The Scarlet Letter offers an extraordinary insight into the norms and behavior of the 17th century if American Puritan society. The basic conflicts and problems of its main characters, however, are familiar to readers in the present. The female protagonist, has borne a child out of wedlock and has been jailed for over three months and sentenced to wear a symbol of her adultery, a scarlet “A” on her dress at all times. It concerns about the moral, emotional and psychological effect of the sin on people in general. It’s not simply a love story or a story of sin. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the scarlet letters to symbolize the harshness of Puritan society, showing how they brand sinners for life. 英語文摘mmkey

The story happened in Boston about 200 years ago. It narrates love affairs between three persons. The punished woman. Hester Prynne and his husband. Who called himself Roger Chillingworth . He is an old misshapen man and a doctor. Hester does not love him at all. Another man is a young minister, Dimmesdale, who has a high position among ministers and is highly respected among his people in town. Hester and Dimmesdale love each other. But their love is forbidden in that time . It is sinful. Due to this,Hester is punished by society with a letter A on her chest, which considered an evil, a shame.

In this novel, the mainline seems to be around the letter A. Hester is brave enough to face the cruel reality. She is always with a mind of courage. She has been alone with her child for so long , with litter communication. Shame! Hopelessness! Loneliness! Hester has to wear the letter A day after day, seven years as for punishment and ill fame.

When a woman has lived through a difficult experience, her character changes a great deal. If she be all tenderness, she will die. If she survive, the tenderness will leave her .Hester’s charitable deeds and quiet humility have earned her a reprieve from the scorn of the community. The letter on her chest represents her work on earth , always helping others, without expecting any thanks. Never afterwards, does that scarlet letter leave her chest. The townspeople no longer view the letter as a punishment , but rather as representing her great strength and bravery and thy say it means “Able”.

But Arthur Dimmesdale, his sin against Hester and Pearl is that he will not acknowledge them as his wife and daughter in the daylight. He keeps his dreadful secret from all those under his care in the church for seven years for fear that he will lose their love and will not be forgiven. He is too weak to admit his sins. He suffers from mysterious heart trouble, seemingly caused by psychological distress. What’s worse, he is an advisor to the townspeople about their sins.

After Mr. Dimmesdale’s death , no one changes more in appearance than Roger Chilling worth. All his strength and energy has been used to harm his patient . This unhappy man has made his aim in life to add to the suffering of the young minister. When the evil old man no longer has such a purpose, the devil takes him back to the hell . It is a curious subject of observation, however, whether hatred or love are not of the same place. Each takes a great deal of emotion from one person. The two feelings seem basically the same, expect that one is smiled upon by God, while the other is worshipped by the devil.

The two lovers has ever decided to flee to Europe, where they can live with their dauthter Pearl as a family .They feel a sense of release there. However, their plan fails…… When Hester dies, she is buried next to Dimmesdale. The two share a single tombstone, with a deep colored letter A shining brightly.

《紅字》是美國小說家霍桑最杰出的代表作,也是整個美國浪漫主義小說中最有聲望的權(quán)威作品之一.小說的故事發(fā)生在十七世紀(jì)中期加爾文者派統(tǒng)治下的波士頓,作者從當(dāng)時的社會現(xiàn)狀入手,通過一個感人的愛情故事悲劇來揭露當(dāng)局對人們精神,心靈和道德的摧殘.

海絲特*白蘭是一個在婚姻上遭到不幸的女人,年輕美貌,卻嫁給了身體畸形多病的術(shù)士羅杰*齊靈沃斯,夫妻間根本談不上愛情,后來,羅杰又在海上失蹤,杳無音訊,白蘭孤獨的過著日子.這時一個英俊有氣魄的青年牧師,亞瑟*丁梅斯代爾闖入了她的生活,他們真誠的相愛了,度過了一段隱私但熱烈的愛情生活.不久,白蘭由于懷孕的隱情暴露,以通*罪被抓,在獄中生下了女兒小珠兒.

按照當(dāng)時的教規(guī),白蘭只有交代*夫的姓名才能獲得赦免,否則將受懲罰.然而執(zhí)行審訊任務(wù)的卻正是他的情人.白蘭寧愿獨自忍受任何懲罰,為了把她和丁梅斯代爾之間的愛情深深地埋在心中,她堅強的挺住了.

海絲特*白蘭受到了懲罰,她必須終身穿著一件繡著紅色A字的外衣.字母A代表"通*(Adultery)"一詞.白蘭帶著小珠兒離群獨居,在郊外偏僻的茅舍中過者孤寂的生活.而用心險惡的前夫羅杰發(fā)現(xiàn)了丁梅斯代爾的反常表現(xiàn),利用牧師痛苦和矛盾的心情,不斷地折磨他,終于丁梅斯代爾在他即將升為主教的前夕,當(dāng)眾宣布了自己的秘密,丁梅斯代爾向周圍的人們展露了這首愛情的頌歌.當(dāng)他把自己的胸衣扯開時,一個猩紅的A字烙在他的胸前.他在自己的愛人身邊離開了人世.

海絲特*白蘭,他堅強,有毅力,對愛情忠貞不渝.雖然被統(tǒng)治者認(rèn)為有罪,但她是清白的,純潔的.她的精神不斷上升,成為真,善,美的化身.她的舉動是對封建政權(quán)與教權(quán)壓迫下的愛情,人權(quán)和自由的充分肯定.

丁梅斯代爾最初與白蘭產(chǎn)生了熾熱的的愛情,雖然他一度退卻了,為自己能夠隱蔽的安慰,但內(nèi)心的痛苦并沒有因他的安全而平息,相反,越來越強烈.他與白蘭的約會,他在枷刑臺上的自我懺悔,他們的逃跑計劃,以及最后的公開演說,都成為了丁梅斯代爾向著愛情的祭壇一步步走近的腳印.最后他扯開上衣,人們見到了烙在他胸口的紅色A字.這個A字實際上是烙在他的心上的,這是愛情的升華.

作者用薔薇花象征美與善,用監(jiān)獄象征死亡,用一道光,一只鳥……象征丁梅斯代爾與白蘭之間的愛情的結(jié)晶小珠兒,使作品充滿著一股迷人的魄力.

在作品的最后,在白蘭和丁梅斯代爾合用的墓碑上刻著這樣一句話:"一片墓地上,刻著血紅的A字."這句話不可謂不意味深長.