, hawthorne more conveniently addresses modern themes of isolation, alienation and expressed his own view on human nature and religious doctrines. with its abundant of meanings and possibilities, the symbol for hawthorne promotes na

4、rrative intensity and proves possible to organized a tale effectively in terms of one central symbol and to portray the ambivalence of motive and the ambiguity of experience that define for him the texture of the human condition.with the success of the scarlet letter, nathaniel hawthorne became one

5、of the greatest writer at that time and built his reputation as a major american author. since that time on, people began to take great interest in all aspects of his life. he is also becoming more and more popular and familiar with chinese readers, and scholars and readers in this country have show

6、n an ever-increasing interest in his works. the main artistic writing skill in this novel is symbolism, which not only runs through the whole novel, but also adds long-lasting charms to the book. this thesis attempts to expound hawthornes symbolism in the scarlet letter through the analysis of the s

7、carlet letter “a”, the characters and the settings. it first explores the symbolism of the multi-layered meanings of the capital letter “a”. then, it analyses the symbolic meanings of the main characters. finally it concentrates on symbolic meanings of the settings, such as the prison, the scaffold,

8、 the wild rosebushes, the forest, the brook and the sunshine. 1 the background of the scarlet letterthe scarlet letter is an 1850 romantic work of fiction in a historical setting, written by nathaniel hawthorne. the story begins in seventeenth-century boston, which was under puritan command. it tell

9、s the story of hester prynne, who conceives through an adulterous affair and struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. in order to explore the symbolism in the scarlet letter, this chapter will introduce some background of the scarlet letter in details.1.1 about the author and the pl

10、ot hailed as the american shakespeare, nathaniel hawthorne is an extremely distinguished writer of american romanticism in the 19th century. he was born on the fourth of july, 1804 in salem, massachusetts. nathaniel hawthorne was the descendant of a puritan family. he was haunted all his life by his

11、 sense of sin and evil of the misdeeds of his puritan ancestors. the puritanism had exerted overwhelming influence on his inward consciousness, and thus the effects of hidden sin and guilt and the conflict between the head and the heart pervaded most of his works, like the scarlet letter. the whole

12、novel focuses on the scarlet letter “a” which means adultery to develop its plot. a married young woman named hester prynne fell in love with a young minister arthur dimmesdale secretly and gave birth to a baby girl named pearl, which sinned against the puritan commandmentadultery. thus, she was sen

13、tenced to pillory and wearing a striking scarlet letter a symbolized adultery all her life. meanwhile, her husband roger chillingworth came back and disguised himself as a physician in order to dig out the whole truth and revenge. later, chillingworth found out the adulterer-the minister and began h

14、is revenge. the ministers health deteriorated gradually under the psychological torture to his sin. finally, he confessed his sin to the public and died in prynnes arms with the freedom of spirit; while chillingworth became a devil and fell into the abyss of misery. prynne obtained peoples reaccepta

15、nce through her good deeds and hard working. although it is a tragedy, it arouses people to meditate human nature and the society seriously. therefore, it becomes a classical works in the american literature.1.2 social and cultural background of the scarlet letterin the 19th century, the american ec

16、onomy has developed with leaps and bounds and has stepped into a new stage, while its views of moral and religion have still inherited from the traditional western patterns of ideas and thoughts. furthermore, the 19th century is also the time of american culture renaissance, all kinds of new ideas a

17、nd opinions have found their place at here. nathaniel hawthorne, who just lived in this great and transitional period, is no exception to be influenced by the puritanism, the transcendentalism and the mysticism which are very popular at this time. these fresh ideas motivate him to make a much deeper

18、 exploration into the conditions and destinies of the people and also cause his ambiguity and conflicts. however, hawthornes literary fame didnt rely only on his delineation of new england history and puritanism or transcendentalism, but also on his artistic writing technique and penetrating insight

19、 into human nature. as holding an ambivalent and ambiguous attitude toward his own family heritage and puritan tradition, hawthorne became at once their chronicler and critic of inherited puritan characteristics. therefore, his use of symbolism is an astute way to express his own beliefs and an esse

20、ntial tool in addressing issues, which were too radical to be publicly addressed in the nineteenth century. i will introduce the symbolism as following. 1.3 about the symbolismin the scarlet letter, hawthorne employs a lot of symbols. the symbols are just like the cells of the novel and connect with

21、 the work closely. this type called symbolism. the symbolism is an art of using symbols especially by investing things with a symbolic meaning or by expressing the invisible or intangible by means of visible or sensuous representations. with the symbolism movement in literature originated during the

22、 1850s in france and lasted until about 1900. it exerted a profound influence on twentieth-century literature, bridging the transition from realism to modernism. this movement also exerted a strong influence on the arts, including theatre, painting, and music. as a famous writer of romanticism, hawt

