Abstract

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) is one of the greatest American romantic and symbolism novelists in the nineteenth Century, who is also considered as the pioneer of American psychoanalysis novels. Hawthorne’s works belong to romanticism, or rather, dark romanticism. With the publication of The Scarlet Letter, he secured permanent glory in the literary, and he influenced many writers in his time and later generations. The Scarlet Letter is one of Hawthorne’s masterpieces, his many other famous short stories, such as Minister’s Black Veil, Twice-told Tales, Mosses from an Old Manse, also have attracted many scholars’ attention．By contrast, The Birth-Mark is less noticed. It gives people a deep impression and tells a tragic and thought -provoking story. This thesis consists of three parts: first part makes a brief introduction, which mainly introduces the background of the writer and literature review and makes a synopsis of The Birth-Mark. The second part is body, which includes three chapters and analyzes The Birth-Mark from a feminist perspective: chapter one analyzes female’s society status in such a male-dominated society. Chapter two analyzes female’s attitude in marriage. Through this short story, it shows that female compromise easily in marriage. Chapter three mainly explores protagonists’ desire of pursuing perfection. This thesis aims to interpret The Birth-Mark from the feminist point of view, to explore the reason of why the heroine accepted fatal experiment or why the hero undertake fatal experiment, so as to advocate cherishing today’s feminist situation and keep the awakening of women awareness.

Key words: Feminism   male-dominated society     compromise      pursuing perfection

Contents

Abstract

摘  要

1. Introduction-1

2. Female’s Status-3

2.1 The Origin of Woman’s Low Status-3

2.2 The Comparison Between Male’s And Female’s Status-4

3. Female’s Compromise In Marriage-6

3.1 Georgiana’s Personality-6

3.2 The Comparison between Male’s And Female’s View in Marriage-7

4. Desire of Pursuing Perfection-8

4.1 Symbolic Significance Of The Birth Mark-8

4.2 The Difference Understanding Of Perfection Between Male And Female-8

5. Conclusion-9

References-10