Nathaniel Hawthorne ( )
best-known work: The Scarlet Letter (1850) one of the first American writers to explore the hidden motivations of his characters.
I. Life II. Works III. Points of view IV. Themes V. Aesthetic ideas VI. Literary Achievements VII. Style
I. Life Emerson described his life with the words “painful solitude.” Few intimates and little engagement with any sort of social life. born in Salem, Massachusetts
II. Influences on Hawthorne 1. Salem - early childhood, later work at the Custom House 2. Puritan family background 3. Belief in the existence of the devil 4. Belief in determinism
III. Point of view
Like Edgar Allan Poe, Hawthorne took a dark view of human nature. He has a “black” vision of life and human beings.
Evil is at the core of human life, “that blackness in Hawthorne” Sin or evil can be passed from generation to generation.
he believed that human being are evil-natured and sinful this sin is ever present in human heart sin punishment “Whenever there is sin, there is punishment.”
Hawthorne's works belong to romanticism or, more specifically, dark romanticism, cautionary tales that suggest that guilt, sin, and evil are the most inherent natural qualities of humanity
His later writings would also reflect his negative view of the Transcendentalism movement.
IV. IV. Major Themes 1. sin 2. the Puritan guilt 3. punishment 4. atonement 5. alienation
VI. VI. Aesthetic ideas (1) He took a great interest in history. (historical novels) (2) He was convinced that romance was the predestined form of American narrative.
collections of short stories Twice-told Tales 《重述集》,1837 Mosses from an Old Manse 《老屋青苔》,1846 III. Major Works
The Old Manse
Famous short stories “Young Goodman Brown”: 《好小伙布朗》, Mosses from an Old Manse “The Minister’s Black Veil”: 《教长的黑面纱》, Twice-Told Tales
Novels The Scarlet Letter 《红字》, 1850 The House of the Seven Gables 《七角楼房》,1851 The Blithedale Romance 《福谷传奇》,1852 The Marble Faun 《玉石人像》,1860
VIII. Style (1) the use of symbols A black veil represents the wickedness of mankind. The letter A in The Scarlet Letter takes on different layers of symbolic meanings as the plot develops.
(2) revelation of characters’ psychology He is good at exploring of the complexity of human psychology. He was anatomist of “the interior of the heart”. His works remain notable for their treatment of guilt the complexities of moral choices
(3) the use of supernatural mixed with the actual (4) his stories are parable to teach a lesson e.g.: an Everyman named Brown.
(5) use of ambiguity to keep the reader in the world of uncertainty – multiple point of view
The Scarlet Letter 1850
The Five Elements 1. Settings 2. Plot 3. Characters 4. Points of View 5. Themes
1. Settings: Time and Place 17 th century, puritanical Boston a prison setting: the novel opens there the market place: scaffold scenes the forest: meeting of Hester and Dimmesdale
2. Plot (1) Exposition: Chap 1-3 setting, characters and conflict
(2) Climax the second scaffold scene Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl, finally divulging ( 吐露 ) his secret, but still in the darkness of night.
Ironically, while standing there, Dimmesdale notices a large meteor in the sky that appears in the shape of the letter A.
Chillingworth sees it as well, for he has been watching the three of them on the scaffold. Dimmesdale’s sin is a secret no more; Chillingworth will have his revenge.
(3) Denouement: the third scaffold scene
3. Major characters (1) Hester Prynne (2) Arthur Dimmesdale (3) Roger Chillingworth (4) Pearl
the bearer of the scarlet letter in public the central character of the book (1) Hester Prynne
a Boston settler commits adultery bears a child while awaiting the arrival of her husband from Europe
Authorities require her to wear a piece of red cloth in the shape of an A (standing for adulteress) on her dress to identify her as a sinner. She refuses to identify her partner in sin.
Hester is named after the title character of an Old Testament book. In that book, Esther is a Jew who marries the King of Persia, Xerxes I ([ l z ɜ :ksi:z] 薛西斯一世 ). Her cousin Mordecai persuade the king to spare the lives of Jews previously singled out for annihilation. Mordecai ['m ɔ :dəkai] n. 末底改
Detailed Character Analysis of Hester At the trial proud strong-willed sinless motherhood youthful & beautiful passionate & spirited
The major changes after the trial (1) sinner (2) mother (3) lover (4) ex-wife (5) member of the community
(1) as a sinner penitent (['penitənt] 悔罪的 ) no woman any more social outcast stronger a thinker
(2) as a lover faithful selfless
(3) as an ex-wife a woman who keeps her words never harbors any malice ( 恶意 ) towards Chillingworth whom she considers responsible for her defamation
If he had not deserted her, she would have remained his faithful wife. In the end, however, she even tells him that he has been wronged by her.
(4) as a mother loving and selfless dressing Pearl with the brightest colors suffering from the impishness of her daughter
e.g. Chapter 8, p.51: “She is my happiness. She is the torture. She is the scarlet letter. I will die first if you take her.”
(5) as a member of the community sympathetic charitable a maternal figure to her community
The townspeople who condemned her now believe the scarlet letter stands for her ability to her beautiful needlework her unselfish assistance to the poor and sick serves to wash away evil
At last, Hester overcomes the shame of her sin through the purity and goodness of her soul grows to be quite admirable amongst the people of the town
2. Arthur Dimmesdale a respected minister the father of Hester’s child, unknown to townspeople weak and cowardly but redeems himself in the end
tortured by his sin and cowardice Hawthorne still paints a sympathetic picture of him. very human in his suffering pathetic ( 凄惨可怜的 ) in the hands of Chillingworth
Contrast Hester’s scarlet letter with Dimmesdale’s scarlet letter Unconfessed sin destroys the soul. Hester's sin has been confessed. As its symbol, she wears the Scarlet Letter A.