23、horne is skillful at the using of symbolism in his works. the various usage of symbolism in the scarlet letter makes the novel a great work of the world. 2. the difference of the symbolic meaning of the scarlet letterthe scarlet letter is notable for its allegory and symbolism. it is regarded as the

24、 first symbolic novel in american literature. the novel revolves around one major symbol: the letter a. besides, some other objects that are described in the novel have their symbolic meanings. moreover, the major characters also have their symbolic meanings. the following chapter will show the diff

25、erent meaning of the letter a.2.1 the difference of the symbolic meaning of the scarlet letter aas the first symbolic novel in american literature, the scarlet letter is unquestionably abundant of symbols, among which the most obvious one is definitely the scarlet letter a itself. the capital letter

26、 “a”, which symbolizes hesters adultery at the beginning of novel. then the letter “a” begins to represent different meanings as the plot develops. the letter “a” also appears on hesters breast, on arthurs heart, in pearls hands as well as in the evening sky. hence the letter “a” builds up a framewo

27、rk of the novel and serves as a close link between the main characters. moreover, this change of letter “a” is significant, for the gradual and imperceptible change which the scarlet letter undergoes in meaning brings about the charaters suffering, loneliness and also provides them rejuvenation; it

28、is symbolic of the main characters moral growth and development.2.1.1 “a” for “adultery”, “alone” and “alienation” when the novel begins, hester prynne has just been released from the prison and is forced to stand on the scaffold in the public square, holding her newly born daughter and wearing a sc

29、arlet a on her bosom. in this sense, the basic and original symbolic meaning of the scarlet a is a symbol of hesters adultery against roger chillingworth. the community sees the letter on hesters bosom as a mark of a symbol to deter others from sin and thinks hester is a “fallen woman” with a symbol

30、 of her guilt. then we can find out some clues indicating hesters loneness. because of hesters adultery against her husband, the people looks at her with strange looks. after she is released, hester lives in a cottage near the outskirts of the city and begin to lead a lonely life. she has no friends

31、 in the world, and little pearl is her only companion in her lonely life. therefore, letter “a” also means alone. for hester, the “a” is not only a symbol of alone, but also a symbol of alienation. hesters social life is virtually eliminated as a result of her shameful history. she comes to have a p

32、art to perform in the world with her native energy of character and rare capacity. however, there was nothing that made her feel as if she belonged to it. 2.1.2 “a” for “able”, “admiration”and “angel” as time goes on, the scarlet “a” change its meaning in to being able, admire and angel. after years

33、 of hesters helping, serving and sympathizing with the town people, her letter “a” was viewed by the puritans to mean “able” rather than “adultery”. in peoples eyes she was so strong with a womans strength that many people refused to interpret the scarlet “a” by its original signification. furthermo

34、re she tries her best to help the poor and the sick although she is really poor too. gradually, the town people realized what a noble character hester possesses the townpeople begin to accept hester as a member of their group and believe that the badge served to ward off evil, and hester grows to be

35、 quite admirable among the people of the town. finally they regard hester as an industrious kindhearted and able woman. thus the image of hester turns to be an “angel” in their eyes. therefore the letter “a” also symbolizes “angel” . 2.1.3 “a” for “arthur” to hester, the scarlet “a” stands for her l

36、over, arthur dimmesdale at the same time. her fantastically embroidering the scarlet letter “a”, which means adultery, is somehow a way she shows her passion for arthur. her refusing to tell the name of pearls father is a way to protect him. her choosing to remain in new england after she is release

37、d is because it is the place where her lover stays. hence we say that the letter “a” is an indication of arthur. 2.1.4 “a” for “age” , “authority”and “ancient” because of the persecution suffered in the old world, the first puritan settlers came to the new continent with the belief of building a new

38、 utopia in which there is freedom, equality and democracy. however, the puritans still regard themselves as the elect chosen by god, therefore any violation of their own life is that of gods will and should be punished and even exiled out of their own region. with this intention, the puritans unfort

39、unately follows the step of their ancestors in the old world. therefore, wearing a letter on the boston in the 17th century, just like when catching a person is stealing something, those pilgrim fathers would burn the letter t (thief) on his or her forehead. in this sense, the letter “a”, worn on he

40、sters bosom, is also the puritan way of treating her as a criminal for the crime of adultery and is also the symbol of supreme authority. whats more, for the whole puritan society, hesters spirit of disobeying the old rules and searching for her own freedom merits is an embodiment of the strict anci

41、ent system, so the scarlet “a” is a meaning of ancient. 2.1.5“a” for “america” and “aspiration” of new life hesters “a” reflects the meaning of “america” in various ways. for one thing, america is a melting pot of many peoples and ideas just as hesters “a” has many different meanings. for another th

