Abstract:Nathaniel Hawthorne is acclaimed as one of the greatest American novelists in the 19th century and his reputation has been on the increase ever since the publication of his novel The Scarlet Letter. As Hawthorne’s greatest literary achievement，The Scarlet Letter has aroused century-long concerns and criticism in the American literature. The thesis evaluates The Scarlet Letter in the light of ecofeminism and link the theory to the construction of a Harmonious Society in modern China. Ecofeminism is a school of thought arising in the 1970s, which is the combination of ecological or environmental criticism and feminist literary criticism. It came into the field of literature in the 1990s. Ecofeminism opposes the pressure on women and nature under the control of traditional patriarchy value of the world and dualistic ideology, and advocates building a new kind of relationships between mankind and nature. Ecofeminism introduced the social fairness from women's special historical position of society, which enables us not only to reflect on the ecological crisis caused by environmental problems from a new perspective, but also find new ideas to solve these environmental problems. The significance of the thesis rests with not only the theoretical application, but also with the practical inspiration. Hawthorne’s ecofeminist sensitivity demonstrated in The Scarlet Letter is helpful in arousing people’s awareness of the importance of reconstructing human society in harmony with natural environment.

Keywords: The Scarlet Letter; ecofeminism; harmonious society; nature; theory of ecology

Contents

Abstract

中文摘要

Chaper 1 Introduction-1

1.1 Introduction of The Scarlet Letter-1

1.2 Criticism on The Scarlet Letter-2

Chapter 2 Theory of Eco-feminism-3

2.1 The Rise and Development of Eco-feminism-3

2.2 Ecofeminist Literary Criticism-4

Chapter 3 Eco-feminism Embodied in The Scarlet Letter-7

3.1 Analysis from the Perspective of Nature-7

3.1.1 The Relation between Women and Nature-7

3.1.2 The Relation between Men and Nature-8

3.2 Analysis from the Perspective of Gender-9

3.2.1 Male and Female Characters in The Scarlet Letter-9

Chapter 4  Conclusion-11

4.1 The Construction of A Harmonious Society in Modern China-11

4.2 The Importance of Eco-feminism in the Construction of Harmonious Society-11

4.3 Conclusion-13

References-15