Abstract

Nathaniel Hawthorne, who is one of the most splendid writers of American Romanticism in 19th century, is known for his experienced and excellent writing techniques all over the world. The Scarlet Letter is Hawthorne’s representative work and one of the most famous full-length novel. The ideological contents, artistic features and writing techniques of the novel have been extensively attended by most scholars both abroad and at home all the time. This thesis will research deeply the symbolism of the novel. But what is symbolism? Speaking in general terms, it refers to a kind of writing skill of literature which endows the concrete images with the abstract meanings to enlighten the readers’ imagination and thinking. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne always uses the symbolism flexibly and systematically. With the development of the plot and the images of characters, the scarlet letter A, four main characters and some natural surroundings have their symbolic significance. Hawthorne also arranges all kinds of settings and mysteriously endows them with symbolic meanings, which form the retiform system of symbolism and knit all parts of the novel together. 

     This thesis falls into five  chapters. The  first  chapter  introduces  Nathaniel Hawthorne and the symbolism by and large. The second chapter analyzes the symbolic meaning of the letter A which is indissolubly linked with Hester’s image. Therefore, the letter A has its own different symbolic meanings in different periods. The third chapter concentrates on symbols of the settings, such as the forest, the rosebush and the prison. The forth chapter discusses the symbolic meanings of the four main characters. The last chapter summarizes contents of the  thesis  and then reveals the Puritanism of Hawthorne’s thoughts.

Key Words: The scarlet letter; Symbolism; Nathaniel Hawthorne

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1  Introduction-1

2  The Symbolic Significance of the Scarlet Letter A-2

2.1 The Original Meanings: Adultery, Alienation, Alone-2

2.2 The Changing Meanings: Able, Admirable, Angel-2

2.3 The Final Meanings: Amazon, Arthur-3

3  The Symbolic Meanings of Different Settings-5

3.1 The Forest-5

3.2 The Rosebush-6

3.3 The Prison-6

4  The Symbolic Meanings of Four Characters-8

4.1 Pearl: Symbol of Sin, Love, Rebellion and Purity-8

4.2 Hester Prynne: Symbol of Beauty, Passion and Independence-9

4.3 Arthur Dimmesdale: Symbol of Cowardice and Hypocrisy-10

4.4 Roger Chillingworth: Symbol of Cold, Merciless and Evil-11

5  Conclusion-13

Bibliography-14

Acknowledgements-15