42、ing, hesters “a” symbolizes america in that they are both shaped by past actions. no matter how hester has changed, because of her act of adultery, she is forever doomed to be labeled as an adulteress. similarly, america is shaped by everything that happened in its past. thats to say, its a colony o

43、f england, and its deeply influenced by puritanism. in the novel, hesters daughter pearl shows great interest in the letter. one time when she plays alone, she weaves a letter “a” with the eelgrass and wears it on her breast in imitation of her mother. however the letter is freshly green instead of

44、scarlet and full of vitality. the green letter symbolizes the aspiration to get free from conservative ideas and pursue a new life. the good ending of pearl represents the bright future of america.3 analysis of the symbolic meaning of the four major characters namesin the literature world, it is a c

45、ommon and effective way for the author to convey his or her creative thought by endowing specific meaning on the characters name. in this way reader can better understand the intensity and depth meanings of the characters. for this novel, the name of four main characters pearl、hester prynne、roger ch

46、illingworth and arthur dimmesdale has different symbolic meanings. let us see it specifically.3.1 analysis of pearl in the first place, the word of “pearl” has its origin in the new testament. hester named the infant “pearl” implies the fact that the child is of being of great price and she is her o

47、nly treasure. pearl is the illegitimate daughter of hester prynne and arthur dimmesdale. she is the living manifestation of hesters sin and a symbol of the product of the act of adultery and of an act of passion and love. the scarlet letter “a”, worn by hester, is a punishment for the sin of adulter

48、y she had committed. then she named her illegitimate child pearl. so the baby is a child of sin as well as a product of human love. 3.2 analysis of hester prynne hester, the main character of the scarlet letter, is a symbol of sinner in the puritan society. hester sounds like hestier, zeuss sister i

49、n greek mythology, who is a beautiful goddess. this gives the sense that hester is a beautiful, spirited and proud woman. at the beginning of the story, she walks to the scaffold from the prison, with her head holding high and without shedding a tear in full public view. hawthorne describes her as b

50、oth a sinner and saint. hesters strength of character in public is in fact her way of steeling herself against her inner wound inflicted by her infamy and scourged by the scarlet letter. furthermore, hester prynne, like anne hutchinson who was mentioned in the first chapter, is a woman of strength a

51、nd independence. we can see it from her refusal to reveal the childs father, which leads her to suffer the public humiliation, even though at that time she has the chances to escape punishment and shame; and from her rearing her child pearl alone and doing the charity work willingly for the communit

52、y that sneers her. she silently endures the humiliations given by the people she serves. although hester accepts her punishment and does charity work willingly in her innermost, she never accepts the puritan interpretation of her act. for her, the act is inseparable from love, the love for dimmesdal

53、e and pearl. she survives her punishment with dignity and strength of character. ironically, the penance imposed by puritan community has an opposite effect on hester, which gives her the independent spirit.3.3 analysis of roger chillingworthroger chillingworth, like all of hawthornes main character

54、s, is complex and difficult to see through. we can see his sins from his name, roger chillingworth. the word “chilling” and “worth” compose the surname of chillingworth. chilling comes from the word “chilly”, which means this man is a merciless, coldhearted avenger. being a man already in decay and

55、misshapen from his birth hour, he marries hester just want to light a household fire in his lonely and chilly heart. he is a bookworm, and shows no love to his young wife. chillingworth also means that the avengers life is worthless. the main aim of his last years is to find out hesters follow sinne

56、r. after he finishes his revenge, he dies less that a year later because he has nothing left to live for. the poor forlorn creature is more wretched than his victim is the avenger had devoted himself. 3.4 analysis of arthur dimmesdale arthur dimmesdale, hesters follow sinner, the hidden adulterer, f

57、eels more woe than any other characters in the story. hawthorn suggests that the hypocrisy of dimmesdale is shared by the puritan society. hawthorne obviously tells us arthur dimmesdale is the partner in sin of hester by giving him this name, whose initials are ad, which stands for adultery. the wor

58、d dimmesdale also has many symbolic meanings. dim means dark and weakness, and dale means valley, so the dim-dale is actually a symbol of the “dim-interior” of a clergyman. he, hesters lover and pearls father, can only show his passion for her in the forest or darkness. he concedes his guilt for sev

59、en years. so in this sense, arthur is a typical hypocrite. 4. the symbolic significance of the settingsin the novel, settings are one of the major elements of symbolism. the prison, the scaffold, the rosebush, the forest, the brook and the sunshineall have their own symbolic meanings in the scarlet letter.4.1 the prison: symbol of the harshness of the puritan societythe puritans are people who believe in puritanism. they hold th