Abstract

Nathaniel Hawthorne is an outstanding American novelist in the 19th century. Under the influence of his family background, growth environment and social factors, his writings convey a strong sense of religious overtones. On the one hand, impacted by the "Original Sin" and "Innate Depravity" of Puritanism, Hawthorne portrays the sins hidden in the human hearts in his works. And he claims that people should purify their minds and have salvation by kindness and confession. On the other hand, Hawthorne exposes and criticizes bigotry, cruelty and apathy of Puritanism. Hawthorne's ambiguous Puritanism is reflected in the majority of his works. This thesis aims at analyzing Hawthorne's attitude towards Puritanism in "The Minister's Black Veil" from two aspects: characters and writing skills. In this thesis, I argue that Hawthorne’s attitude towards Puritanism is ambiguous as reflected in his short story "The Minister's Black Veil". 

Except for an introduction and a conclusion, this thesis is composed of three parts. The first part explores the causes of Hawthorne's ambiguous Puritanism from three aspects: family background, growth environment, and social influence. The second part elaborates on Hawthorne's ambiguous Puritanism in the characters of "The Minister's Black Veil" by analyzing the two main characters, Mr. Hooper and his fiancée Elizabeth. The last part specifies Hawthorne's ambiguous Puritanism in the writing skills of this short novel from two aspects: symbolism and biblical archetypes.

Keyword: Hawthorne; "The Minister's Black Veil"; Puritanism; ambiguous; characters; writing skills

Contents

Abstract

摘要

Introduction-1

1.1 Hawthorne, and His "The Minister's Black Veil"-1

1.2 Literature Review-1

1.3 The Purpose of This Thesis-2

2. Hawthorne's Ambiguous Attitude towards Puritanism-2

2.1 Family Background-2

2.2 Growth Environment-3

2.3 Social Influence-3

3. Hawthorne's Ambiguous Puritanism in the Characters of "The Minister's Black Veil"-4

3.1 Ambiguous Puritanism on Mr. Hooper-4

3.2 Ambiguous Puritanism on Elizabeth-5

4. Hawthorne's Ambiguous Puritanism in the Writing Skills of "The Minister's Black Veil"-5

4.1 Symbolism-6

4.2 Biblical Archetypes-6

Conclusion-7

References-7